Helpful Score: 1
True Crime
Helpful Score: 1
This is a great book, part history, part mystery, real life of the rich and famous!
Helpful Score: 1
Although there have been other and more solid theories out there about the motive and perpetrators of director William Desmond Taylor's murder in 1922, this one has an added level of interest because Kirkpatrick tells the story of a high-level sleuth. King Vidor, well-known director and contemporary of Taylor's, investigated the crime over the course of decades and this book is the result of that inquiry. As I said, the finale is not completely convincing (and may be a bit of a cop-out), but for anyone interested in Hollywood's dark side in the 20s, this is a great read. Considering we have no way of knowing exactly who killed Taylor, this theory is as valid as many others in circulation.
Although the Hollywood of today is very different from what it was in the silent movie era, many things remain the same. Desire for fame, greed, corruption, struggles for control...and unsolved murder, all illustrate the darker side of Tinsel Town.
This is the second time I have read this---a very good mystery
