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Fatal Charms and The Mansions of Limbo
Dominick Dunne has met them all--stars and slugs, criminals and victims, the innocent and the hideously guilty--and now his two provocative collections of Vanity Fair portraits are in one irresistible volume. From posh Park Avenue duplexes to the extravagant mansions of Beverly Hills, from tasteful London town houses to the wild excesses of million-dollar European retreats, here are the movers and shakers--and the people who pretend to be.
Among colorful profiles and revealing glimpses of Elizabeth Taylor, Claus von Bülow, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Aaron Spelling, discover who dumped an heiress the night before the wedding to run off with the best man . . . what happens when the ex-husband of a movie legend becomes president . . . why a beautiful singer fell in with the mob . . . and, in Dunne's most personal story, how a lying murderer and a limelight-loving judge denied justice to his family after his daughter's life was brutally destroyed.
Filled with pathos and wit, insight and sass, this candid, controversial volume gives you an extraordinary peek into the rarefied world of the rich, the royal, and the ruined. For Dunne is the man who knows all their secrets--and now those secrets are out.
Among colorful profiles and revealing glimpses of Elizabeth Taylor, Claus von Bülow, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Aaron Spelling, discover who dumped an heiress the night before the wedding to run off with the best man . . . what happens when the ex-husband of a movie legend becomes president . . . why a beautiful singer fell in with the mob . . . and, in Dunne's most personal story, how a lying murderer and a limelight-loving judge denied justice to his family after his daughter's life was brutally destroyed.
Filled with pathos and wit, insight and sass, this candid, controversial volume gives you an extraordinary peek into the rarefied world of the rich, the royal, and the ruined. For Dunne is the man who knows all their secrets--and now those secrets are out.
509 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 1987
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527 people want to read
About the author
Dominick Dunne
48 books344 followersDominick Dunne was an American writer and investigative journalist whose subjects frequently hinged on the ways high society interacts with the judiciary system. He was a producer in Hollywood and is also known from his frequent appearances on television.
After his studies at Williams College and service in World War II, Dunne moved to New York, then to Hollywood, where he directed Playhouse 90 and became vice president of Four Star Pictures. He hobnobbed with the rich and the famous of those days. In 1979, he left Hollywood, moved to Oregon, and wrote his first book, The Winners. In November 1982, his actress daughter, Dominique Dunne, was murdered. Dunne attended the trial of her murderer (John Thomas Sweeney) and subsequently wrote Justice: A Father's Account of the Trial of his Daughter's Killer.
After his studies at Williams College and service in World War II, Dunne moved to New York, then to Hollywood, where he directed Playhouse 90 and became vice president of Four Star Pictures. He hobnobbed with the rich and the famous of those days. In 1979, he left Hollywood, moved to Oregon, and wrote his first book, The Winners. In November 1982, his actress daughter, Dominique Dunne, was murdered. Dunne attended the trial of her murderer (John Thomas Sweeney) and subsequently wrote Justice: A Father's Account of the Trial of his Daughter's Killer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
August 19, 2020
I am a fan of Dominick Dunne especially what I read about his private life. In this book the first story is about his daughter's trial. She was a young actress on 'Poltergeist' at the time (22 yrs old). She was murdered by her jealous and controlling chef ex-boyfriend. He was charged with manslaughter and got 6 & 1/2 years but got off in 3 years for "good behavior." After this life changing experience Dunne wrote many books on the rich and powerful and their trials and the curious American machinations of the justice system and those who know how to manipulate it. I don't think he ever realized how unfair the system was until his daughter was choked to death and the boyfriend can live to a long old age.
Dunne had a fascination with Hollywood glamour and these are the articles and essays that appeared in 'Vanity Fair'. He follows Diane Keaton, Elizabeth Taylor and the Getty's, Claus von Bulow (he attempted to kill his heiress wife, Sunny, twice), Gloria Vanderbilt (Anderson Cooper's mom) and Ava Gardner.
I love the way he spills his tea and I'm right there sitting and listening right next to him.
Author tidbit: If you can Wiki him it talks about his long marriage and how he always felt bisexual and never acted on it so instead he became celibate after his divorce. He must have been so sad and lonely the rest of his days.
Dunne had a fascination with Hollywood glamour and these are the articles and essays that appeared in 'Vanity Fair'. He follows Diane Keaton, Elizabeth Taylor and the Getty's, Claus von Bulow (he attempted to kill his heiress wife, Sunny, twice), Gloria Vanderbilt (Anderson Cooper's mom) and Ava Gardner.
I love the way he spills his tea and I'm right there sitting and listening right next to him.
Author tidbit: If you can Wiki him it talks about his long marriage and how he always felt bisexual and never acted on it so instead he became celibate after his divorce. He must have been so sad and lonely the rest of his days.
July 23, 2024
Dominick Dunne is not a timeless writer, but he is a superb writer of his times. No one captured the financial excesses of the 1980s as well as Dunne did; his writing ranged from frothy to serious as he chronicled the behaviour of the super rich and the Hollywood crowd, and it's clear to see he got a kick out of the champagne set. Since he was also a successful Hollywood producer (Panic in Needle Park, Ash Wednesday, etc.,) he was a part of the crowd. But the tragic murder of his only daughter Dominique changed his perspective, and afterwards, he stood apart forever.
This collection of articles starts with his essay on the trial of the man who murdered his daughter. Fueled in equal parts love for his daughter and rage for her ex-boyfriend, it is the best piece in the book, and even all these years later, it's hard not to be moved by the events. That was the first trial he covered, but he became famous for his articles on other famous trials - Claus von Bulow, Vicki Morgan - and he was always on the side of the victim. I remember him on TV when OJ Simpson was acquitted and he was practically apoplectic in his insistence that Simpson's high living days would be over, because he would not be received anywhere again. Being received and accepted was crucially important to Dunne, but his best writing was about the people whose behaviour resulted in being shunned.
There are a few articles in the book that appear to be written out of champagne bubbles - the article on Candy Spelling, surely one of the silliest of women on earth, despite his insistence on how 'smart' she was, the empty article in praise of Elizabeth Taylor, the attempt to explain Imelda Marcos as a woman for her people (not!). I wondered about the Marcos article - the Reagan government supported Marcos over their rival and victor Corazon (Cory) Aquino, and it occurred to me that article might have been a part of the propaganda efforts to remake the Marcos image.
Anyway, the book was enjoyable, a trip down memory lane, but likely only meaningful to one who lived in the 1980s and kept up with the pop culture references of the times. I think everyone should read Dunne's article about his daughter because he did touch timelessness in that chronicle. The other chapters are reports from another time, another place, not now, not here.
This collection of articles starts with his essay on the trial of the man who murdered his daughter. Fueled in equal parts love for his daughter and rage for her ex-boyfriend, it is the best piece in the book, and even all these years later, it's hard not to be moved by the events. That was the first trial he covered, but he became famous for his articles on other famous trials - Claus von Bulow, Vicki Morgan - and he was always on the side of the victim. I remember him on TV when OJ Simpson was acquitted and he was practically apoplectic in his insistence that Simpson's high living days would be over, because he would not be received anywhere again. Being received and accepted was crucially important to Dunne, but his best writing was about the people whose behaviour resulted in being shunned.
There are a few articles in the book that appear to be written out of champagne bubbles - the article on Candy Spelling, surely one of the silliest of women on earth, despite his insistence on how 'smart' she was, the empty article in praise of Elizabeth Taylor, the attempt to explain Imelda Marcos as a woman for her people (not!). I wondered about the Marcos article - the Reagan government supported Marcos over their rival and victor Corazon (Cory) Aquino, and it occurred to me that article might have been a part of the propaganda efforts to remake the Marcos image.
Anyway, the book was enjoyable, a trip down memory lane, but likely only meaningful to one who lived in the 1980s and kept up with the pop culture references of the times. I think everyone should read Dunne's article about his daughter because he did touch timelessness in that chronicle. The other chapters are reports from another time, another place, not now, not here.
October 11, 2009
From the author of the best-selling People Like Us and The Two Mrs. Grenviles comes this unvarnished look at the gilded world of the real-life rich and famous. Here are the highly colorful and highly provocative look at the gilded world of the real-life rich of famous. Here are the highly colorful and highly provocative close-up interviews Dominick Dunne has written for Vanity Fair. In them, Dunne tells all about today's creme de la creme as only as insider can tell it. Here is his engaging profile of the everlasting regal Elizabeth Taylor; a bizarre encounter with Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos exiled in Hawaii; a revealing, behind-the-scenes portrait of the great poseur Claus von Bulow; an inquiry into the squalid life and mysterious death of Alfred Bloomingdale's mistress, Vicki Morgan; Dunne's moving account of his daughter's violent death and the man who got away with her murder; as well as revealing glimpses of Ivan Boesky, Ava Gardner, Diane Keaton, Gloria Vanderbilt, Candy and Aaron Spelling, and others-plus a look inside the exclusive Mortimer's restaurant and the real Palm Beach. Sassy and stirring, candid and controversial, Fatal Charms is a startling expose of charm-in all its guises-both fatal and benign.
*****Rate this 5/5. I thought that I had read every book ever written by Dominick Dunne, but possibly due to his recent death I was able to locate both this book and "The Mansions Of Limbo" which I searched for years to obtain! Any time I read any of Mr. Dunne's books, I feel like I am conversing with an old friend. He 'lived' old Hollywood, he knew and was friends with so many stars and celebrities. I adore him and I am looking forward to his final book which will be out in December. You will be greatly missed Dominick Dunne!
*****Rate this 5/5. I thought that I had read every book ever written by Dominick Dunne, but possibly due to his recent death I was able to locate both this book and "The Mansions Of Limbo" which I searched for years to obtain! Any time I read any of Mr. Dunne's books, I feel like I am conversing with an old friend. He 'lived' old Hollywood, he knew and was friends with so many stars and celebrities. I adore him and I am looking forward to his final book which will be out in December. You will be greatly missed Dominick Dunne!
December 11, 2008
I loved the first half of this book, and was bored by the second half. Overall, I would greatly recommend it. This book inspires me to explore the genre of short true story complations. I also plan to read more from this author. I find his writing interesting and honest, and his point of view unique.
August 14, 2025
Read for #GarbAugust2025. Well written, dated previously published pieces, a couple about trials, almost all about incredibly wealthy (or pretending to be or to still be), vacuous people leading empty lives of extraordinary privilege.
December 14, 2023
A consistently good writer of tales of the famous and/or rich, Dunne deserves credit for getting nearly everyone to talk to him. Even those who won’t, still leave him a quote about why they won’t talk. On the other hand, his reliance on gossip is a hindrance to good reporting, along with his occasional rearranging of facts. Nevertheless, this is full of the shenanigans, and worse, of plenty of folks you’ve heard of. Don’t believe everything, just enjoy the way he immerses you in his tales of love and life gone cuckoo.
November 10, 2020
This is a collection of articles from Vanity Fair written by Dominick Dunne about the Rich and Famous. The best is the first story about the murder trial of Dominick's daughter Dominique. The murderer John Sweeney received a light sentence and the portrayal of grief is heart-wrenching. Many of the other stories are of rich people I didn't care about.
July 17, 2025
Love anything by Dominick Dunne and this collection of his articles on the famous and infamous is no exception. Starting strong with the story of his daughter’s murderer’s trial and ending with the controversial two trials of Claus Von Bulow, this book has everything. Dunne had a way of observing the upper echelons of Hollywood and high society like the proverbial fly on the wall. With the exception of his daughter’s murderous ex’s trial, obviously, he is pretty objective in his observations. It is a bit dated now as it was written in the 1980’s, but old girls like me, who know of the players, still enjoy a good bit of scandal!
August 16, 2023
Read2009
November 30, 2023
A delightful chronicle of "olden days" in high society. I think you have to be 50+ to remember the names, but the stories are well done.
July 16, 2025
siento que se podría desfrutar más si supieras quien es toda esta gente
May 28, 2009
The first story in this collection is the horrifying tale of the author's daughter's murder and the farce of a trial that followed. The remainder of the stories are "personality" stories about the places and people in the out-of-sight American jet set of the early-mid-80's. The author was in a unique position to interview the people he did for these stories, having been an actor/producer in Hollywood himself. As such, it is somewhat difficult to discern if he writes about them with sardonicism or empathy, but it is probably a mixture of both. Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, Diane Keaton, Palm Beach, Mortimer's Gloria Vanderbilt, Candy Spelling, Imedla Marcos, Vickie Morgan, and Calus von Bulow are featured.
July 13, 2014
I love Dominick Dunne's writing, and am sad that I have now read all his books. This one is a collection of articles he wrote for Vanity Fair chronicling his encounters with the rich and famous, from O.J Simpson to Queen Noor. He seems to be welcomed by most even though or maybe because he documents their egomania. Especially amusing were the old-money community who like to bar new-money from their country-clubs, and then got hacked-off when the new super-rich didn't want to join as they had far superior facilities in their own grounds.
Dominick has access to this world and opens it up to us with honesty and humour, and shares his fascination if not approval of what he encounters. He is sadly missed.
Dominick has access to this world and opens it up to us with honesty and humour, and shares his fascination if not approval of what he encounters. He is sadly missed.
November 20, 2017
Sad story about murder of Dominick Dunne's daughter.
Weird family dynamics in extremely wealthy families. Chapter on Rockefeller grandchildren: Danse Macabre: Life is not kind to wealthy daughters. Henry James lives. Margaret Strong de Cuevas de Larrain, a Rockefeller granddaughter, married a 42 year old when she was 88. Larrain, lost all her inheritance except for $400,000 and died of AIDS a few years after Margaret.
Imelda Marcos, definition of drama queen.
Don't know who is more icky, politicians or movie stars.
Weird family dynamics in extremely wealthy families. Chapter on Rockefeller grandchildren: Danse Macabre: Life is not kind to wealthy daughters. Henry James lives. Margaret Strong de Cuevas de Larrain, a Rockefeller granddaughter, married a 42 year old when she was 88. Larrain, lost all her inheritance except for $400,000 and died of AIDS a few years after Margaret.
Imelda Marcos, definition of drama queen.
Don't know who is more icky, politicians or movie stars.
August 2, 2018
The author has written a truly heartfelt, powerful account of what must have been an extremely painful experience of his daughter's murder and the subsequent criminal trial. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is just a sad, extremely long, tedious slog, heavy on the name-dropping, of frequently sleazy high-society dames & gents who have a lot of money, but are otherwise not particularly noteworthy.
April 6, 2019
This is a collection of articles written by Dominick Dunne for "Vanity Fair" magazine. Those written about people I'd heard of (Menendez Brothers, Jane Wyman, Elizabeth Taylor, OJ Simpson, etc) were of special interest; other articles were about people I'd never heard of, but were still very interesting. Most poignant was the opening article, written about the trial of the man who killed Dunne's only daughter.
December 19, 2015
I love Dominick Dunne and was so sad when he passed away. This is an older book, a collection of the stories he wrote for Vanity Fair. No one had the inside scoop on the rich and famous like he did. Even though I was familiar with many of the characters and their stories, I'm having a hard time putting the book down.
February 2, 2023
Scandalous fare from that gossipmonger/kibitzer par excellence, Dominick Dunne. If you're a fan of his fiction, then some of the characters and shenanigans here will feel familiar. Dunne's flair for writing about the rich and infamous and the mildly famous, whose worlds he was familiar with as a second-string insider, makes for compulsive reading. Think bitchy Truman Capote-lite.
August 7, 2018
I would have been happy if this had not been a double book, the first half was very good, but the stories about high society and the super ultra wealthy were a little over the top for me. Not my world, not interested. I like Dunne's knowledge and writing style. Crazy how his family was part of the reason why he started covering high profile court cases.
January 5, 2019
I enjoyed reading this book largely because I am a fan of Dominick Dunn and his writing. I read this book in 2018-2019 during the holidays because it was a pick up and read a short part type of book. It held my attention this way. It is outdated as far as the characters go but it is still interesting.
June 3, 2019
Dominick Dunne is my favorite author on dishing the dirt with a classy spin. This book was so yummy to read! O.J. Simpson, The Menedez Brothers, Candy Spelling, Imelda Marcos....... etc. He's fantastic because he knows all these people. He's attended trials and has had interviews with tons of interesting characters. Every single book of his is entertainment at its best.
January 22, 2008
this book has about 4 or five stories of high profile crimes. one includes the murder of the author's daughter...she was the girl in poltergeist 1 who screamed "WHATS HAPPENING!". her boyfriend murdered her. great book!
April 5, 2012
LOVED this collection of Dunne's best nonfiction pieces. The essay about the trial of his daughter's murderer is heart-wrenching. It's all his best Vanity Fair pieces about the crimes and fatal undoings of prominent people. Good stuff.
October 24, 2012
Insights on the trial of his daughter's murderer, the trial of Claus Von Bulow, and more. I love Dunne's writing style but I wanted the rest of the story, some of which were still ongoing when this was published.
December 22, 2014
Dominic Dunne was one of my favorite true crime writers; his monthly Vanity Fair articles will always be missed...this being said, this collection of cases would mostly interest his die hard fans, with the exception of his own daughter's murder which was heartbreaking.
September 25, 2016
I'd always been a fan of Dominick Dunne and had read this years ago. He infiltrates the rich and famous and gives us a glimpse of their world. I miss him and had given up my Vanity Fair subscription when he died.
December 15, 2017
I really like Dominick Duane’s writing style and that’s why I picked the book. But past the first chapter, I found the stories of most of these people very shallow. What did they really do to help out others - really nothing.
May 21, 2018
Tales of Yestetday
these stories are very interesting, however they take place in the 80's so if u r looking 4 current stories, this is not your book. if u want a historical perspective, this is the book 4 u.
these stories are very interesting, however they take place in the 80's so if u r looking 4 current stories, this is not your book. if u want a historical perspective, this is the book 4 u.
January 5, 2020
Old gossip by a master
A casual, read-while-flying, short dip into another set of eras. Mr Dunne wrote well, and the poignant story of the trial of his daughter's murderer is enraging and touching.
A casual, read-while-flying, short dip into another set of eras. Mr Dunne wrote well, and the poignant story of the trial of his daughter's murderer is enraging and touching.
December 17, 2008
also published later on in a QP version.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews