The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe [Hardcover]

Donald H. Wolfe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 1998

With explosive new revelations concerning the National Security Matter" that led to the cover-up of her murder, The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe is a page-turning account of one of the most shocking crimes of the century. Donald H. Wolfe meticulously chronicles her final days, names the killer, documents the mode of death, and identifies those who orchestrated the cover-up. The pieces of the puzzle regarding Monroe's mysterious death finally lock in place with the testimony of the remaining two key witnesses who have come forward for the first time. Assistant District Attorney John Miner, present at the autopsy, reveals his secret interview with Dr. Ralph Greenson, Monroe's psychiatrist. He also explains why Marilyn Monroe was a homicide victim, and why he is calling for a new investigation and the exhumation of her body. Newly discovered CIA and FBI files document the dark secret in Marilyn's relationship with the Kennedys, the truth behind her break-up with the president, the shocking facts about the star's last weekend at Cal-Neva, and the many bizarre events that took place at Marilyn's home the day she died.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A former screenwriter says Monroe was murderedAand names her killer. Film rights have already been sold to CBS for a miniseries.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Donald H. Wolfe has worked as a screenwriter for Steven Spielberg and as a film editor. This is his first book. He lives in Hollis, New Hampshire.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (October 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688162886
• ISBN-13: 978-0688162887
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( M ) > Monroe, Marilyn

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You must read this book!, December 13, 1998

By 

Talking [e-mail] "Mark" (New York) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe (Hardcover)

When I first started reading this book, I thought to myself, "Oh no, not another book re-hashing the already revealed inconsistencies surrounding MM's death!" Boy, was I wrong! This book is one of the best ever written on the subject of MM's life and, especially, the mysterious and sinister circumstances surrounding her death. Someone should send a highlighted copy of this book to the LA District Attorneys office because this womans death screams out for justice! What amazed me was how Marilyn had no one in whom she could place her trust. The circle of people surrounding and insulating her in her last years were people who had known each other for years. They formed a tight circle around Marilyn and slowly but surely cut her off from people that really cared about her. Little did MM realize that anything she told one person in that circle (supposedly in confidence) was being shared with everyone else. The two most important new voices heard are those of John Minor (who strongly suspects foul play) and Mrs. Murray's (the maid's) nephew, who states that he was at Marilyn's home the night of her death. Their revelations alone are reason enough to re-open the investigation. History should reflect an accurate portrayal of past events, even if that accuracy serves to cast dark shadows on people that were once shining in the public spotlight. The people involved in the death of Marilyn Monroe should be no different. To this point, the "official" story as to MM's death has been nothing more than a piece of fiction. The question now is whether the LA District Attorney's office will have the courage to re-open the case with the new information provided, knowing that some big names might be implicated in a heinous crime. Let us all hope that they will find the strength of character and fortitude to do so.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stunning and engrossing, October 30, 1999

By 

Jeffrey J. Lyons (Pembroke, NH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe (Hardcover)

I must agree with the other people who have offered reviews about this book. If you have been teetering over the suicide/murder scenario since that fateful day in August, 1962...then this book should put to rest any questions you may have over how Marilyn Monrie died. There is no question in my mind that it was murder. It's right there in black and white and it is totally infuriating that a new, honest investigation has never taken place. Wolfe thoroughly researched this with all resources he could get his hands on. It's disgusting that so much vital evidence has mysteriously disappeared. A new investigation needs to take place now. We've already lost some major witnesses over the years and survivors like Pat Newcomb and Norman Jeffries won't live forever. As far as the book itself. It is hard to put this book down. However, the only reason I don't rate it a "5" is because a lot of pages are spent on Marilyn's life story. I've read that all before. But these new revelations from Jeffries cannot be ignored.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wolfe proves murder and coverup, August 5, 2004

By 

L. E Lenius (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe (Hardcover)

This book begins with a spellbinding account of the considerable evidence that independent investigators have amassed over the decades following Marilyn's death. Parts two to five are devoted to the star's life, and the final chapter reconstructs the terrible events of her last day.

Wolfe presents abundant evidence that the Kennedy brothers, John and Robert, then U.S. president and attorney general, had a hand in murdering Marilyn Monroe to protect their own reputations. The Los Angeles police department responded to the Kennedys' power and influence by covering up the murder and refusing to conduct anything resembling a proper investigation.

One example of this is that none of the many witnesses was ever compelled to testify under oath. Independent investigator William Woodfield, for example, quotes key witness Dr. Ralph Greenson saying, "Look, I cannot explain myself without revealing things I don't want to reveal. You can't draw a line and say, 'I'll tell you this but I won't tell you that.' I can't talk about it because I can't tell you the whole story....Listen, talk to Bobby Kennedy."

It is an outrage that the LAPD allowed Greenson, Kennedy and others to remain silent. Thank you, Donald Wolfe, for researching Marilyn's murder and its coverup and giving us the truth.

I would like to comment on questions raised by another reviewer, Thomas Hughes. He asked, "Why would Murray and Greenson, who spent so much time spying on Marilyn, do that for the sake of the Communist Party?" I was baffled by this too. The communist party was powerless by 1962. My own guess is that Murray and Greenson, like Pat Newcomb, were keeping an eye on Marilyn to protect the Kennedys.

Incidentally, the FBI also classified Marilyn herself as a communist. This was probably just an all-purpose label that J. Edgar Hoover applied to everyone he didn't like.

Regarding Greenson's injection at the death scene, Wolfe wrote that ambulance driver James Hall said it was a shot of adrenaline to the heart intended to revive the fallen star. What killed Marilyn was a previous injection containing enough chloral hydrate and pentobarbital to kill from nine to twenty people.