The news and entertainment world were stunned by the untimely death of writer and TV quiz show panelist Dorothy Kilgallen at age 52. She was found dead in her Manhattan apartment on November 8, 1965. Her death was attributed to a combination of alcohol and barbiturates. However, those familiar with the pioneer journalist knew that there was something more behind her death, perhaps something sinister.
Dorothy Kilgallen had the nose for news instilled in her DNA as her father James was a veteran reporter for various outlets in his long life. Dorothy was intrigued by her father’s work and struck out on her own and landed a position with the New York Evening-Journal. Dorothy made a name for herself as her “Voice of Broadway” column was syndicated far and wide across the United States. Dorothy covered the glitz and glamour of the entertainment beat along with high society, but she possessed an unparalleled tenacity when it came to covering high profile crime stories such as the Sam Sheppard murder case. This fierce determination would only be furthered with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963.
The murder of the 35th President of the United States was a moment that shocked the country and the world. Dorothy had liked John F. Kennedy and had even visited him with her young son Kerry. As the circumstances of the tragic events were relayed across the airwaves, questions began to mount in Dorothy’s mind. These questions would only be compounded with the televised murder of alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Dorothy travelled down to Dallas for the trial of Oswald assassin Jack Ruby. Dorothy spoke to Ruby’s attorneys and was able to gain access to Ruby himself. Could this access and the information she received from Ruby have led to Dorothy’s mounting skepticism over JFK’s murder? Was Dorothy about to blow the lid off the case and render the Warren Commission moot?
Sara Jordan-Heintz has written a spellbinding biography and true crime mystery that is rich in investigative research and detail. The characteristics of Dorothy’s life story pre 1963 are fascinating and wonderful to read and digest. Dorothy’s work as a journalist, TV and radio star often had to compete with her marriage and motherhood. Despite the occasional turbulence in professional and personal life, Dorothy possessed a grace and persistence that saw her through any ordeal. The details of the dark day in November are brought forth in depth and the undercurents of conspiracy are not easy to ignore. Once Dorothy begins to pursue leads in the case and calling out inconsistencies, the countdown to her own tragic ending has commenced. There have been countless books written about the Kennedy assassination, some adhering to the lone gunman narrative, others to conspiracy. Sara Jordan-Heintz lays out the facts of Dorothy’s life and death along with the death of JFK in precise detail. She offers her own views on both and makes a convincing argument for why Dorothy’s death was orchestrated. A well-written volume to be added to the library.
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