Read Anywhere and on Any Device!

Subscribe to Read | $0.00

Join today and start reading your favorite books for Free!

Create Free Account

Murder in Hollywood: Solving a Silent Screen Mystery

3.2/5 ( ratings)

    For more than eighty years, the famous unsolved murder of William Desmond Taylor, the legendary bisexual film director, has generated debate and controversy. Now, best-selling author Charles Higham has solved the crime. Higham uncovers the corruption and intrigue of Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties—and the film industry moguls’ complete domination of the city’s authorities.
    When it was discovered that a famous star of the day had probably killed Taylor, a massive cover-up began—from the removal of crucial evidence to the naming of innocent people as killers—which has continued until now to protect the truth. Murder in Hollywood goes beyond the killing to unearth unknown details about the life of Taylor before his arrival in Hollywood, as well as the stories and histories buried by the crooked authorities and criminals involved the case. The author’s exclusive interviews with the culpable star, his unique possession of long-vanished police records, and the support of the present-day Los Angeles county coroner—who examined the evidence as if the murder had taken place now—have ensured a hair-raising thriller.
    Charles Higham successfully presents the most plausible and convincing solution yet to the mystery. In the process he paints a vivid portrait of Hollywood in the 1920s—from its major stars to its bisexual subculture. The result is a compelling answer to a long-standing mystery and a fascinating study of a place, and an industry that, as today, let people reinvent themselves. Murder in Hollywood is more extraordinary than any crime of fiction and more exciting than any action adventure movie.

Language: English

Pages: 242

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press

Release: October 27, 2004

ISBN: 0299203603

ISBN 13: 9780299203603

Murder in Hollywood: Solving a Silent Screen Mystery

3.2/5 ( ratings)

    For more than eighty years, the famous unsolved murder of William Desmond Taylor, the legendary bisexual film director, has generated debate and controversy. Now, best-selling author Charles Higham has solved the crime. Higham uncovers the corruption and intrigue of Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties—and the film industry moguls’ complete domination of the city’s authorities.
    When it was discovered that a famous star of the day had probably killed Taylor, a massive cover-up began—from the removal of crucial evidence to the naming of innocent people as killers—which has continued until now to protect the truth. Murder in Hollywood goes beyond the killing to unearth unknown details about the life of Taylor before his arrival in Hollywood, as well as the stories and histories buried by the crooked authorities and criminals involved the case. The author’s exclusive interviews with the culpable star, his unique possession of long-vanished police records, and the support of the present-day Los Angeles county coroner—who examined the evidence as if the murder had taken place now—have ensured a hair-raising thriller.
    Charles Higham successfully presents the most plausible and convincing solution yet to the mystery. In the process he paints a vivid portrait of Hollywood in the 1920s—from its major stars to its bisexual subculture. The result is a compelling answer to a long-standing mystery and a fascinating study of a place, and an industry that, as today, let people reinvent themselves. Murder in Hollywood is more extraordinary than any crime of fiction and more exciting than any action adventure movie.

Language: English

Pages: 242

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press

Release: October 27, 2004

ISBN: 0299203603

ISBN 13: 9780299203603

More books from Charles Higham

The Duchess of Windsor: The Secret Life

3.5/5 ( ratings)

Howard Hughes: The Secret Life

3.3/5 ( ratings)

Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart

3.2/5 ( ratings)

Kate: The Life of Katharine Hepburn

3.6/5 ( ratings)

Sisters: The Story of Olivia De Havilland and Joan Fontaine

3.3/5 ( ratings)

Errol Flynn: The Untold Story

2.8/5 ( ratings)

Bette: The Life of Bette Davis

3.1/5 ( ratings)

Hollywood in the Forties

Charles Laughton

3.4/5 ( ratings)

Hollywood Cameramen: Sources of Light

Rose: The Life and Times of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

The Celluloid Muse: Hollywood Directors Speak

Audrey: A Biography Of Audrey Hepburn

The Midnight Tree: A Fairy Tale of Terror

Celebrity Circus

Merchant of Dreams

Dark Lady: Winston Churchill's Mother and Her World

THE MIDNIGHT TREE: A Fairy Tale of Terror

The Celluloid Muse: Hollywood Directors Speak

Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart

Rate this book!

Write a review?