Thu 18 Dec 2014
BARBARA & MAX ALLAN COLLINS – Bombshell. Five Star, hardcover, 2004; trade paperback, 2005.
Did you ever hear the story of how Marilyn Monroe saved Nikita Khrushchev’s life while he was making his famous visit to the US in 1959? Me neither, so either (a) it was hushed up really, really well, or (b) could it be? – in this, their latest venture into historical mystery fiction, the Collinses are completely making it all up.
As a matter of fact, it was in September of that year when I left home for college for the first time, and given that as an understandably overwhelming distraction, I simply did not remember, until reading this book, that Nikkie, as Marilyn fondly begins to call him, even went to California. His outburst of annoyance when he discovered that he was not going to be allowed to visit Disneyland, for example, must have made headlines at the time, but until I checked it out on the Internet, I wasn’t sure if it happened, or if it is only one of the totally misguided urban legends that spring up from time to time. It is not.
It is Marilyn Monroe herself who is the detective in this book, beginning when she accidentally visits one of the men’s room at Fox Studios – don’t ask, read the book – and overhears two plotters discussing their upcoming assassination attempt on the Russian leader’s life.
And of course she is the book’s star attraction all the way through, although the title may have another interpretation or two as well. The Collinses have done their homework – they always do – and that their leading character is Marilyn Monroe, full in equal measure of self-confidence and self-doubt, well, they certainly convinced me. I don’t think any male of a certain age can read this book without falling in love with her all over again.
December 19th, 2014 at 8:20 am
No, it was true all right. Apparently the Secret Service said the security concerns made it impossible. Perhaps if they’d had a longer time frame to plan it might have happened.
December 19th, 2014 at 3:38 pm
Well, security, and Mickey and Walt were Republicans …
Nice to see Collins doing these historical thrillers again — the one on the Hindenberg with Leslie Charteris was particularly good as was the one on the Lusitania with S.S. Van Dine (W.H.Wright).
December 20th, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Mickey was a Republican?
Jeff, at first I thought you were telling me that the encounter between Marilyn and Nikita K was true, then I read your comment again.
I’d kind of like to think it was true, though.
December 21st, 2014 at 3:59 pm
According to Roy Disney Mickey was GOP all the way, though Eisner and the studio quickly corrected him.
Frank Miller and John Byrne tried to make Superman into a Republican though if there was ever a New Deal Democrat it was Clark Kent.
I can’t say I care one way or the other how a mouse and an illegal alien voted.