Tinseltown: Madness, Morphine and Murder at the Dawn of the Movies

Best-selling author William J. Mann's latest book is an addictive tale of ambition, scandal, murder, and the modern creation of the California film industry. "Tinseltown" brings 1920's Hollywood to life as the movies are becoming America’s new favorite pastime as well as a booming new industry. Yet Hollywood’s glittering ascent was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies, including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association.

In this richly involving narrative, Mann draws on a host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of Taylor and the odd-ball cast that surrounded him, including three ambitious actresses (Mabel Normand, Margaret Gibson and Mary Miles Minter), a grasping stage mother, and a gang of two-bit thugs. Overseeing this virtual minefield was Adolph Zukor, the ruthless founder of Paramount, who was locked in a struggle for control of the industry and desperate to conceal the truth about the crime.