Celebrity Murders and Other Nefarious Deeds

Virginia Gillham is university librarian at Wilfrid Laurier University.

In this book, crime writer Max Haines provides accounts of 47 intriguing
murders and other crimes (solved and unsolved) that have involved famous
persons—as victims, perpetrators, or alleged perpetrators.

Spanning two centuries and several continents, the accounts range from
the assassinations of Thomas D’Arcy McGee and Abraham Lincoln to the
O.J. Simpson case. Along the way, Haines sheds light on the deaths of
Marilyn Monroe and Sal Mineo, and speculates on the mysteries
surrounding Sir Harry Oakes and Tom Thomson. The Reverend Jim Jones,
John Lennon, and Senator Ted Kennedy share space with the amazing Isaac
Merritt Singer, who, while placing a sewing machine in every North
American home, amassed a staggering collection of wives and children
(most of the former, simultaneously).

With most of the case studies occupying fewer than 10 pages, this book
is perfect bedside reading for those whose late-night literary sojourns
are limited to 15 minutes. Haines’s writing style is pedestrian, but
he knows his facts and can make a story move.