Murder Of A Movie Star

Nobody would mistake part-time actor, part-time Hollywood sleuth Eddie Collins for a movie star. Shooting a chicken commercial, he is almost grateful for a call from a bonding company on the hook for an unfinished film titled Flames of Desire, whose lead actress has died. But the dead actress turns out to be Eddie's ex-wife, and her death looks a lot like murder. Says best-selling author Michael Connelly: "I like this character Eddie Collins. He's tough, funny and has the classic private eye's world-weary wisdom. I hope to see more of him."

Lulu is at Hearst Castle, competing for the role of a lifetime, when a rival actress is found dead and Lulu and Freddie must race to find the killer before Lulu becomes the next target.

This balanced examination looks at America's pervasive celebrity culture, concentrating on the period from 1950 to the present day. Star Struck: An Encyclopedia of Celebrity Culture is neither a stern critic nor an apologist for celebrity infatuation, a phenomenon that sometimes supplants more weighty matters yet constitutes one of our nation's biggest exports. This encyclopedia covers American celebrity culture from 1950 to 2008, examining its various aspects—and its impact—through 86 entries by 30 expert contributors. Demonstrating that all celebrities are famous, but not all famous people are celebrities, the book cuts across the various entertainment medias and their legions of individual "stars." It looks at sports celebrities and examines the role of celebrity in more serious pursuits and institutions such as the news media, corporations, politics, the arts, medicine, and the law. Also included are entries devoted to such topics as paranoia and celebrity, one-name celebrities, celebrity nicknames, family unit celebrity, sidekick celebrities, and even criminal celebrities.

Some thirty years ago, movie star Laura Marlowe was shot to death by a crazed fan in New York City, who then killed himself. The police ruled it a murder-suicide, the case was closed, and the beloved starlet faded away into history. But when New York Daily News reporter Gil Malloy re-investigates Marlowe's death, long-buried secrets emerge and he begins to uncover the trail of a new serial killer. And more people are dying. Now, before he can solve the current crimes, Gil must find out what really happened to Laura Marlowe all those years ago.

Perhaps no one's death has stirred more interest, controversy, and theories than Marilyn Monroe's August 4 of 1962. In Murder Orthodoxies, author Donald R. McGovern analyzes and examines the many theories that Monroe was murdered by a host of curious characters-from the middle Kennedy brothers to brutal gangsters to aliens. McGovern separates fact from fiction and theory from outlandish rumor. He addresses and debunks the usual allegations related to Monroe's death, the secrets recorded in her little red diary, her scheduled whistle-blowing press conference, the murder plots by organized crime and the brothers Kennedy, and the fatal injection of drugs, along with many others. In Murder Orthodoxies, McGovern restores logic and sanity to the investigation of Monroe's death. His thesis is based upon the premise that the engines of conspiracies are started and fueled by opinion, not by facts. His credible conclusions are based on logic, science, toxicology, and forensic evidence.

Serial killers, mass murderers, spree killers, outlaws, and real-life homicidal maniacs have long held a grim fascination for both filmmakers and viewers. Since the 1970s, hundreds of films and television movies have been made covering killers from Charles Manson to Ted Bundy and the Zodiac Killer creating a uniquely morbid sub-genre within horror and thrillers. This collection of interviews sheds light on 17 filmmakers and screenwriters who tackled this controversial subject while attempting to explore the warped world of infamous killers. The interviews include John McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Tom Hanson (The Zodiac Killer), David Wickes (Jack the Ripper), Chris Gerolmo (Citizen X), Chuck Parello (The Hillside Stranglers), David Jacobson (Dahmer) and Clive Saunders on his ill-fated experience directing Gacy. Offering candid insights into the creative process behind these movies, the interviews also show the pitfalls and moral controversy the filmmakers had to wrestle with to bring their visions to the screen.

Can you name ten actors who played women or ten actresses who played prostitutes in the movies? What about anyone who gained weight or got into shape for a movie role? And, there are those who fell in love on a movie set, performed together, and were paid big bucks for a divorce. The answers are in this book, although you might have a preference for someone I didn’t recognize. You might even learn something new about the movies or your favorite stars. Did you know that television’s Police Squad! ran for only six episodes, but it led to three movies. Do you remember when Paul Newman played himself on The Simpsons? The idea for the book was based on a childhood pastime similar to hopscotch, but without the hopping or standing on one leg. This book is sure to bring hours of entertainment. There are over 1000 entries, organized into ten chapters with ten sections each. Sit down, keep reading, and enjoy!

Murder Along the Cape Fear is the story of Fayetteville and Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during the twentieth century. Seen through the eyes of a native son, this is the tale of one - a distinguished historian - who lived through some of it and heard about much of it from friends and relatives. In this hundred-year journey the town was profoundly impacted by the establishment of Fort Bragg 10 miles to its west. Throughout this hundred-year history, murder seems to be the scarlet thread that stitched the town into infamy. The book demonstrates that Fayetteville was by no means innocent prior to the coming of Fort Bragg. Nor did all of the crime and evil emanate from Fort Bragg after 1918. As for murder, there was an abundance of killing that had no connection with Fort Bragg, but the most sensational murder case of the century involved Jeffrey MacDonald, a Green Beret Army captain and physician who received three life terms in federal prison for killing his pregnant wife and two daughters. While many other Fort Bragg soldiers were involved with murders along the Cape Fear, murders were also committed by transient civilians and local citizens like the famous inventor of the M-1 carbine, Marshall "Carbine" Williams, and Velma Barfield, who poisoned her mother and three other people. In all, about two dozen murder cases-some highly publicized and some not-are woven into this story about a North Carolina town in the twentieth century. Engagingly told, this book is a wonderful blend of history, lore, and murder.