Scandals were already a major problem in movie-land, thanks to the Fatty Arbuckle case. When he was found shot in the back on February 22, 1922, the industry’s first reaction was to try and cover it up. Griffith, but as a three-term president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, he was a serious player in the business. Tyler may not have been as famous as D.W. Besides the fact that all of these murders occurred in Hollywood, and involved prominent people, there are also multiple possible suspects. I like the fact that the author chose an opening case that was not quite as well-known as some of the others here, as it makes things more interesting. The books begins with the unsolved murder of director William Desmond Tyler in 1922. Benza would be proud, if not a little jealous. She details 11 Hollywood murders, spanning the years 1922-2001, plus a twelfth chapter celebrating the life of gangster Mickey Cohen (1913-1976). With True Hollywood Noir, Di Mambro delivers the goods. In today’s TMZ-dominated gossip culture, the bar has been lowered so far that a misplaced pout from one of the Kardashians qualifies as an outrage.

I forgot how much I loved that show until I read the new True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders by Dina Di Mambro. If you were not watching the E! Mysteries and Scandals show back in the late ’90s, you need to YouTube it. “Fame…ain’t it a bitch” Benza to stage his comeback. I could not think of a better time for A.J. With the return of The Backstreet Boys and Jenny McCarthy, the ’90s are back in a big way.

Dina di mambro