The Mammoth Book of Celebrity Murders

by Chris Ellis, Julie Ellis

Murder played out in the spotlight of maximum publicity Does celebrityhood preclude a fair trial? Can the famous get away with behaviour off limits to most ordinary mortals? Here in a fascinating diagnosis of the shifting nature of high-profile justice is the fullest ever analysis of infamous and celebrity murder cases that have come to trial. This A-list selection looks in depth at 25 notable murders involving those who live their lives in the full beam of press and media headlights, including film starlets, tv actors, music legends, comedians, fashion moguls, movie directors, playwrights and aristocracy from the start of the twentieth century to the present day. All, from Fatty Arbuckle to John Lennon, are well known, and in each instance the story of their death is retold and the degree to which fame and its entourage played their part in death's final outcome examined. Among the cases included are: o The investigation surrounding the death of American film and TV star Robert Blake's wife, shot in his car after they dined together in a restaurant o The murder of silent-film star Ramon Navarro in his own home by gay lovers o The death of soul legend Marvin Gaye, shot by his own father during a family row o TV personality Jill Dando's shocking and untimely murder, gunned down on in broad daylight on her doorstep o Italy's trial of Patrizia Gucci for the murder of her husband, Maurizio, inheritor of the fashion family's fabulous fortune. The Mammoth Book of Celebrity Murder provides the clearest analysis yet of murder played out in the spotlight of maximum publicity.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but at the same time not up to the standards of other MAMMOTH collections I've read (admittedly they were all fictional). This one picks a handful of celebrity murders and looks at them in exhaustive detail, but it appears to have been written in a hurry and not proofread either. The text is littered with errors, as other reviewers have mentioned, and at one point during the Manson section the same part is written twice but with significant details changed the second time, as if the author himself is confused about what really happened. The writing style is light and readable, similar to a tabloid paper, with the gruesome details played out in detail for the reader. I found the lengthy life story sections about the victims to smack of padding and they dragged the pace down at times; twice as many celebrities could have featured without them.

[Yolande · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not great!

I kind of got fed up with the book. I don't know why; maybe the fact that the premise sounded interesting, and then it felt more like a gossip book read than a procedural and investigative book.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had some interesting stories I hadn't heard before, along with many that I've heard countless times before. It's an easy way to pass some time when you haven't got the desire to concentrate too hard.
The grammatical errors are very distracting.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the usual suspects present an correct plus a couple I had not heard of.an easy read compendium style,which if wanted could be used to follow on further on any one murder mystery.

[Keith Chawgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives plenty of factual tidings concerning celebrity deaths some known and some rare. The insight into each case is well researched and also gives some detailed conspiracy theories which make you look at each case with an alternative slant.

The detailing of how the press handled each case is what keeps this book fascinating and gives this book the much appreciative slant that most books of this ilk do not have.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book as it was one that I could not put down. even the cases I thought I knew a lot about gave me new facts to pondered. Well written and absolute gem.

[kylajaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the big cases are here: John Lennon, Tupac, MLK Jr, Bobby and JFK, Marvin Gaye, etc. etc. What's not here? Proper grammar and punctuation. That made the book extremely hard to get through at times. Nonetheless, if you are fascinated by celebrity crimes both solved and unsolved, this book will pass by fairly quickly.

[Liv Chez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thouroughly enjoyed this!

[Makenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author gets real repetitive and annoying with his visible lack of writing skill. The information is interesting.