About this item
Highlights
- USA TODAY BESTSELLER"A wild ride beneath the glitz and glamour of 1950s Hollywood, proving once again that Casey Sherman is a master of the genre.
- Author(s): Casey Sherman
- 304 Pages
- True Crime, Historical
Description
About the Book
"Hollywood starlet Lana Turner was one Tinseltown's most recognizable faces in the 1940s and 50s. But, when the Academy Award-winning actress began dating mobster Johnny Stompanato-a thug for west coast mob boss Mickey Cohen-all the lights and glamor of Hollywood did not brighten the darkness of her personal life. Johnny's intense jealousy over Lana ruled their relationship from the get-go and Lana's daughter, Cheryl, witnessed her mother's bruises and abuse first-hand. On an infamous night in 1958, Lana attempted to break it off with Johnny but he predictably turned violent and Cheryl tried to protect her mother with a knife, killing him. The subsequent murder trial made for the biggest headlines of the year, its drama eclipsing every Hollywood movie. In Murder in Hollywood, Casey Sherman pulls back Tinseltown's velvet curtain to reveal a dark underbelly of celebrity, rife with toxic masculinity and casual violence against women. But in this case, Lana Turner and her daughter finally stood up, which makes for one of the 20th century's most notorious true crime stories"--]cProvided by publisher.Book Synopsis
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
"A wild ride beneath the glitz and glamour of 1950s Hollywood, proving once again that Casey Sherman is a master of the genre."
--Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling author of Dumb Money, Bringing Down the House, and The Accidental Billionaires
The dark story behind the bright lights of Tinseltown
From the outside, Hollywood starlet Lana Turner seemed to have it all--a thriving film career, a beautiful daughter, and the kind of fame and fortune that most people could only dream of. But when the famous femme fatale began dating mobster Johnny Stompanato, thug for the infamous west coast mob boss Mickey Cohen, her personal life became violent and unpredictable. Lana's teenage daughter, Cheryl, watched her beloved mother's life deteriorate as Stompanato's intense jealousy took over. Eventually, the physical and emotional abuse became too much to bear, and Lana attempted to break it off with Johnny--with disastrous consequences. The details of what happened that fateful night remain foggy, but it ended in a series of frantic phone calls and Stompanato dead on Lana's bedroom floor, with Cheryl claiming to have plunged a knife into his abdomen in an attempt to protect her mother. The subsequent murder trial made for the biggest headlines of the year, its drama eclipsing every Hollywood movie.
New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman pulls back Tinseltown's velvet curtain to reveal the dark underbelly of celebrity, rife with toxic masculinity and casual violence against women, and tells the story of Lana Turner and her daughter, who finally stood up to the abuse that plagued their family for years. A Murder in Hollywood transports us back to the golden age of film and illuminates one of the 20th century's most notorious true crime tales.
Review Quotes
"In his latest page-turner, Sherman... adds another winning entry to his extensive bibliography." -- Manhattan Book Review
"Sherman chronicles a crime that shocked show business and laid bare the abusive relationship between one of Hollywood's brightest stars and a liar, a crook and a conman." -- The New York Post
"A well-researched and new take on one of Hollywood's most notorious mysteries. True-crime fans and celebrity mavens will enjoy." -- Library Journal
"A wild ride beneath the glitz and glamour of 1950's Hollywood, proving once again that Casey Sherman is a master of the genre. Riveting, eye-opening, and impeccably researched, A Murder in Hollywood is a cinematic tour-de-force that pulls back the curtain on one of Tinseltown's darkest moments, reinventing our understanding of Lana Turner as an enduring icon of feminine power. Casey Sherman's research is revelatory--a game-changer that shifts the spotlight from scandal to the strength and resilience of a woman fighting for her life and her legacy." -- Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling author of Dumb Money, Bringing Down the House, and The Accidental Billionaires
"If you like a lively Hollywood yarn or crave a good gangster tale--or both--A Murder in Hollywood is the book for you. Casey Sherman turns his sharp eye to the famed Lana Turner murder case, and he delivers the liveliest, grittiest, juiciest page-turner of the year, a true story that reads like Harold Robbins on steroids. Lovely Lana, the bottle-blonde heartthrob, gets top billing. Surrounding her is a fantastic cast of featured players, hoods like Bugsy Siegel, Mickey Cohen and Johnny Stompanato, Hollywood giants like Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, and even Sean Connery. It's the kind of book that's just plain fun to read, but when you're done, you'll wonder at the toxic effects of ambition, greed, and unfulfilled dreams of love... even in the land where dreams are supposed to come true." -- William Martin, New York Times bestselling author of Back Bay and December '41
"In his stunning new book, A Murder in Hollywood, Casey Sherman takes us behind the glitz and glamour of 1950s Technicolor to a front row seat at a real-life film noir, the story of Lana Turner and her terrifying love affair with LA gangster Johnny Stompanato. It's a violent and harrowing tale of female empowerment, a page turner more gripping than any film in which she ever starred." -- Terence Winter, Executive Producer of The Sopranos, creator of Boardwalk Empire
"A must-read for fans of true crime and Hollywood history, A Murder in Hollywood never disappoints! Casey Sherman deftly serves just the right mix of glamour, glitz, and grit to keep the reader turning pages. It's a stunner from start to finish." -- Kristin Dilley, co-host, Mind over Murder podcast