JAMES STEWART knows all about peeling back layers of mystery and complexity. He was a Pulitzer-prizewinning reporter and front-page editor at the Wall Street Journal, where he supervised many investigative stories. Stewart's last book was Den of Thieves, a gripping account of the 1980s Wall Street insider-trading scandals. Two years ago, he began peering through the aura of scandal that continues to surround the Clinton White House. The result is a new book, Blood Sport, which is to be published this week and is excerpted exclusively in this issue.
Stewart spent months in Arkansas, Washington and California, tracking down confidential documents...