Reckless: Millionaire Record Producer Phil Spector and the Violent Death of Lana Clarkson (St. Martin's True Crime Library) [Mass Market Paperback]

Carlton Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2004 | Series: St. Martin's True Crime Library

In the early morning hours of February 3, 2003, police were summoned to the spooky Alhambra, California castle of legendary music producer Phil Spector. There they discovered the body of actress Lana Clarkson, dying in a chair, shot through the mouth. Spector claimed she had killed herself, but was soon charged with murder.

The pop music genius, who revolutionized music from the Beatles to the Ramones, was making headlines again. But Spector, notorious for his eccentric behavior, volatile temper, and fascination with guns, pleaded innocent. What really happened on that fateful pre-dawn morning in Spector's hilltop mansion? As the controversial wunderkind's life of fame, money, and excess was coming undone, a true Hollywood mystery was about to unfold.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The strange world of a rock and roll icon accused of
the violent death of a movie star.

In the early morning hours of February 3, 2003, police were summoned to the spooky Alhambra, California castle of legendary music producer Phil Spector. There they discovered the body of actress Lana Clarkson, dying in a chair, shot through the mouth. Spector claimed she had killed herself, but was soon charged with murder.

Even in a town that thrived on scandal,
this one would come as no surpise.
Some said it had only been a matter of time ...

The pop music genius, who revolutionized music from the Beatles to the Ramones, was making headlines again. But Spector, notorious for his eccentric behavior, volatile temper, and fascination with guns, pleaded innocent. What really happened on that fateful pre-dawn morning in Spector's hilltop mansion? As the controversial wunderkind's life of fame, money, and excess was coming undone, a true Hollywood mystery was about to unfold.

Murder or Suicide?
You be the judge ...

About the Author

CARLTON SMITH is the New York Times bestselling author of The Search for the Green River Killer. An award-winning journalist for The Los Angeles Times and The Seattle Times during the 1970s and 1980s, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting in 1988, and now works full-time as a true crime author. There are more than two million copies of his books in print. He lives in Reno, Nevada.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; 1st edition (August 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312994052
• ISBN-13: 978-0312994051
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,267,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Crime & Criminals > Criminology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a good read, December 14, 2005

By 

D. J. Ryan (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reckless: Millionaire Record Producer Phil Spector and the Violent Death of Lana Clarkson (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have struggled with a few of this author's books, but none so much as this one. The main complaint I have with Mr Smith's writing style is that he tends to go off on a tangent, and pads his books with pages and pages of unnecessary detail about things that really are only vaguely relevant to the story.

In the case of 'Reckless', there was relatively little written about the actual murder of Lana Clarkson - in fact there was very little information about Miss Clarkson at all. This book is no more than a rehash of the life story of Phil Spector, taken from a number of 'sources' and put together by Mr Smith in this very uninteresting piece of work. I didn't finish it.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A complete waste of money!!, March 8, 2007

By 

Cali True Crime Reader (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reckless: Millionaire Record Producer Phil Spector and the Violent Death of Lana Clarkson (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've read other titles by Carlton Smith and have enjoyed most of them. However, "Reckless" is by far the worst book I've read in quite some time. In fact, I had to force myself to finish it.

One is led to believe by the back cover of the book that the story is about the murder of Lana Clarkson. Don't be misled. It really isn't about Lana Clarkson at all. It's almost entirely about Phil Spector and his life as a record producer. Smith quotes heavily from two other books in this story. It's almost as if he wrote a repeat of what has already been written before by someone else. Save your time and money.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly Lovely School Research Paper, January 9, 2008

By 

Cynthia A. Wittum "CyndiA" (NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reckless: Millionaire Record Producer Phil Spector and the Violent Death of Lana Clarkson (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (Mass Market Paperback)

Reckless is NOT a true crime book. It's a biography of Phil Spector - and not a very inspired one. There is no indication that Carlton Smith spoke to anyone involved with this case, and it's not an ancient case with all the key players dead.

If you like student research papers where the author simply looks at the other books and articles written about something and then checks in with personal observations, then that's what you get here. An overview of the literature. Some unqualified personal observations. And, he says the same thing over and over and over again.

Very boring. And it could have been a great story.