Customer Reviews

The Investigation: A Former FBI Agent Uncovers the Truth Behind Howard Hughes, Melvin Dummar, and the Most Contested Will in American History

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How Hughes's famous propensity for compartmentalizing his activities, keeping the right hand from knowing what the left was up to, ultimately defeated his wish to leave a portion of his immense fortune to the man who had saved his life. The debacles of the Simpson and Blake murder trials, and now the revelations of this miscarriage of justice, go to prove that given skilled attorneys and unlimited resources truth and justice need not prevail. Retired FBI agent Magnesen's investigative and narrative skills make a compelling case for the legitimacy of "The Mormon Will" and as a titillating aside, the story reveals Hughes's obsession for a certain lady of the evening.

In 1976, eccentric and reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes died at that age of 70. At the time of his death, Hughes had managed to isolate himself from all but a few close aides. No one was aware of any Will that had been written by Hughes to dispose of his estate after death. One day, a man named Forsythe (who was an employee of Hughes) walked into the Willard, Utah gas station of Melvin Dummar and left Dummar a handwritten document that purported to be the Last Will and Testament of Howard Hughes. The will, presumably, had been given to Dummar because he was one of 16 heirs listed in the document.

A couple of years later, a trial was held in Las Vegas, Nevada. A jury found that the Will was a forgery and not Hughes Last Will and Testament. Dummar ended up with nothing.

This book is about an FBI agent who thirty years after the fact decide to investigate the controversy over the will. Startingly, he reaches a totally opposite conclusion than the court did. Author Gary Magnesen finds information no one had discovered at the time of trial. For example, Hughes owned the property that Melvin Dummar claimed he found him on when he gave him a ride. Most surprisingly, he locates a credible witness who is willing to testify he gave Hughes a plane ride to the area where Dummar found him the evening before.

Questions remain. Its possible inspite of Magnesen's research to question whether he reached the right conclusion. Dummar did not have an unblemished past and had been arrested once for forging a check. Also, Dummar initially lied about the Will. He claimed he knew nothing about it and finally ended up admitting he personally delivered to the headquarters of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City. Some competent handwriting experts testified that the Will was a forgery and was not in Howard Hughes handwriting (although other experts disagreed).

Magnesen clearly believes Dummar was the victim of a miscarriage of justice. I tend to agree. Although, every reader must judge for himself.

Congratulations to Gary Magnesen on his book. After reading it I am quite convinced that Howard Hughes' will was NOT a forgery. It would seem that Melvin Dummar's legal team were "in above their heads" and it appears that it cost not only Melvin Dummar but the other named entities in the will their rightful share of his estate. Mr. Magnesen's investigation is definitely very thought provoking - it's a shame he wasn't around when the trial was going on! Fascinating reading.

The truth has come out after all these years. Magnesen has turned over many stones to get new evidence relating to the Howard Hughes will.

Interesting read! Finally, someone who cared enough to ferret out the truth and put it in writing. I always felt that it was all true. Magneson did it in a fashion that made it a page turner. a must read!!!! Thanks , It restores my faith.

Alicia B.

This book was a fascinating read. I thought it was very well written and the author really did his investigative work. I have no doubt that Melvin and the other named people in the will were cheated out of the millions they deserved. You will enjoy this book!!

This is a terrific piece of investigation and a poignant story about an ordinary American guy whose brush with fame turned out to be like getting hit upside the head with a push broom. You have to admire Gary Magnesen's patient, careful, and relentless pursuit of the truth. Especially when the trail was as cold as this one. I hope Melvin Dumar gets his due.

This was a very interesting book. I had trouble putting it down. It's a shame that Mr. Dummar had to endure so much just because he helped someone out so many years ago. Finally the truth has come out. It made a believer out of me.

Magnesen is probably a great detective and FBI agent, but he gets a C grade for organization and writing. The book was difficult to follow; as were the characters. One thing that would have helped immensely would have been to put a list of key players and their job/title descriptions at the end so we could refer to the list when the people would be mentioned in later chapters. However, his purpose in writing was not intended as great literature, but to convince readers that Dummar is not a kook. And, he did succeed in doing that because I did put the book down feeling like the "Mormon Will" could be real. Magnesen discovers some very convincing evidence that did not come out in the trial or was not pursued.

If you are intrigued by Howard Hughes, add this book to your list.

I came away from this story convinced that justice was not served in the case of the Howard Hughes will. Mr. Magnesen's investigation of this mystery clearly demonstrates why he enjoyed a long and successful career as an FBI agent.