"An engrossing new page turner" about one of old Hollywood's royal families: "theater people don't get more interesting, and it's a true tale well told" ( Hollywood Reporter).In the early 1930s, Constance Bennett was the highest paid star in Hollywood, famous for dramatic roles before reinventing herself in the classic comedy Topper, starring opposite Cary Grant. Her sister Joan played the femme fatale in films like Scarlet Street and als...

**“A smart and eminently readable examination of the life and career of one of the twentieth century’s most influential movie critics.”—Los Angeles Times“Engrossing and thoroughly researched.”—Entertainment Weekly• A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2011 •The first major biography of the most influential, powerful, and controversial film critic of the twentieth century**Pauline Kael was, in the words of Entertainment ...

**“To call Sue Mengers a ‘character’ is an understatement, unless the word is written in all-caps, followed by an exclamation point and modified by an expletive. And based on Brian Kellow’s assessment in his thoroughly researched Can I Go Now? even that description may be playing down her personality a bit.” —Jen Chaney, The Washington Post• A NY Times Culture Bestseller • An Entertainment Weekly Best Pop Culture Book of 2015*•*...

A legendary beauty, hailed as one of the greatest singing actors of her time, Jarmila Novotná (1907–1994) was an internationally known opera soprano from the former Czechoslovakia. Best known for her performances in Der Rosenkavalier, The Marriage of Figaro, and La Traviata, she was a celebrated performer at the Metropolitan Opera and other theaters across Europe and the United States. A "natural screen actress," Novotná also appeared in Hollywood hits such as The Sea...

“Kellow’s chronology is dishy and seamless; he understands the dynamics of the theater world and makes you feel the exhilaration of an evolving hit and the frustrations inherent in working with a performer like Merman.”—The New York Times Book Review“[Kellow] has painted a vivid portrait of a Broadway diva who shone brighter and sang louder than anyone else.”—The Washington Post BookWorldMore than twenty years after her de...

Violet-eyed siren Elizabeth Taylor and classically handsome Montgomery Clift were the most gorgeous screen couple of their time. Over two decades of friendship they made, separately and together, some of the era’s defining movies—including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Misfits, Suddenly, Last Summer, and Cleopatra. Yet the relationship between these two figures—one a dazzling, larger-than-life star, the other hugely talented yet fatally troubled—has...

Travis is the night manager at the Cross Motel in Sydney's notorious late-night district, Kings Cross. His life takes a drastic turn after a sex worker is brutally murdered on his shift.Having broken up with his girlfriend and lost his dream of becoming a professional AFL player, Travis's life is in shambles. With the police breathing down his neck and his ex-girlfriend asking him to find her missing partner, Travis has got his plate full, and more.His search takes him to M...

This enthralling WWII biography combines a downed B-17 bombardier's unfinished memoir with letters from the French girl who saved his life.Susan Tate Ankeny's father was a World War II veteran bombardier who had bailed from a burning B-17 over Nazi-occupied France in 1944. After he died, she found his unfinished memoir, stacks of envelopes, black-and-white photographs, mission reports, dog tags, and the fake identity cards he used in his escape. Ankeny spent more th...

Winner of the 2020 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non- FictionA distinctive portrait of the Fab Four by one of the sharpest and wittiest writers of our time"If you want to know what it was like to live those extraordinary Beatles years in real time, read this book." —Alan Johnson, The SpectatorThough fifty years have passed since the breakup of...

Thirteen sensational tales of sex, lies, violence, and murder from the early decades of Hollywood.The dawning of the nineteenth century brought with it a new era for entertainment. Vaudeville was the preferred form of entertainment, until the popularization of the silent film. This new medium proved to be a draw for many of the stars of the Vaudevillian stage and soon they migrated to the exciting possibilities that the movies had to offer. Audiences were instantly ...

An eye-opening account of the shocking murder that has been featured on 48 Hours, Forensic Files, and Investigation Discovery's Killing Time.Brian Stidham fell in love with Tucson, Arizona, the minute he came to town. A young and talented eye surgeon, he accepted a job with an established eye surgeon to take over his pediatric patients."It's a beautiful place," Stidham told a friend. "I can live right there by the mountains and go ...

A "comprehensive" account of the cold case that "still captivate[s] the people of Campbell and Santa Clara County" ( Culture Trip).On the morning of May 27, 1896, the peaceful township of Campbell awoke to shocking news. Six people were brutally murdered at the home of Colonel Richard P. McGlincy, one of the town's most respected citizens. The suspect, James Dunham—the colonel's son-in-law—fled the scene and disappeared into the hills of Mount Hamilton ove...