The Incredible Life & Mysterious Death of Dorothy Kilgallen

My monumental excitement for this book had me convinced that I was going to devour it in a matter of days. Instead, it exceeded my already high expectations and I found myself waiting for proper reading sessions where I could take my time and jot down annotations along the way.

Written by the author of the Midwest Today article ‘Who Killed Dorothy Kilgallen?', Sara Jordan-Heintz compiles years of thorough research into this book covering Dorothy Kilgallen's early life, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and Kilgallen's own mysterious death in 1965. I would go as far as to say that her original article brought Dorothy's story to a new generation.

Her death aside, Dorothy's life is one that should be celebrated in history books. She was a trailblazer for women, finding herself at the top of a male-dominated industry in the early-mid 20th Century. In addition, she was also a radio host, television personality, socialite, wife, and mother.

Yes, the book gives an intimate background on Dorothy's life and career, however, the larger portion of the book is dedicated to her investigation of John F. Kennedy's assassination. In addition, there is also a section that delves into the assassination itself. Sara Jordan-Heintz writes extensively about different eyewitness accounts, the problem with the Warren Commission's findings (which Dorothy herself challenged), a background of Lee Harvey Oswald, and much more. While Dorothy is mostly absent here, it provides important context for the last section of the book.

On November 8th, 1965, Dorothy Kilgallen was found dead in her New York townhouse. It is largely believed that her death was the result of her investigation into JFK's death (which had already led her to be under surveillance). Too much didn't add up between where she was found and her state of attire to name just a couple of the red flags. What's more is that her investigation notes have not been seen since.

In the 60 years since the assassination, there have been countless writings, documentaries, and discussions on what might have truly happened that day in Dallas. We can assume while reading this book that Dorothy must have had similar findings and more thanks to having a multitude of connections. Given in 2024 the ‘official' story is still being pushed by those in power, it's not unlikely that someone of Dorothy's stature and reach would be silenced at that time.

What impressed me the most about this book was how so much information was fit into a relatively short number of pages. It brought back a lot of things I've read about in other books on the topic, both a mix of things I'd forgotten as well as tidbits I've held onto and can't get out of my mind. Having so much at my fingertips now in one book makes me ecstatic.

I have read three of the four books author Mark Shaw has published on the subject of Dorothy Kilgallen and I worried that I would be spending a lot of time comparing this book to those. Instead, I felt as though I was looking through fresh lenses despite going in with some facts memorized. The books offer quite different narratives even though a lot of the information, of course, remains similar. The delivery and organization of this book were a better fit for my personal preference.

I have been an admirer of Dorothy's for several years now and it still boggles my mind that after first watching episodes of What's My Line? it took a good year or two before I realized she was such a renowned journalist, never mind the fact that she had a connection to JFK's assassination. It's a travesty that her life and accomplishments have been a forgotten part of history. Whether her death is the cause of this, I couldn't say, though I do think it adds to the suspicion in a time where we so fervently celebrate women. I'm glad there are people out there telling her story so that she will be remembered for years to come.