Customer Reviews

Blood Cold:: Fame, Sex, and Murder in Hollywood (Onyx True Crime)

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When Robert Blake suddenly broke into the news with the shooting death of Bonny Lee Bakley, his was a familiar face, yet someone most of us knew very little about. But who in a million years would have guessed the story that waited to be told about Bakley?

This book begins with an interesting account of the crime and what was known about it when written in 2002. From there, it evolves into separate tales, one about former child actor Michael Gubitosi, a.k.a. Robert Blake, and the other about his unlikely partner. It is in these background stories, even more than in the crime itself, that one discovers the real fascination of this case.

Blake, type-cast for his entire adult life as an edgy tough guy regardless of whether his character was outlaw or cop, reinforced that street-wise image in countless television appearances during the 70s and 80s. And while this book hardly dispels that side of his personality, it adds another dimension that is truly "counter-Hollywood" and which most readers could never have imagined: a fierce loyalty, a commitment to social causes, and, above all, the capability to genuinely and deeply love a little baby who was born over his strongest objections.

These seemingly-contradictory characteristics, described compellingly in this readable text, are what gives the Blake murder case its film noir magnetism.

And as capitvating as the Blake story may be, the Bakley biography is nothing short of incredible. The book traces her life from the time she was born into a thoroughly-unwholesome family in New Jersey to her murder in May of 2001, and is based on scores of interviews in several states, court records, and other assorted documents. Were this not the truth, no one could possibly believe it. Hers was a life that would make a streetwalker blush.

McDougal and Murphy relate in torrid detail how from a very early age Bakley was drawn to the fast, dangerous lifestyle, to violent men, and to kinky sex of every imaginable kind. She parlayed her "anything goes" ethic into an enterprise that was shrewdly run, netting her and her like-minded relatives vast sums of money (most of it squandered), and making her hundreds of enemies over the years. One cannot imagine that anything was over-the-line for Bakley, who went so far as to broker her 13-year-old daughter as a sexual partner for high-paying clients.

The story takes an even more bizarre turn when one of Bakley's siblings attempts a double-cross, concocting an amateurish plot to extort tens of thousands from one of Bakley's best customers. The scheme goes out of control, Bakley threatens to kill unless compensated, and the hoax ends up in the files of the FBI in Memphis.

This book tells the unforgettable story of a volatile, often-explosive, and troubled screen star on a collision course with a desperate and truly depraved celebrity stalker, a faded porn-queen determined to turn herself into a the convenience-wife-from-hell at the expense of one very unlucky actor.

This is not a crime-solvers manual, and it does not try to make the case that Blake killed nor didn't kill Bakley. It seems beyond question that he hated her, but Bakley herself was a jaded predator capable of astounding cruelty. Readers are left to conclude that if Blake didn't fire the gun, he and a hundred others had ample reason for wanting to.

Blood Cold recounts the events leading up to Robert Blake's arrest for murdering Bonny Lee Bakley. It is the best sort of true crime story - one of those "stranger than fiction" tales: an aging Hollywood star agrees to marry a grifter after getting her pregnant. Then someone murders the grifter.

The book is strongest when it focuses on telling Blake and Bakley's life stories. Blake - the former "Our Gang" child actor turned unhappy adult star - gets most of the attention. By the time of the 2001 murder, Blake had been in the public eye for about sixty years. Authors Dennis McDougal and Mary Murphy draw from Blake's countless interviews to paint an entertaining but unflattering picture of Blake.

The coverage of Bakley isn't as strong. She was as a remorseless con artist. Her most-common scam involved using pornographic photos of herself to get money from lonely men. It is not surprising - therefore - that Bakley spent her life in the shadows and much remains unknown. Still, the picture that emerges is - once again - fascinating and repellent.

There are some drawbacks to the book. McDougal and Murphy's prose can be awkward. Also, the sections on the actual murders and the LAPD's investigation are not as entertaining as are Blake and Bakley's life stories. Finally, the book concludes well before Blake's trial.

While Blood Cold definitely wasn't a threat to win a Pulitzer prize, it is an entertaining account of two lives gone horribly wrong. Readers will find it hard to put this one down.

This book about Robert Blake and Bonny was one of the worst books I ever read. It was torture getting through each word of this book. I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you already know Robert Blake's acting history then there is no reason to even buy this piece of trash. It does not give you anymore insight to the murder case than what we already know. Save your money.

The book focus's a lot on Robert Blakes career and his bad childhood and his bad TV shows as he says it . He never really liked doing Baretta . Book makes it sound if everything was bad for Blake from Childhood to his older adult life . He never really loved Bonny but married her cause she tricked him by getting preg , Bonny wanted to land herself a movie star and did . Bonny ran a well organized internet porn scam on mostly older men . To me the book makes Bonny Blakley look bad and makes Robert Blake look mean but yet its like everyone should feel sorry for Blake . He was called "creepy" by costars Makenzie Phillips and some others , he keep Bonny away from their daughter Rosie . A better title for the book would have been Oh Me , the miserable Robert Blake . OR a Title like Our Gangs star has rough life . FOR SURE NOT THE BEST BOOK OUT THERE .

This book isn't a true crime classic along the lines of BULLY (very shocking and will change your perceptions of teenage America) but it's a pretty fair book..

I wish there had been more pictures of Bonny Lee Bakley. There are a number of pictures of Blake but, of course, we all know what he looks like.. and he wasn't the looker of the two. A fair amount of the book is devoted to recounting Blake's career, but this part moves along quickly and is intercut with clips of Bonny's young life. The book has a nice pace to it and covers some pretty weird aspects of Bonny's life.

Robert Blake just fell into her trap like so many lonely men before him. Who knows who really shot her but no way did he do it himself. Could have been one of hundreds of men but he's not a cold blooded killer. I would have liked more pictures but it was a fun read and kept my interest all the way to the end.

This is the story behind the murder of Bonny Lee Bakeley and the subsequent arrest of Robert Blake. Bakeley was a con artist who preyed on men, especially older men. She ran a pornography scam worldwide. It began as an ad in a single's magazine and grew to the point where she employed several people across the U.S. to handle her mailings. She would run ads looking for male companionship. When men responded, she would see nude photos and requests for money. She had been married many times. One of her ex-husbands was her business partner in her pornography scam. He had custody of her children.

Bakeley was particularly attracted to movie stars and set a goal to marry one. It did not matter which one. She had stalked several famous men and had a list of several more that she planned to stalk. Her routine was to study the man, learning everything possible about his habits, friends, and family. Then, she would arrange to meet him. She would stop at nothing.

When she met Robert Blake, she had been taking fertility treatments. She wanted nothing but to get pregnant and force him to marry her. It happened. But it was not exactly as she planned. He wanted nothing to do with her. She was on probation in Arkansas and had to remain there. He took their daughter to his older daughter's house and left her. Bakeley had no contact with the baby. When she was finally released from probation, she moved to his place. But she went into the guesthouse behind his house. He still wanted nothing to do with her.

Then, on 4 May 2001, Bonny Lee Bakeley was shot while sitting in Blake's car near a restaurant. She died at the scene. Speculations ran wild. Her family immediately began to accuse Blake, saying that she had been in fear that he would kill her. The investigation that followed was a nightmare for detectives. The list of men that had reason to want Bakeley dead was extensive. Ex-husbands were popping out of the woodwork. Even Bakeley's family of professional con artists could have done her in. Blake was not arrested until 18 April 2002. He maintains his innocence. At the time of the writing, Blake had not gone to trial.

Dennis McDougal is the author of Privileged Son. Mary Murphy is the senior correspondent for TV Guide.