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Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro for Readers' Favorite
Los Angeles is known as the “City of Angels” but its scandalous behavior garners the most attention in Of Mobsters and Movie Stars by Joan Renner. The era of Prohibition ushered in lawlessness across the country and Los Angeles was no exception. A litany of corruption scandals challenged the vaunted reputation of the Los Angeles Police Department. The motion picture industry would be beset by scandals involving murder and extortion plots worthy of a screenwriter’s touch. Before the birth of television, the reading public would be enthralled by the larcenous exploits of Dale Forbes and Margie Celano who robbed and shot their way West to East and back. They would be horrified by the remorseless serial bigamist and killer Walter Andrew. The men who were supposed to protect and serve the public were occasionally in league with the criminal element they were meant to apprehend.
Of Mobsters and Movie Stars is an outstanding compilation of true crime narratives spanning the halcyon days of Tinseltown. Author Joan Renner takes the reader on a tour through the underbelly and underworld of Los Angeles in a few dozen lurid tales. Each entry is absorbing and Renner provides the intricacies of the cases together with insightful commentary. Despite the often unassuming take on the lowlights of Tinseltown and its surrounding areas, Renner conveys the humanity that runs throughout every tale. The men and women who populate the crime chronicles run the gamut from unfortunate victim to merciless perpetrator, witness to a co-conspirator. Each story stands on its own concerning whether justice was done or where a mystery lingers. However, there is no question as to how entertaining this book ultimately is.
