A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown's Most Shocking Crime
Casey Sherman
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. more
304 pages, Hardcover
First published Sourcebooks
3.86
Rating
162
Ratings
101
Reviews
Casey Sherman
24 books 139 followers
Casey Sherman is a New York Times Bestselling Author of 13 books including The Finest Hours (now a major motion picture starring Casey Affleck & Chris Pine), Boston Strong (the basis for the film Patriots Day starring Mark Wahlberg), Animal & Hunting Whitey.Sherman is also the author of 12, Search for the Strangler, Animal, Bad Blood, Black Irish, Black Dragon, Above & Beyond and The Ice Bucket Challenge.
Sherman is a contributing writer for TIME, Esquire, Washington Post, Boston Herald and Boston Magazine and has appeared as a guest an analyst on more than 100 television news programs.
Sherman is a graduate of Barnstable High School (Cape Cod), Fryeburg Academy (Fryeburg, Me.) and Boston University.
Community reviews
Casey Sherman has done a fabulous job researching and weaving the tale about Lana Turner's life and the death of Johnny Stompanato, a close associate of the West Coast mob, Mickey Cohen. Lana's entire life, from childhood through adulthood, is marred with tragedy, bad relationships, domestic abuse, and misogyny. Lana's fourteen year old daughter takes the blame for stabbing Stompanato. Fascinating story about Hollywood, actors, actresses, and the mob. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. more
This review was first posted on Mystery & Suspense Magazine. Check it out for features, interviews, and reviews. https://www. mysteryandsuspense. com/a-. more
This is a riveting read and tells the story of Lana Turner's turbulent life. She was married many times and never for love, it seems. There are explanations of the many ties to mobsters. I found the machinations of Hollywood during this time fascinating. The one thing I don't get, and maybe it's because I rarely read true crime, is Sherman's description of how Lana Turner murderd Johnny Stampanato. more
Casey Sherman has written a wonderful book about the murder of Johnny Stompanato, and all that was Lana Turner. Lana was a star, one of the biggest stars Hollywood had, but she had troubles in her personal life. Numerous failed marriages, including some that even put her daughter Cheryl at risk when one of her husbands apparently turned out to be a pedophile. She would jump from man-to-man, and then she met Johnny Stompanato and things went downhill. This is a book that got glamour, Hollywood, the mob, and some really sleazy characters. more
This book lets us encounter the Old Hollywood, diving into the glamorous underworld of true crime and mobsters. A real pageturner is something that keeps the readers out of intrigue from the very beginning until the end. Shorter could have been the backstories of Lana and Mickey Cohen; however, the plot pops. With Johny Stompanato appearing, the story becomes captivating, and he introduces another subplot in which mystery and danger are involved. The ease with which the author deals with these issues is visibly portrayed in a thought-provoking manner without resorting to sensationalism or changing the truth. more
Casey Sherman's "A Murder in Hollywood" is a tale that combines the glitz and glamour of Hollywood with the danger & violence of the mafia underworld. Lana Turner is a star from the Golden Age era of Hollyood. On the surface, he life seems perfect: she's a film star with a beautiful daughter and a cushy lifestyle. But the reality was far different. Sherman provides an in-depth look at the turbulent life she actually lived. more
A look into the Lana Turner / Johnny Stompanato relationship and his death. more
I recently read Casey Sherman’s Helltown and was disappointed that he blended true crime with fiction to make a serial killer appear more impressive. I didn’t see anything in the description that “A Murder in Hollywood” followed the same path so I dived in with higher expectations. I’ve seen a number of Lana Turner’s movies, but I didn’t know much about her personal life and I know even less about organized crime during the golden age of Hollywood. Casey Sherman’s book is written with ease. The chapters are short and he keeps the book on track alternating between Lana Turner and gangster Micheal Cohen. more
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this biography. Lana Turner became a star in the late '40s and '50s. This book begins with the murder of her father in San Francisco and her mother's rush to move herself and her daughter to Hollywood to hide from the killer. She apparently was discovered at a soda fountain near her high school and put under contract to MGM. She started slowly, but soon became known as "the sweater girl". more
This is a riveting read and tells the story of Lana Turner's turbulent life. She was married many times but seemed for a purpose, not love. On the surface, her life seems perfect: she's a film star with a beautiful daughter and a lavish lifestyle. But her reality was far different. Lana’s relationship with mobster Johnny Stompanato would be the worst yet. more
Excellent - finally the truth behind what happened this night. The death of a mobster in a beautiful movie star’s bedroom has fascinated, now with thorough detail and research we have the answers -Loved it. more
Lana Turner was already the biggest star in the world when she skyrocketed to even more fame during a lurid inquisition after the killing of her abusive mobster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato. It was Lana's 14-year-old daughter, Cheryl, who wielded the knife. She had rushed into the middle of an argument in an attempt to protect her mother from a beating. This, at least, is the story that has always been told up until at least 2017 when the narrative began to turn, with Lana being pinpointed as the real killer. While this book was fascinating and I tore through it, the author, Casey Sherman, also takes the stance that it was Lana who killed Johnny, not her teenaged daughter. more
I had never heard of Lana Turner before this book, which is suprising considering the company she kept and the actors/actresses with whom she worked. As well as her scandalous life. It made me wonder why was she not as much an icon as people like Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, and other actors with whom she worked. It even shone a light on the cattiness and jealousy of other actresses at the time, I didn't realise how insecure and petty the industry leaders were, but given the circumstances I do see how it was, and still is, a dog eat dog world. I did have to fact check a few things, and I came away from the book wondering if Cheryl really did kill Johnny as she has always said and stood by. more
Admittedly, out of all of the 'golden age of Hollywood' stars I've watched over the years, Lana Turner wasn't one of them. Going into A Murder in Hollywood, I knew very little of the actress and had no knowledge she was involved in a murder investigation. Throughout this book Sherman not only lead up to the aforementioned event with great detail, he did it fluidly. There were so many different moving parts and people to help portray Lana's life, and it was written well. Very interested in looking into this authors backlist. more
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I liked the alternating narrative between Turner’s story, which I was pretty familiar with going in, and the story of the LA mob, which I knew much less about. My problems with the book were two, and I bumped my rating down one star per problem. First of all, I disliked the way Sherman put dialogue into the mouths of the individuals in the book. I suppose authors do this believing it will increase the readability of their books, but I don’t like it. more
I remember watching a thing on TV [when I was a teenager] that talked about Lana Turner and the murder of Johnny Stompanato and was so intrigued by something that seemed so awful to my young teenage self, and then I promptly forgot about it. I had not, at that point, seen any of Lana Turner's movies [and to this day, still have not], though I knew about them of course [I watched the "old" movies with my beloved Aunt, and we watched who and what she liked and apparently Ms. Turner was not a part of that like ;-) ], but she was never really on my radar. So when I saw this book was about her [and the author was someone I had read before and enjoyed], I knew I needed to request/read it. Whoosh. more
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This was a fantastic thriller in a non-fiction package, with imaginings of certain elements of Lana Turner's life included where reality could simply not reflect the precise feelings of the situations. Her life was certainly a fascinating study for a book, and I found a lot of value in the approach of the author to this story. It isn't often that a non-fiction piece is so well paced and written, but this book certainly delivers on that brief. I do think there could have been a little bit of extra information on the mob facet of the story, and I do wish that it had continued further than where it stopped regarding Lana Turner. more
4. 5 stars rounded upThis book truly encapsulates the essence of Old Hollywood, delving into the glamorous yet dark world of true crime and mobsters. It is a captivating read that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. While the origin stories of Lana and Mickey Cohen could have been more concise, the narrative truly comes alive. It becomes fascinating with the introduction of Johnny Stompanato, adding an extra layer of intrigue and suspense. more
A Murder in Hollywood by Casey Sherman4. 7/5 ✨🎬📽️🔪🖤❤️This was an amazing read that I did not want to put down once I picked it up. I had to keep reminding myself that this was real life and a real story. What amazing history, and I feel so lucky to have gotten the chance to read about it. To know Lana Turner was the Monroe before Monroe was incredibly helpful; I had heard her name, but not much about her. more
I expected to read a story about a tragic event in the life of Lana Turner, but I got more than that from Casey Sherman’s new book. I was absolutely engrossed in the story and learned so much about old Hollywood. Lana Turner was one of my mother’s favorite actresses and I remember discussing the murder of Johnny Stompanato with her years ago when Cheryl Crane wrote a book about it. Sherman’s story ties in the Hollywood mob world that Johnny Stompanato was a part of and connects it with Lana Turner and other Hollywood stars. There are also some quite spicy tidbits about stars from that era included in the story. more
The title is slightly misleading-while the writing is spot on and the research is impressive, the murder of former mobster bodyguard, Johnny Stompanato, wasn’t really the most shocking. The author’s reveal of the multitude of crimes throughout, including the mention of “the Black Dahlia” seem far more gruesome then Johnny’s “timely death”. Fascinating to learn the rise and fall of several mobsters, the parts of Lana and Johnny’s violent relationship do not really appear as the main subject of this book. This true crime retelling is definitely 100% worth the time to read and is perfect for fans of true crime and mobsters mixed with old school Hollywood. The murder of Johnny reads more like battered wife syndrome, even though the couple was never married. more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and really liked this authors writing style. I will definitely be reading more of his works. I knew who Lana Turner was but wasn't born at the time of this event so was very unaware of it. The whole story was fascinating for me and makes me wonder did her daughter truly commit the murder. Some reviewers feel the author makes claim, in a roundabout way, that Lana did it. more
I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley. com in return for a fair review. As someone who likes to read and write about Hollywood history, I was disappointed in this book. It was supposed to focus on the violent affair between screen icon, Lana Turner, and her gangster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, who was murdered in Turner's bedroom. I am not sure exactly how author Casey Sherman drew his conclusions, but it seemed to me that the story was filled with salacious items that may or may not be true. more
I so wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t work for me. The writing lacks emotion and depth. The weird thing is that there is a lot of detail on unimportant, tangential people and events, but a surprising lack of detail and examination of people and events that matter. Sentence structure is often clunky, and there’s simply too much jumping around. Also, the author provides inner thoughts and dialogue that are conjecture at best, which makes me question how much is fact and how much is actually fiction. more
A MURDER IN HOLLYWOOD: THE UNTOLD STORY OF TINSELTOWN'S MOST SHOCKING CRIMEBY: CASEY SHERMANAbout 3. 75 Stars. SPOILER ALERT. When I was just a very young little girl I used to watch the old movies with my Mother. I remember being very impressed with Lana Turner among many others. more
I read a free digital advance review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley. This is the story of the 1958 murder of mobster Johnny Stompanato at the home of blonde screen goddess Lana Turner. But before the murder, the book follows the story of Lana’s life to that fateful night, and the separate path of Stompanato and his mentor, mafia kingpin Mickey Cohen. Lana Turner was legendarily discovered as a 15-year-old high schooler when she was spotted by the editor of the Hollywood Reporter having a soda at a diner across the street from her high school. Soon she was in the pictures, becoming an iconic movie star. more
Where To Watch: will be available on February 13, 2024; pre-order your copy here https://amzn. to/3UF2FlFRAVING REVIEW: A MURDER IN HOLLYWOOD takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of Lana Turner's storied existence, blending the suspense of a thriller with the poignancy of a true-life saga. This book peels back the layers of Hollywood's golden age, revealing a world where the glitz and glamor of the screen concealed a reality marked by personal struggles and dangerous liaisons. Turner's life story is a riveting production with a star-studded cast, dramatic plot twists, and emotional depth that captivates from the opening chapter to her closing credits. Casey Sherman skillfully navigates the highs and lows of Turner's career, from her meteoric rise to her complex relationships, notably with Johnny Stompanato. more
There is nothing like a tale of old Hollywood for glamour, drama, dreams and…bloodshed. In the 1950s, stars and star makers, and gangsters and mafiosos, found their lives intertwined. From finances to romances, the famous and the infamous met, mingled and married in California and Las Vegas. The results were stormy at best and murderous at worst. In A MURDER IN HOLLYWOOD, prolific true-crime author Casey Sherman presents the intersections of the film industry and crime syndicates through a look at the Turner-Stompanato murder case. more
I have always been intrigued by old Hollywood stories of lust, love, mayhem and murder. There’s something so mysterious about it and yet there’s also a sense of sadness. I’ve seen some of Lana Turner’s movies and personally I didn’t feel one way or the other about them. She was the typical movie starlet like her counterparts, Joan Crawford and later, Marilyn Monroe. She was the silver screen’s eye candy and many moviegoers flocked to see her blonde ringlets and bombshell curves. more
Combines The Glitz and Glamour of Hollywood with the Danger & Violence of the Mafia Underworld. Casey Sherman's "A Murder in Hollywood" is a tale that combines the glitz and glamour of Hollywood with the danger & violence of the mafia underworld. A Murder in Hollywood transports us back to the golden age of film 20th century's most notorious true crime tales. This book is the dark story behind the bright lights of Tinseltown and is the story of Lana Turner’s life and what eventually led to the fatal stabbing of screen legend Lana Turner’s gangster boyfriend Stompanato inside her Beverly Hills mansion in the late 1950s. Casey Sherman takes a fresh look at the killing and explore how Turner was targeted for extortion by Stompanato and his boss Mickey Cohen. more