Tinseltown - by William J Mann (Paperback)

About the Book

New York Times Bestseller

Edgar Award winner for Best Fact Crime

The Day of the Locust meets The Devil in the White City and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true tale of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, and the creation of the modern film industry.

By 1920, the movies had suddenly become America s new favorite pastime, and one of the nation s largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence. Yet Hollywood s glittering ascendency was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now.

In a fiendishly involving narrative, bestselling Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse cast that surrounded him including three beautiful, ambitious actresses; a grasping stage mother; a devoted valet; and a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet. And overseeing this entire landscape of intrigue was Adolph Zukor, the brilliant and ruthless founder of Paramount, locked in a struggle for control of the industry and desperate to conceal the truth about the crime. Along the way, Mann brings to life Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties: a sparkling yet schizophrenic town filled with party girls, drug dealers, religious zealots, newly-minted legends and starlets already past their prime a dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate.

A true story recreated with the suspense of a novel, Tinseltown is the work of a storyteller at the peak of his powers and the solution to a crime that has stumped detectives and historians for nearly a century."

Book Synopsis

New York Times Bestseller - Edgar Award winner for Best Fact Crime

The Day of the Locust meets The Devil in the White City and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true tale of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, and the creation of the modern film industry.

By 1920, the movies had suddenly become America's new favorite pastime, and one of the nation's largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence. Yet Hollywood's glittering ascendency was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies--including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now.

In a fiendishly involving narrative, bestselling Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse cast that surrounded him--including three beautiful, ambitious actresses; a grasping stage mother; a devoted valet; and a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet. And overseeing this entire landscape of intrigue was Adolph Zukor, the brilliant and ruthless founder of Paramount, locked in a struggle for control of the industry and desperate to conceal the truth about the crime. Along the way, Mann brings to life Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties: a sparkling yet schizophrenic town filled with party girls, drug dealers, religious zealots, newly-minted legends and starlets already past their prime--a dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate.

A true story recreated with the suspense of a novel, Tinseltown is the work of a storyteller at the peak of his powers--and the solution to a crime that has stumped detectives and historians for nearly a century.

From the Back Cover

In the early 1920s, Hollywood was threatened by a string of scandals--including the murder of the handsome, secretly haunted actor and director William Desmond Taylor, a crime that went unsolved for nearly a century. Now, in this fiendishly involving New York Times bestseller--hailed as "a must-read" by Liz Smith--William Mann draws on a rich host of sources, many untapped for decades, to revisit the case of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse cast that surrounded him--including three loyal ingenues, a devoted valet, a gang of two-bit thugs, and moguls Adolph Zukor and Marcus Loew, locked in a struggle for control of the exploding industry. Along the way, Mann brings to life Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties: a town filled with celebrities, party girls, and drug dealers--a dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate.

Review Quotes

"If you love a good mystery and vintage Hollywood lore-which doesn't read much differently than current Hollywood lore-I recommend Tinseltown without reservation." - Liz Smith
A lucid solution to the crime that feels almost as airtight as the final chapter of an Agatha Christie mystery." - Connecticut Post
"[Mann] brings the early days of the movie industry to sparkling life on the page, whether he's evoking Los Angeles' demimonde or explaining how the era's scandals drove the film industry toward protectionism in the face of morality campaigns." - NPR, The Best Books of 2014
"Mann's got the goods . . . Tinseltown may well be the most completist murder mystery of all time." - Choire Sicha, BookForum
"Mann spins this yarn with all the suspense and intrigue of a Dashiell Hammett novel. From beginning to end, the engrossing true tale will keep you guessing." - Out Magazine
"Tinseltown does a fine job of parceling out its complex plot, and its author brings early Hollywood to life with the flair of a popular historian." - Wall Street Journal
"Mann's call sheet of colorful characters is so richly painted, they not only make the Roaring '20s come to life, they're so bizarre they seem like they could only exist in a movie." - Entertainment Weekly
"Mann tells his story expertly . . . When it's all over, Mann has argued so ably for his killer-candidate that he finally may have put this controversy to rest." - Washington Post
"Tinseltown is an immensely enjoyable read as a recreation of a murder, and a fascinating time [and] place." - McClatchy News Service
"A gripping true-crime narrative. . . . Mann expertly juggles the various threads of the narrative to a satisfying conclusion that is sure to please both true-crime and film-history enthusiasts." - Booklist
"William Mann fires on all cylinders in this fascinating real-life crime story that has stumped film fans since 1922. A page-turner with incredible research and prose double-boiled, Tinseltown is a whodunit tour de force, revealing the dark heart of Hollywood." - Patrick McGilligan, author of Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light
"A gripping true-crime story that encompasses a colorful period in film history . . . Mann seamlessly weaves the details of the murder investigation, witnesses and newspaper accounts into the rich history of early film. The author also profiles movie power brokers, including Adolph Zukor, who founded and built the mighty Paramount . . . While searching for a solution to the sensational crime, Mann masterfully captures the zeitgeist of Hollywood in its early days." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A gripping true-crime story that encompasses a colorful period in film history . . . Mann seamlessly weaves the details of the murder investigation, witnesses and newspaper accounts into the rich history of early film . . . Mann masterfully captures the zeitgeist of Hollywood in its early days." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"The book is so evocatively written, right down to the weather, characters' glances, and what they are feeling, . .. [and] seductively cinematic . . . should be made into a film itself." - Daily Beast
Tinseltown is entertaining enough to feel illicit, but its reporting makes it an essential addition to any respectable bookshelf of L.A. history." - Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Author William J. Mann paints a striking portrait of Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties--a sparkling yet schizophrenic town filled with party girls, drug dealers, religious zealots, newly-minted legends and starlets already past their prime; a dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate." - TCM.com
"A stellar and gripping true-crime narrative . . . An engrossing and comprehensive look at the birth of the motion picture industry and the highs and lows it faced in the early 1920s . . . Mann has crafted what is likely to be a true-crime classic." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Sex! Drama! Scandal! If you have the slightest curiosity about the dark purple scars of Hollywood history, this is the go-to book you cannot miss. . . Epic and fabulous--every page is haunting, every chapter a film noir. I was up all night." - Rex Reed
"The book's power derives not just from piecing together the clues and analyzing motives; Los Angeles is very present as well." - Publishers Weekly
"[A] gripping true-crime narrative. . . . Mann expertly juggles the various threads of the narrative to a satisfying conclusion that is sure to please both true-crime and film-history enthusiasts." - Booklist
"For folks interested in true crime and the heyday of Hollywood, this book is a match made in a rather sinister version of heaven." - Living Read Girl
"Mann spins this yarn with all the suspense and intrigue of a Dashiell Hammett novel. From beginning to end, the engrossing true tale will keep you guessing." - Out Magazine
"Massive, exhaustively researched, endlessly fascinating . . . It's a gripping ride with innumerable twists and turns and scenarios . . . If you love a good mystery and vintage Hollywood lore--which doesn't read much differently than current Hollywood lore--I recommend Tinseltown without reservation." - Liz Smith