Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This was a DNF for me. No continuity in the writing and a convoluted mess.

I’ve read a lot of books about the death of Marilyn Monroe and am always interested in finding out new theories about it.This book has an added interest as one of its authors was an LAPD detective working in organised crime investigation ,where he was able to access files kept hidden by the various chiefs of police over the years.
There aren’t really any gut punching reveals, as the premise of the book is set out in the title and in the opening chapters,but it’s still chilling to read of the abuse of power of the Kennedys and their various supporters ,and the links between the LAPD and organised crime are quite shocking to read.
What I found most disturbing was the way Marilyn Monroe was treated by the powerful men with whom she was involved ;there are some deeply upsetting scenes ,particularly in light of #MeToo ,when you realise that not much has changed since the 50s and 60s.
It’s a pity that the e- version of the book didn’t include any photos but that’s a small niggle.The book is quite circuitous and goes off at tangents at times, but I really couldn’t put it down and was equally horrified and fascinated from start to finish.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Anyone who knows me knows I love true crime and I also adore Marilyn Munroe, so have read and watched a lot of things about her death and suspected murder.

This book was right up my street but it was a tough read in places. Hearing of some of the things that happened to Marilyn and other women at the hands of the Kennedy's and other 'big players' in Hollywood and politics was shocking and upsetting. I couldn't say for sure whether the premise suggested by the authors is true and it is probably a mystery that will never be solved due to the deep level of corruption surrounding the case, but the evidence presented here is compelling and riveting.

If you have an interest in true crime, conspiracies and this particular case, you will find this interesting but be warned, it is not an easy read and it is one that will stay with me for a long while.

I wanted to like this book, I was really rooting for it, but unfortunately it fell far short of of my expectations. The theory that somehow the Kennedy family,Bobby, in particular played some role in the death of Marilyn Monroe is not new, however I was hopi g that this book would have some explosive new information to settle the question once and for all. Sadly, it did not.

Instead this is a retread of of dubious rumors that have circulated for decades. And the same information is circulated repeatedly in this book. Every once in while there would be a tiny new nugget of info I had not heard before, but I. The end it all added up to nothing. Add to the fact that the book was in need of some serious editing, this one was a letdown for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mike Rothmiller, Douglas Thompson and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a tough read. I was eager to learn more about Marilyn Monroe and her death but that did not seem to be the focus in a lot of this true crime book. It is not until the last 1/3 of Bombshell that they get to the nitty gritty and that is what I enjoyed the most. I never knew about the Kennedys and their ties to organized crime and most of that was absolutely shocking. The last week of Marilyn's life was horrific and I am honestly surprised that none of this has come out before. I hope the Kennedys and Peter Lawford are turning over in their graves as to what has been revealed here.

I'm not really sure where to begin with a book like this. It caught my eye on Netgalley purely because it was about Marilyn Monroe. She died well before my time but has always held such a legendary place in people's hearts and I thought maybe it was about time I knew a bit more about her. Well, this probably was a bit more of a revelation than I was expecting...I always believed she took her own life and was a troubled and fragile soul. I still believe she was troubled, but I also think there is more to the story after reading this book. I still don't believe I know enough about Marilyn and her life and death to fully say for certain what happened that night but my jaw was on the floor for pretty much the entirety of this book. What a read. Anybody who is interested in Hollywood history and politics of the 1960s will be fascinated but this. It features Frank Sinatra (not in the best of lights), Marilyn's ex husbands and obviously the infamous Kennedy family. This book definitely threw me in at the deep end.

This book dives deep into how Bobby Kennedy could have killed Marilyn and why he would have wanted to. What I really liked about this book was that the author dove deep into the back story of all the lead players (Monroe, the Kennedy brothers, Peter Lawford, and Marilyn's staff). Once the reader gets the back story on the players, then the reader gets the details of the Monroe affairs. Of course, the affairs will lead the reader right into why Bobby Kennedy needed to get Monroe out of the way. I believe the author did much research to come to the conclusions told in this book and that a Monroe fan would like it, but probably not a Kennedy fan.

A fascinating read which I couldn’t put down. An absolute eye-opener. I didn’t have a clue about any of this before I read this book so it really shocked me and makes me want to read more about it! Gripping stuff!

Death Of An Icon….
A dark, deep and compelling investigative account into the death of an icon. A different perspective, well written and engaging.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Bombshell! This book is aptly titled, There is no doubt, even with almost 60 years since her death, Marilyn Monroe was a bombshell. with her beauty and body, she was the reigning sex symbol of her time. Her death at age 36 sent shockwaves through the world. Had the truth been known at the time, the bombshell it would have had atomic consequences. Two of the most important men in America and the world had used her and abused her. They were trying to distance themselves from her and the scandal it would cause. She was not willing to be so easily discarded.

She threatened to reveal the sordid details. Something had to be done. It was. She was murdered and all these decades, rumours and innuendos have circulated about the murder and the huge cover up. Now, one of the authors, a former cop who read the hidden files and talked to two men who were there in August 1962, has told the entire story.

it is a chilling indictment of John and Bobby Kennedy, and the entourage who swanned around them. The greatest indictment is against the top cops in the LAPD and other agencies who enabled and protected them. Marilyn's complicity was she naive and trusting. She did not realize how lethal these people were and what they would do to eliminate a problem.

Well written, the book tells it all. It verifies rumours that have circulated for years and it will warp how you view Camelot and two men who were the King and Crown Prince. Five purrs and two paws up.

What a fantastic book! The author presents a very compelling case and has good information and interviews to support his case. The existence of unknown files that provide additional information on the case really makes it a great read. This is a great true crime book for the avid fan.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a long time fan of Marilyn Monroe, I couldn't pick this book up quick enough! And the contents haven't disappointed! Wow!! Talk about corruption everywhere and it has left me even more convinced that her death was murder and not a 'suicide' as originally framed.

The authors of this book had access to a number of hugely confidential police files, and the evidence is damming! Not only does it set out the events of that night clearly, through eye witness accounts along with crime scene evidence, it also looks closely at the diary entries by Marilyn herself and looks back at over her life, the highs and lows, and also looks at the goings on at LAPD over the years, alongside links to the mafia and those at the highest levels of Government. It seems that most celebrities and their houses were being bugged at the time and files kept on their behaviour.... just in case they were needed to be used against them!

And in Marilyn they had a prime target with her associations to so many in Hollywood and Washington. It really gives a damning look at the corruption at every level - from the Kennedys', to the police chiefs, the mob...... sleaze central!! I was staggered at the revelations and the research was comprehensive and exhaustive as no stone seemed to be unturned in wondering what DID happen that night, and why so many were so keen to cover up the reality and frame the scene to draw away attention from her close relationships.

There were so many red flags with this case at the time, and ever since. Telephone records going missing, issues with the autopsy not being thorough enough and evidence going missing, dodgy behaviour of people at the scene that night and why it took so long to call someone... the list goes on and this book does a wonderful job of putting the evidence all together and painting a very worrying picture of just how widespread the corruption was, and how this global superstar was seemingly 'too close for comfort' with those wanting more power and they wanted her out of the way.

Brilliantly researched and put together. One of those books that stun and shock, along make you feel very sad for this young woman who was seemingly used over all her career, even by many big names who seemed to have no compassion or care for her. It has made me think very differently about many 'star' names from the past and look at Hollywood in a very different light with the goings on documented throughout the book. A powerful book!!

Reflections: I remember where I was the day I learned that Marilyn Monroe had died. I was with friends at a gas station in upstate New York.

The subtitle says it all ... who was killed, when, why, and by whom. I didn't realize there are so many many many books about the life and death of Marilyn Monroe. Why one more book? One of the authors states it is because he managed to read the OCID (Organized Crime and Intelligence Division) files and her diary. The author refers to himself in both the first person and third person tense.

This book is long because there is much repetition and many pages go off on a tangent. I cannot recall anyone being painted in positive terms in this book.

Intelligence divisions and police departments had a large influence on politicians and vice versa. One example: California governor Jerry Brown, in the 1970s, was shown photographs and asked if he knew the men with him were mobsters. He said he didn't know. He thanked the police department for their support and said he would return the donations. Actually, it wasn't support but a threat; it was a favored method of intimidating politicians. It plants the "seed" in the politician's mind, "if they know this, they probably know my other secrets." I'm sure this type of intimidation and blackmailing threat still occurs in this century.

Sad reading so much detail about wicked evil people. I'm going to go watch a Marilyn Monroe comedy and see if I feel better.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me access to the book.

Like many other people I have this fascination for Marilyn Monroe who died tragically before I even knew she existed. There has always been this mystery surrounding her death with lots of speculation and conspiracy theories. Well this book claims to have the truth surrounding the final days of Marilyn Monroe.

The evidence offered in this book is provided by Mike Rothmiller who worked as an agent of the Organized Crime Intelligence Division (OCID) of the LAPD. During his time at the LAPD he had direct personal access to hundreds of secret files on exactly what happened at Marilyn Monroe’s Californian home on August 5, 1962. His evidence states that Robert Kennedy was behind the death of Marilyn Monroe. The book uses unseen police files, Marilyn Monroe’s private diary, and first-hand testimony to prove that Robert Kennedy was directly responsible for her death. The book also tells details of Marilyn Monroe’s affair with Robert’s brother President John Kennedy. Rothmiller not only details the fateful night itself but of the subsequent police cover up and the campaign to protect the Kennedy family at all costs.

This book was a riveting read and certainly got me thinking. The legend of Marilyn Monroe lives on and I am sure the conspiracy stories and books will too.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Ad Lib Publishers for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bombshell: The Night Bobby Kennedy Killed Marilyn Monroe by Mike Rothmiller, and Douglas Thompson is filled with documented events and previously hidden information involving key people in Marilyn Monroe's life. If all of this documentation in BOMBSHELL is true, it is appalling to realize the amount of political spying and interference in the lives of celebrities and key political figures. The CIA, the east and west coasts mafias, and LAPD of the 1950s and 60's all had ways of obtaining confidential information on celebrities and political hopefuls in order to blackmail them into compliance.
I used to admire JFK and Bobby Kennedy until a few years ago when I started reading more historical books based on recent unclassified information. JFK used people and especially women. He was selfish and a sex addict. Robert (Bobby) Kennedy was ruthless and when you get to Peter Lawford's confession to Mike Rothmiller of Marilyn's last hours, he revealed how Bobby slapped and fought with Marilyn before giving her a 'sedative' in a glass of water which rendered her unconscious in the evening she died. Peter Lawford thought Marilyn was dead before they left her home and allowed two unidentified men into her home to find her diary and any written documentation of her conversations with JFK and Bobby.
Most of the book is filled with documenting the political events and conflicts of the era. Key players of the LAPD and the mafias are identified as tools used by the Kennedys to control current events and public perceptions.
It seems there were two and sometimes three separate groups that installed listening devices into the private homes of celebrities and political figures. The number of celebrities who were caught up in blackmail by the mafia and had files on them by LAPD is astounding!
On the Thursday or Friday before her death, Bobby and Peter Lawford had told Marilyn not to call the president or the white house again. She had become angry and threaten to call the press and expose her relationship with the Kennedys. They had broken promises to her, and she felt used. Marilyn made the mistake of revealing her plan and this caused Bobby to plan to shut her up for good.
One of the most heinous things that is mentioned in this book and two other books I have read is about how Marilyn was set up for blackmail on the Saturday night before her death by Frank Sinatra, Peter and Pat Lawford, and Sam Giancana at the Lake Tahoe Cal Neva Lodge. According to this book, she was drugged to almost unconsciousness at their private party. Marilyn was used and sexually abused while she was not able to defend herself. Pictures were taken of her as several people at once debauched and raped her as she was asleep or heavily drugged. The next day Frank Sinatra told her to leave, and Marilyn was not able to remember what had happened the evening before. She writes of not remembering what had happened in her diary. The drug had left her with no memory of all the photographs that were taken to be later used to blackmail her into silence about her affairs with both Kennedy brothers.
If you are interested in many of the events that shaped the political era of this time, BOMBSHELL has many notations of files and interviews by Mike Rothmiller.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this book.

Fascinating read about an extremely troubled iconic figure (no wonder, given the way she was treated by various men). I guess it's impossible to know how accurate this book is as it relies very heavily on the alleged 'confession' of Peter Lawford. If true, it's probably as sinister a plot as anything carried out by historic psychopaths'. A disturbing account of the Kennedy brothers and Bobby in particular.

This is interesting read and I found out things I didn’t know. It is well written and wow the book blew me a way.
I don’t know if this is true about the Kennedy’s and I suppose we will never know but if it is wow that’s all I can say.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book was so detailed and i was just in shock the whole time! I rarely read non-fiction but this book was SO GOOD! OMG! "The things that go on behind closed doors" is all i can say. What we, as the public, do not know about celebrities. Just WOW. I feel it is the same with politics. We only know what we are told. but WOW . long live Marilyn Monroe

Subtitle: The Night Bobby Kennedy Killed Marilyn Monroe

Even though many people don’t share the belief, history says that Marilyn Monroe died from suicide by overdose 59 years ago, on August 4, 1962. Many who believe she died as the result of conspiracy speculate that she was killed to prevent her from revealing love affairs with President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy. Co-author Mike Rothmiller believes he has firm evidence of this from his knowledge of secret Los Angeles Police Department files and an interview he did with the Kennedy’s brother-in-law, actor Peter Lawford, who confessed to being in Monroe’s house along with Bobby Kennedy on the day Monroe died.


Rothmiller was a former member of the LAPD intelligence division, where he had access to the division’s surveillance files on politicians, actors, celebrities, and organized crime members. According to Rothmiller, the LAPD intelligence gathering rivaled that of the FBI and CIA. Besides attempting to reconstruct the circumstances of Monroe’s death, this book also discusses of history of the department’s intelligence apparatus and methods as well as significant members of the department. Rothmiller claims to have read sections of Monroe’s diary, which is part of the LAPD files and provides an extra layer of detail about Monroe’s relationship with both Kennedys and her state of mind near the time of her death. Along with Rothmiller’s discussions with Lawford and with people involved with bugging Monroe’s and Lawford’s residences, the authors build what seems like a reasonable case for Robert Kennedy’s involvement in the killing.

I gave Bombshell four stars on Goodreads. It contains a lot of intriguing information, but the extensive details about the operations of the LAPD intelligence division took too long and served as a interruption of the presentation of the authors’ case against RFK.

Wow!this was interesting to say the least! It was very well written. I ended up reading well into the night because I just wanted to know what the write had to say. Thank you so much to publisher for allowing me to read this book!