L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood

by Anne Soon Choi

L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood is a gripping true crime biography of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the controversial “Coroner to the Stars,” who performed the autopsies of Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy, and Natalie Wood. It blends Hollywood celebrity and death, Asian American history, and Los Angeles history in a feat of exquisite storytelling.
L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood is the first ever biography of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner of the County of Los Angeles from 1967 to 1982. Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Noguchi conducted the official autopsies of some of the most high-profile personalities of his time. His elaborate press conferences, which often generated more controversy than they did answers, catapulted him into the public eye.

Noguchi was also the inspiration for the popular 1970s/80s television drama Quincy, M.E., starring Jack Klugman. Featuring never-before-published details about Noguchi’s most controversial cases, L.A. Coroner is a mesmerizing, meticulously researched true crime biography, set against the backdrop of the racial politics of the 1960s and 1970s and Hollywood celebrity culture

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Biography, History, Death

256 pages, Hardcover

Published April 22, 2025

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Thomas Noguchi saw himself as a master of reinvention. He left war-ravaged Japan in 1950 for Southern California, with no money, no connections, and a limited grasp of English. He wanted to be someone. He understood instinctively that accomplishing his goal in postwar America required more than hard work . . . At a time when Asian-Americans were afforded little cultural or political space, [he] upended the status quo by inserting himself unapologetically into the world of celebrity death as an expert at a time when the public's appetite for celebrity, conspiracy, and true crime started to gain traction." -- on page 218

For a time Thomas Noguchi was a rare local-level elected official who had something akin to national name recognition in the U.S. A Japanese native and physician / pathologist who moved to California in the early 1950's, he became a deputy coroner / medical examiner for the Los Angeles County in 1961 and - just a year later - performed the autopsy on actress Marilyn Monroe. Just five years later he ascended to the lead position of the county's chief medical examiner / coroner, and during an eventful 1967 to 1982 tenure became known for his investigatory autopsies on many public figures like Senator Robert F. Kennedy, actors William Holden and John Belushi, actress Natalie Wood, and the several unfortunate victims of the 'Manson Family' murders. He was also opinionated and press savvy (though some would argue narcissistic) in inquests and/or when releasing information on the findings in his cases. Author Choi essays a solid though also stolid work biography on Noguchi with L.A. Coroner, which is occasionally as dry as its prosaic title. (Note: Noguchi wrote his own memoir on his various notable cases a year after he was ousted, which was unimaginatively titled Coroner, and it was a good if quick read.) While the author sometimes vexingly veers more towards being an activist in her narrative, the most interesting sections were - somewhat ghoulishly, I realize - the celebrity deaths. However, a good portion of the text concerns politics and political tensions in the L.A. region, which may not be what potential readers were expecting with the misleading subtitle.

[Kater Cheek]

This book implies it’s about celebrities for true crime fans, and I kind of thought it might be, since the titular L.A. Coroner who was involved with so many famous cases and autopsies. But it’s not a memoir, it’s a biography, and there’s an important distinction. It’s not really about the crimes Thomas Noguchi “Coroner to the Stars” helped solve, but about his career. I think if you go into this expecting to get gruesome details not yet revealed about, say, the Manson murders, you’re going to be disappointed. While Noguchi was involved in the investigation on some stupendously famous cases, this isn’t really a true crime novel as such. The cases are presented mostly in how they impacted his career and to set the biography in the Los Angeles of the mid-20th century.

This book isn’t about serial killers or celebrities so much as it’s about political and racial tensions in Los Angeles in the 1960s through 1980s. This isn’t a time I knew much about; I’d never heard of this guy until holding the book in my hands. Two in-depth chapters deal with the post-war anti-Japanese racism of the 1950s and 1960s and how it was an uphill battle for Noguchi to be hired in the first place. He made enemies along the way, and had to build a coalition of anti-racist political organizations to keep from being ousted.

It’s not just about anti-Asian racism though; two of the cases profiled in this book deliberately deal with black men murdered by L.A. Cops, touching on the Watts riots and Deadwyler’s murder, and then again the murder of Ron Setton (declared a jailhouse suicide) decades later. Noguchi’s a complicated guy, and it was a complicated time. Initially resistant to cite racism when he was forced to resign based on racially-motivated political reasons, he’s also quick to side with the LAPD, even if it meant ignoring inconvenient evidence. I think they’re part and parcel of the same tenet: a deeply held belief in meritocracy and the rule of law, even in the face of contradicting evidence.

Like many famous people, it’s Noguchi’s narcissism and hubris that eventually brings him down. His passion for the spotlight and his inability to form alliances eventually leads to his removal from the office. I recommend this book for people who are interested in learning more about the relationship between politics and law enforcement in California in the 20th century.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for my review.

[Mediaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bizarre and incomplete review of the famous LA. coroner's major cases, leaving all sorts of gaps and holes while creating confusion. It's filled with the author's speculation while attempting to use creative writing to communicate what should have been facts. She fills the pages with her claims of what the doctor supposedly thought or what motivated him to act a certain way with no evidence for any of her misuse of adjectives.

The purpose of the book actually seems to be using an outline of Noguchi's career to express the Asian author's frustration regarding the mistreatment of Asians in America. She screams "racism" throughout and tries to make the claim that some of the coroner's downfall was due to modern racists out to get him. The irony is that Choi is racist herself in the text, imbibing the story of the Japanese doctor with things like, "Noguchi decided to ring in 1970--the year of the dog, according to the Chinese zodiac..." Huh? What does the Chinese zodiac have to do with a Japanese immigrant's work in America?

After reading this it's obvious the guy was inept, a fame whore, poorly organized, and the wrong man for the job. All traits that may apply to the author of this book. Instead of it clarifying the major cases (Marilyn Monroe, the Manson Family murders, Natalie Wood) it clouds things through incompetency and incomplete summaries. The end result is that it's incredibly unsatisfying and, to be honest, is dead on arrival.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because my teenage son picked it up and said I should. It felt like you were in the 1970s with him and getting all the inside information. Seeing the way he pushed for what was right and fair over what social society wanted was refreshing. I also found it interesting to see what everybody had thought had happened in different cases.

[Coraline Riley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gods, was this a boring read. I wanted to enjoy it, but it seemed to be just about Noguchi's troubles in the media/with his career, versus the nitty gritty of it all that we *want* to read about.
(I know that sounds harsh, but it was just a dry book)

[MKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

A brief look at the life of Thomas Noguchi as well as his long career, and some of his biggest cases. These cases are each given a separate chapter that discusses the case and how they impacted his career. These are the most interesting parts of the book but it's usually the very basics and many times some felt rushed or incomplete. The main focus of this book seems to be the political and social issues that plaqued both LA and Noguchi's life and career. I know these are important topics to the story but these chapters were the longest, dry, and dragged. I finally just skimmed them so I could get back to the chapters focusing on his cases. I haven't read Noguchi's own book so I'm not sure how much of this book was taken from that book and rewritten.

[Lily Orefice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - random library book choice but interesting

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 stars
Dr. Thomas Noguchi’s story is incredible complicated and I commend the author for handling it so delicately. Choi artfully weaves the story Noguchi’s career with his cases while shining a light on his battle with racism and his own personal failings. Choi’s “autopsy” on Noguchi’s complicated career leaves the reader with a comprehensive look in which no stone is left unturned.

While I wish there were more details to satisfy my morbid curiosity, in the end the author chose to be respectful and focus on Noguchi's work rather than the gruesome details.
My full review: https://www.outofthepastblog.com/2025...

[Collin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting, eye-opening biography, and I have no problem believing the broad strokes of Noguchi's life and times as depicted here. It's also a frustrating read because of some issues I have with the sources, namely the fact that sometimes there just aren't sources where I expect to find them. Sort of connected is the problem of frequent editorializing, and the insertion of emotional or mental details that Choi simply couldn't have when her interview(s) with Noguchi or Coroner, Noguchi's own memoir, isn't being cited.

I can't help but feel like there's some fluff, too, in the later section regarding Noguchi's eventual firing. The first half of the book goes into some detail about how Noguchi did his job, and how good he was at it. When the second wave of accusations against him rolls in, however, he becomes largely absent from the close POV Choi took earlier, and details about how he approached his work are much spottier. It's not that I disbelieve her; it just clouds the water of what actually happened in the early 80s and whether or not his second firing was justified. She glides over his alleged multiple side projects that he started at the cost of his county position, as well as the claims of poor management and neglect in his office. (As well as the 500-2000 formaldehyde-preserved fetuses found, it's not clear from the book how many there were exactly, or indeed what the Coroner's Office had to do with them, just that they were involved in his second fight for his job.)

How am I supposed to assess the history when the historian isn't giving me the details to work with? I had the details of the first, entirely bogus suit against Noguchi; I don't understand why I don't have them for the second, unless there was more credibility to those and Choi just didn't want to give them as much airtime.

I can understand not wanting to grill your almost-100-year-old interviewee, who did so much important work and worked so hard for what no one wanted to admit he had earned, on his alleged failings at the end of his coroner career. Like I said, I think you can discern what in this book is valuable and accurate and what you can't really verify with the sources listed, and there is plenty of history here to take seriously. But after the first half of the book, I was a little disappointed in how soft the second half became. Lionizing your subject while obscuring his human faults doesn't do him any justice.

[Marleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Noguchi was famous for being the coroner in some very high profile cases in LA. His first big case was the death of. Marilyn Monroe. Although he was described as a brilliant coroner, he was a bad manager. He also sought the limelight and unfortunately would theorize about a case beyond the information that he had. This led to two attempts to fire him from his job, the second was successful. Despite his strengths in science, his attention seeking behavior was off putting. Perhaps because he was a foreigner, he did not understand how his behavior was perceived by the public. For the political junkies, the author has spent a good amount of time elaborating on LA local politics.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the book blurb did a disservice by billing this as true crime. Not that it wasn't, but the focus was on Noguchi himself (hence the term biography) and his struggles as a postwar Japanese immigrant to attain and keep a position of power. His tendency toward self-aggrandizing didn't do him any favors since he didn't fit the "model minority" role thrust upon Asian Americans by a racist system. I found his part in disrupting the system far more interesting than the celebrity autopsies (and really, there's no shortage of books on those).

[Saturday's Child · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about Thomas Noguchi and his career within the Los Angeles County and not one about the famous cases he worked on. To read about those you should read Noguchi’s own books (Coroner, Coroner at Large and Unnatural Causes). While some of the cases are mentioned in this work, it is only in context to the more notable times in his career. He certainly was an interesting person who would hardly be notable except for the fact that he was the coroner at the time of some very infamous incidents.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good writing, good storytelling, though I would've liked more historical analysis and context, but I don't know how much that would've been squished down in a trade book. I would've liked to get into Noguchi's brain more - what motivated him? what did he do in his spare time? what were his friendships with celebrities like? what was his wife like? his family? in some ways I think it reflects the sources (mostly newspapers I think, not personal archives) but it was very well done overall.

[melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although when you pick up the book you think you will be reading about the details of Hollywood deaths, you turn out to read much more than that! Anne soon Choi, marvelously interweaves autopsy cases along with the social climate of the times. Learning about the structural racism that was obviously present in the 1960s and how to affected the chief medical examiner and many cases, was a great read. Highly recommend!

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I thought this would be more interesting than it is. The author doesn’t even get some well-known facts straight. The murders of Sharon Tate and her friends have been well documented. I was shocked to read on page 120, “(the police) discovered multiple bodies : two on the lawn riddled with gunshot wounds,” in reference to Wojciech Frykowski and Abigail Folger’s bodies. Abigail Folger was stabbed 28 times, not shot. I could not continue reading.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography told through highlighted stories with well researched details. I learned so much and enjoyed the flow of the narrative. Very interesting read!

[Rocky Festa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really did not like this book. And the ebook having multiple bold and blue hot links every few paragraphs was super annoying.

[Jen Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography has a lot of information, but I had a hard time keeping all the different county boards and officials straight.

[Sandra Warriner]

Having lived through the media some of these cases, it was a thoughtful trip down memory lane. I thought his ego issues thwarted his performance as a managing coroner.

[Luann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lame. Leads would-be-readers to believe that this book would reveal more of Hollywood's elite and famous deaths and what happens in LA County Medical Examiner's office. It does not.

[Bookwoman67 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't decide if it's a biography or true crime book and therefore fails as both. Has the tone of a wikipedia article rather than anything in-depth, which is an accomplishment for a 255 page book.

[Shon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those who enjoy the fine forensic details of death without the morbid details being sensationalized will find this a fascinating read.

[Deanne Rupert · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4.

[Jon Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

In want of an editor. Cliche-laden: “Hail of bullets; unmitigated disaster.” It’s also repetitive and repeats itself.

[Beth Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected. I was excited to read about the celebrity deaths he investigated but even those were presented in a boring way, with no new details.

[GothicGiggleCiCi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as interesting as I’d hoped but still okay.

[Christopher Calcara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Well-researched and written but not what I expected. It wasn't the celebrity forensic tell-all I expected, even though it began with the sensational Marilyn Monroe chapter, which was sorely lacking in details. The Manson Family chapter was the most thorough. The book was as much a biography about an accomplished and controversial Los Angeles pathologist as it was a treatise on Japanese-American discrimination, particularly in employment. But still a good read.