The Incredible Life & Mysterious Death of Dorothy Kilgallen

De: Sara Jordan-Heintz

Narrado por: Frank Gerard

Dorothy Kilgallen may be best known as a panelist on the game show “What’s My Line?” but as a syndicated writer with the Hearst papers, her “Voice of Broadway” column was devoured by millions of daily readers. And as an investigative journalist, she covered some of the biggest stories and court cases of the mid-20th century, even securing a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

A pioneering television and radio personality, she was also a fashion icon, threw extravagant parties and engaged in feuds with famous men including Frank Sinatra, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and even a prominent Catholic priest.

After her friend President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Dorothy courageously challenged the official account of his death by doing a series of explosive articles that unearthed important new leads. Jack Ruby’s own lawyer, Melvin Belli, labeled her reporting “the ruin of the Warren Commission.” Dorothy was the only reporter to score private talks with the enigmatic Ruby. She vowed to blow the lid off the cover-up and expose the truth behind the Kennedy assassination, but died trying.

In her magazine article, Jordan-Heintz was the first to print the name of the man who romanced DK and then became the number one (unofficial) suspect when she died; the first author to present eyewitness interviews with people close to Dorothy who were never questioned by police; the first to get incriminating quotes from the suspected killer; the first to reveal shocking new forensic evidence of foul play.

THE INCREDIBLE LIFE & MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF DOROTHY KILLGALLEN is a biography and true crime drama that explores the complexities of Dorothy's private and personal lives, showcasing her work as a formidable reporter and astute observer of geopolitics. A SMOKING GUN links Kilgallen’s suspected killer to the CIA, and reveals his confessed role (captured on audiotape) in a controversial CIA operation that was launched by Allen Dulles, and run by E. Howard Hunt and Frank Sturgis.

©2023 Sara Jordan-Heintz (P)2024 Sara Jordan-Heintz

Raised a lot of questions!

It seemed that they were very thorough and that all the different angles were pursued. I got a good glimpse into DK.

less interesting than expected

Honestly, I couldn't finish it. After reading more scholarly historical accounts of more substantial historical figures, this seemed gossipy. I was 15 when DK died and remembered her from TV. The more I read here, the less I liked her. She may well have been murdered, but by the end of the first half of the book, I didn't care. She was talented and successful, but I didn't see so much integrity as self- promotion. I admire her as a woman in a male-dominated field. I believe she may have been out of her depth when she got involved with her Cuban sources. But the overall celebrity culture is tawdry and petty when you get too close. Maybe I'm the wrong consumer for this book.