Casey Sherman

I hate to ask this but was every man back in the day a pedophilic creep? There were so many moments that I audibly gasped in disgust, my heart going out to poor Lana and all of these Hollywood starlets that had to put up with this abhorrent behavior. It truly makes me sick to my stomach.

I didn’t really know much about Lana Turner before reading this book, but I felt so bad for her! Not to say that she was perfect by any means, but it’s obvious why she was a tortured soul as her life is incredibly tragic. I love learning about old Hollywood, though sadly the more that comes to light the dimmer the gold glistens as we see that not all is what it has seemed.

I really liked the shorter chapters and overall flow of this book. The author made this feel more like I was reading a novel and not a nonfiction. Since I did not know much about Lana Turner, I found this subject interesting and the read immersive. With not a lot of fluff, this author gets down to the nitty-gritty, keeping the facts concise and to the point, and skimming through years in just a few paragraphs. I personally love this as it keeps the pace snappy and the progression perfection.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the publisher through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.… (meer)

First sentence: Lana Turner paced the pink carpeted floor with a cigarette gripped tightly between her fingers. She took a deep drag into her lungs and blew out a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling of her spacious bedroom. Her fourteen-year-old daughter, Cheryl, was in her own bedroom, sobbing hysterically.

Premise/plot: Nonfiction with a gossipy twist--that is how I would describe this one. It gives brief biographies of Lana Turner and her immediate family (her parents, her husbands, her daughter) and brief biographies of a series of crime bosses (mob bosses) including Johnny Stompanato. The stories cross paths when Lana Turner entangles herself with Johnny Stompanato. This is a combustive relationship--for sure--leading to murder and scandal. Casey Sherman argues that it was not Lana's fourteen-year-old daughter but Lana herself who killed Johnny.

My thoughts: This book is troubling and disturbing both in content and narrative style. I'll try to explain. This one goes into great detail--graphic detail--of horrific crimes. Many of these crimes are of the SA of a minor child variety. Of course there are plenty of other crimes as well that do not involve children. But still. This is a HEAVY read that is treated perhaps a little lighter than I would personally like. The book's approach--in my personal opinion--is like gossip, gossip, give me all the gossip, spill all the tea, tell me everything. It doesn't necessarily--to me--seem respectful. The content IS shocking and NOT shocking at the same time. Hollywood is presented as an absolute nightmare. The more power and influence, the more guilty you are of horrendous crimes. Nothing glamorous or glitzy--just very horrific crimes going on and kept hush-hush by the powers that be.

This one is definitely more graphic than I like to read.… (meer)

First off, thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

I have decided to read books this year (2023) that are either true stories, based on true stories, or about real people. This will include reading some books about real serial killers, like this one. Helltown tells the story of Antone "Tony" Costa, who was convicted of murdering 2 women in Provincetown, located at the tip of Cape Cod. He murdered more but there was not enough evidence to support those murders.

Be forewarned - this book is graphic. The author very graphically describes the murders of these two women. I actually had to skip over those parts.

Tony Costa's murder spree took place in 1969 and 1970. He was a drug dealer in Provincetown but also snitched to the local cops as to who else was dealing drugs in town. He was called "Sire" by his followers in town and had even drawn the attention of authors Kurt Vonnegut, Jr and Norman Mailer. The chapters that included these 2 authors was not necessary, in my opinion, but I kind of see why the author included them.

There is a brief mention of the Sharon Tate murders and Chappaquiddick as these events both take place during the timeframe of this book.… (meer)