The Reporter Who Knew Too Much

Like many people nowadays, I learned about Dorothy Kilgallen through ‘What's My Line?' reruns. She was my favorite panelist. I liked the way her mind worked. About a year after I started watching, my mother sent me an article she'd come across that connected her to JFK. Being a history buff, I did a mad search for more information both on her and the connection, ultimately coming across this book.

It's an injustice this woman has been, more or less, forgotten. She was much more than a panelist on an old game show. Here we have a woman who broke barriers, had a brilliant mind, was the epitome of sophistication, and one of the most famous and respected columnists of the 20th Century, pushed aside after her mysterious death. True to the tone of this book, something doesn't add up. How can someone like Dorothy be so unrecognized in history?

The book offers many theories surrounding cause of death which, at times, left me with my head spinning. The pages are not to be breezed through (especially the second half of the book). While the toxicology reports along with other pieces of documentation can be tedious (and in my case, a foreign language), all of it is important information. As stated in the book, had she lived, the course of history would have been changed dramatically.

No matter what ‘cause of death' theory you believe, kudos to Mark Shaw for giving Dorothy Kilgallen the recognition she deserves. Take away her final investigation and you still have an incredible figure in history that should be recognized now and for years to come. A truly remarkable human being.