Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
I want to read the book!
All characters reduced
Tinseltown - Murder Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood - cover

We are sorry! The publisher (or author) gave us the instruction to take down this book from our catalog. But please don't worry, you still have more than 500,000 other books you can enjoy!

Tinseltown - Murder Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood

William J. Mann

Publisher: Harper

  • 1
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

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.
Available since: 10/14/2015.

Other books that might interest you

  • A Sense of the World - How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler - cover

    A Sense of the World - How a...

    Jason Roberts

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    He was known simply as the Blind Traveler -- a solitary, sightless adventurer who, astonishingly, fought the slave trade in Af-rica, survived a frozen captivity in Siberia, hunted rogue elephants in Ceylon, and helped chart the Australian outback. James Holman (1786-1857) became "one of the greatest wonders of the world he so sagaciously explored," triumphing not only over blindness but crippling pain, poverty, and the interference of well-meaning authorities (his greatest feat, a circumnavigation of the globe, had to be launched in secret). Once a celebrity, a bestselling author, and an inspiration to Charles Darwin and Sir Richard Francis Burton, the charismatic, witty Holman outlived his fame, dying in an obscurity that has endured -- until now.A Sense of the World is a spellbinding and moving rediscovery of one of history's most epic lives. Drawing on meticulous research, Jason Roberts ushers us into the Blind Traveler's uniquely vivid sensory realm, then sweeps us away on an extraordinary journey across the known world during the Age of Exploration. Rich with suspense, humor, international intrigue, and unforgettable characters, this is a story to awaken our own senses of awe and wonder.
    Show book
  • 81 Days Below Zero - The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness - cover

    81 Days Below Zero - The...

    Brian Murphy, Toula Vlahou

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    The untold story of Leon Crane, the only surviving crew member of a World War II B-24 crash on a remote mountain near the Arctic Circle, who managed to stay alive 81 days in sub-zero temperature by making peace with nature, and end his ordeal by walking along a river to safety. Part World War II story, part Alaskan adventure story, part survival story, and even part inspirational story, this is what we call " a good read."This is the first full length retelling of Crane' s incredible survivalist story. It has been noted in magazines and in story collections over the years: most notably, just after the war ended, Crane' s story was included in a book aptly titled,  The 100 Best True Stories of World War II , and in the 1970s, the story was a part of John McPhee' s hot-selling collection of Alaskan survival tales, Coming into the Country.
    Show book
  • Torquemada - A Novel - cover

    Torquemada - A Novel

    Howard Fast

    • 0
    • 5
    • 0 
    An “eerily successful” novel of the fifteenth-century Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition from the New York Times–bestselling author of Spartacus (Kirkus Reviews).   Bestselling author Howard Fast’s 1966 novelization of the Spanish Inquisition, Torquemada, is a terrifying drama about one of history’s most notorious individuals. Prior Thomas de Torquemada and Don Alvaro de Rafel, a Spanish knight, have been friends for many years. But when Torquemada is named Spain’s Grand Inquisitor by King Ferdinand and begins to hear whispers that Alvaro may have a secret Jewish past, he transforms from Alvaro’s old friend into a menacing new enemy.Inspired by Fast’s experiences being investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee, and his subsequent jailing and blacklisting, Torquemada is a thrilling historical tale from a master of the genre.  This ebook features an illustrated biography of Howard Fast including rare photos from the author’s estate.
    Show book
  • The Fall of Burma 1941–1943 - cover

    The Fall of Burma 1941–1943

    John Grehan, Martin Mace

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Despatches in this volume include that on operations in Burma between 15 December 1941 and 20 May 1942 by General Wavell; Operations in Eastern Theatre, based on India, March 1942 to 31 December 1942 by Field-Marshall Wavell; Operations in the Indo-Burma Theatre 21 June to 15 November 1942 by Field-Marshall Auchinleck; and Operations in the India Command 1 January to 20 June 1943 by Field-Marshall Wavell.This unique collection of original documents will prove to be an invaluable resource for historians, students and all those interested in what was one of the most significant periods in British military history.
    Show book
  • George Soros - A Life In Full - cover

    George Soros - A Life In Full

    Peter L. W. Osnos

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    The name George Soros is recognized around the world. Universally known for his decades of philanthropy, progressive politics, and investment success, he is equally well known as the nemesis of the far right—the target of sustained attacks from nationalists, populists, authoritarian regimes, and anti-Semites—because of his commitment to open society, freedom of the press, and liberal democracy. At age ninety-one, Soros still looms large on the global stage, and yet the man himself is surprisingly little understood.Biographers have attempted to tell the story of George Soros, but no single account of his life can capture his extraordinary, multifaceted character. Now, in this ambitious and revealing new book, Soros's longtime publisher, Peter L. W. Osnos, has assembled an intriguing set of contributors from a variety of different perspectives—public intellectuals (Eva Hoffman, Michael Ignatieff), journalists (Sebastian Mallaby, Orville Schell), scholars (Leon Botstein, Ivan Krastev), and nonprofit leaders (Gara LaMarche, Darren Walker)—to paint a full picture of the man beyond the media portrayals. Through this kaleidoscope of viewpoints emerges a vivid and compelling portrait of this remarkable man's unique and consequential impact. It has truly been a life in full.
    Show book
  • Elite Agent The Inspiring Story of a Woman in the Intelligence Service - cover

    Elite Agent The Inspiring Story...

    Nora Lakheal

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    For eighteen years, Nora Lakheal has been relentlessly tracking down Islamist terrorists. Originally a philosophy student, the boxer from Barbès joined the police force as one would join a religion, but with a taste for action and the unexpected. She soon became the first woman to join the Group for Radical Islamism of SORS, the elite Intelligence Service. 
Neither an exemplary life story, nor the umpteenth diary of a police officer, instead this book is the searing testimony of a woman who chose to risk her life – this is not said lightly - for her convictions and for France. In the image of this extraordinary personality, Elite Agent overturns all clichés and plunges us into the hectic career of an exceptional woman.
    Show book