American Best-Seller Writer Argues Marilyn Monroe May Have Been Murdered in New Book

On August 4, 1962, Marilyn Monroe, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars at just 36 years old, was found dead at home. The cause, according to the autopsy, was a barbiturate overdose, a sedative medication for anxiety. But for James Patterson, one of America’s most powerful authors, with over 250 books and 500 million copies sold, the story might not be just that. In his new work, ‘The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe: A True Crime Thriller,’ she was likely murdered.
‘I think she was navigating very dangerous waters,’ said Patterson in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. ‘She had amazing relationships with President Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Sinatra, and Mafia figures. They told her things, and she remembered everything. She had information that was kind of dangerous.’
Patterson’s book – an author primarily dedicated to suspense and crime novels, as the creator of the psychologist detective Alex Cross – hits North American shelves on December 1, aiming to reveal details of the diva’s rise and fall. Despite the topic having been extensively explored, he assured The Hollywood Reporter that he uncovered elements of stories not widely known. ‘For example, the 11 foster homes she went through. The fact that she had a severe stutter as a child,’ Patterson said. ‘I knew almost nothing about the death scene, about the autopsy not being as thorough as it should have been, about one of the investigators being sure the scene was staged. The issue is: many people know a little about her, but not that much. You’d be surprised.’
With an estimated fortune of $800 million, Patterson has published over 250 books that have sold approximately 500 million copies worldwide. His literary debut was in 1976 with ‘The Thomas Berryman Number,’ which won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel.