The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe: A True Crime Thriller

by James Patterson, Imogen Edwards-Jones

Her rise, her triumph, her tragic loss— only James Patterson can tell the full story of America's tragedy.

In the early hours of Sunday, August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe’s live-in housekeeper wakes with a sinking feeling. She knocks loudly at her employer’s locked bedroom door, and when there is no answer, she calls Monroe’s psychiatrist, Ralph Greenson.

           Greenson breaks into Monroe’s bedroom and finds a horrifying the thirty-six-year-old movie star lying naked, lifeless, face down on her bed, still clutching the telephone receiver.

           At 4:20 a.m., Greenson alerts the LAPD. 

It is established protocol for the chief medical examiner to conduct celebrity autopsies, but inexplicably, junior medical examiner Dr. Thomas Noguchi performs the procedure on the five-four, 118-pound actress. When you are a coroner, Noguchi believes, you start from the assumption that every body you examine might be a murder victim. 
​
In those final summer days, did Marilyn Monroe have more enemies than friends?

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, True Crime, History, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, American History

496 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2025

About the author

Official US Site
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JIMMY Patterson Books
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James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published December 1, 2025.

A strong 4.4 stars.

I wasn’t at all sure about this one. Marilyn taken on by….James Patterson (well, really, Imogen Edward-Jones writing on behalf of Mr. Patterson (it’s said he does an outline for the books written under his name. I guess for this one it was I. Birth, II. Life, III. Death. I could outline books. And isn’t “Imogene Edward-Jones” the most English sounding name you’ve ever heard? I don’t know that she’s British. Just spitballing here.))

The story doesn’t just cover Marilyn’s “last days,” but her whole life, with most of the emphasis in her time in Hollywood, of course. I read BLONDE by Joyce Carol Oates, but I don’t recall reading any other books about Monroe, so I learned a lot here. She made far more movies than I thought and she set up her own production company. However she comes across as terribly naive, almost childlike at times. I don’t know enough to know whether that is true to life or it just the way she is generally portrayed, so they went with it here.

Because obviously this is a total fictionalization of Monroe’s life (it came from the Kingdom of Patterson, after all, and that moneyed behemoth does not care to be sued, thank you.). Conversations and some events are likely wholly created, but I gather it follows the timeline and what is known.

I found this a well-written, entertaining book and would recommend to someone who doesn’t know much about Marilyn Monroe.

[Keely · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had noticed who was one of the authors before reading and buying the book, I probably wouldn't have touched it but alas, I didn't notice. Also, the title is a lie. This is more of a mini biography. It barely spends any time exploring the conflicting information of Marilyn's death. It's like two or three small chapters. The rest of the book is an overview of her life, some pieces are looked into some detail, others are skipped. Like the Kennedys got a much smaller part than what would be expected, especially when we're talking about her death which is meant to be our main focus and her last phone call. I guess it was okay, I'm sure there is better, this is just isn't what the title says it'll be and that is irritating to me. And it's no thriller.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read and listened to many many books on Marilyn Monroe. I found this had quite a bit I hadn't known before. an interesting take on what really happened to her

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

I see a book about Marilyn Monroe and I read it.

I love Marilyn Monroe. I love her as a person and I love her movies. I regularly listen to her greatest hits album. I find her both tragic and triumphant. I've seen or read most media about her...I even recently watched a "documentary" that said she was killed because the Kennedys told her aliens were real.

Marilyn is my girl!

I'm unsure how I feel about this book. I mean to title is a lie. It's not about her last days and it's not a True Crime Thriller. This is simply a fictionalized biography of her whole life. As I read this book I knew where the vast majority of this book was sourced from, Goddess by Anthony Summers. That biography is a good read...its also mostly based on rumors. I own that book and I'll probably reread for like 5th time at some point in the future.

I've read better biographies about Marilyn Monroe and better fictionalized biographies. I would still recommend this book to people who don't read Nonfiction. A better biography to read is Marilyn in Manhattan and while it wasn't my favorite a better fictionalized biography is Blonde Dust.

Also we all know James Patterson didn't write this right?

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

While pumping out six or more fictional novels with various co-authors each year, James Patterson tends to sneak in one or two non-fiction books (with co-authors too of course). He’s written about John Lennon, Princess Dina and her two sons, Tiger Woods, and even his own memoirs. This year he is taking on Marilyn Monroe, which coincides with her on hundredth birthday in June, 2026.

For those who are avid Marilyn fans, they might few some new tidbits of information that add to her magnetic persona and legacy. For others, the promotion of this book as being “A True Crime Thriller” will more than likely be left disappointed and a bit misled. Let me elaborate by focusing on what this book is and what it is not.

What this book is:

This is her biography starting with Marilyn’s troubled life as a teenager, her early arranged marriage to Jim Dougherty, her introductions to modeling and acting, struggling to build her career, her breakthrough and skyrocketing career, marriages to baseball star, Joe DiMaggio, and award winning playwright, Arthur Miller, her struggles with alcohol and drugs, and how those struggles led to damaging her in Hollywood.

course, it wouldn’t be a real Marilyn biography without exploring her destructive relationships with the Kennedy brothers - Jack (U.S. President) and Bobby (U.S. Attorney General) – as well as her personal relationships with Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford. That’s where the juice is found in this one.

But let’s be honest, this is a biography that focuses more on her day-to-day activities, rise and fall of her career, and personal struggles. This part is an interesting read that provides a personal view behind the public curtain of her troubled life. I appreciated learning about her movies, the writing of the scripts, production filming, and being behind the scenes for some of her most iconic move, modeling, and interview moments.

However, what this book is not:

Let’s be completely honest. While this was an account of Marilyn’s life, career, and personal relationships, it is NOT a true crime thriller. NOT even close.

With that title I was expecting the authors to share more information and speculation about Marilyn’s death, and there just wasn’t. Truthe be told, this was neither a true crime story nor a thriller. The only part of the book dealing with

The book teases you with the exploration of her death, but that is only a tease. The first four short chapters take place the morning her body’s discovered. Then we immediately move into her biography. At the end of the book, we get one last chapter and an epilogue following her death, but it lacks any real theories, evidence, or even closure to the cause of her death one way or another. What we get is a lot of buildup with no answers in the end, much like when Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone’s vault on national television to find only dirt and empty bottles. The result is a disappointment.

I wouldn’t have such a problem with the ending if the book cover and description hadn’t been so falsely misleading. To be honest, I expected better from James Patterson. It did not spend any time exploring and discussing the conflicting information surrounding her death. Nothing that shed new light or presented new constructive or circumstantial evidence. For example, did she overdose? Did the Kennedy’s have something to do with her death to protect themselves? I didn’t expect any aggressive theories about it, but Patterson played it very safe. Yes, he insinuated some things about the Kennedy’s, but he stayed safe from a lawsuit perspective. Otherwise, there was nothing new or different to present or explore.

So why even promote this book in such a titillating manner and fail to deliver on the promotion its based on? I am left feeling it is only to tantalize us into buying it. That’s a shame. They would have better to be honest in promoting this book as a biography and using a different title.

In addition, the ending was not only empty, it felt rushed and provided a real lack of closure to the end of her life.

My overall thought is this. If you’re looking for a biography or a memoir of Marilyn Monroe’s rise to fame, her personal relationships, and struggles with addiction, this may provide an interesting read for you. I just cannot estimate how much new information you will gain if you are already a hardcore fan of hers and already are familiar with her life. If you’re looking for “A True Crime Thriller” view of her last days, this I can tell you with confidence. You will be sorely disappointed with this example of false advertising.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considering the title, this story depends on your definition of "A True Crime Thriller."

[Renay Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent biography of Marilyn Monroe, but the title is a complete lie. It is not in fact about the last days of Marilyn Monroe, nor is it a true crime thriller - it’s just a basic biography. Disappointing

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In Hollywood, we have to work overtime to outwit the wolves. That’s because the wolves of all varieties come from far and near to snare the little red riding hoods of the movies."

When I was younger (a lot younger) I saw a movie that made me see something other than horror. I was dazzled by it and the main star. ‘Gentleman Prefer Blondes’ was a lot of fun and witty. I thought that no one could compare to Jane and Marilyn. After that day, I became a huge fan.

I can’t tell you the number of books that I have read about Marilyn, all I know is that it’s a lot. Even though I’m not a fan of J. Patterson, I had to read this book due to the subject. While it wasn’t my favorite and didn’t add anything new to her untimely death, I still had to add it to my collection.

To call this book a thriller is like me saying that I’m not a reader. It’s just not true. Also, it was mostly about her life leading to her stardom and very little about her last days on earth. So yet again, it was very misleading.

The writing style was kind of boring and the wording seemed a tad bit immature. It seems as if it took me a long time to get through and I think it was for the reasons stated above.

If you’re looking for some earth shattering details, then look elsewhere. While I’m glad that I read this, there are better books out there about her. I would try one of those first.

[Katelyn McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure this should be called a “true crime thriller” by any means, as the majority of this book is historical information... However, the information is fascinating and includes so much about MM, her company, roles, and relationships.

3.5/rounded to 4 stars due to the in-depth info about DeMaggio, Sinatra & Jack and Bobby Kennedy.

[Kelli Daugherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a true crime thriller, as it is marketed. It reads more like a biography, although it is most definitely a fictionalized version. It does not just focus on the last days of Marilyn Monroe, but on her entire life and career. The only true crime vibes I got from it were at the very end when the author hints that he believes the Kennedy family had Marilyn murdered versus it being a suicide. I don’t know that that would’ve been a shock to anyone as that is a commonly held conspiracy theory.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well-researched and fully detailed book covers her childhood, marriages, drug addictions, career and ultimately her death.
The author gives us a compelling account of the star's final days.
Once again, we are made to wonder did Marilyn kill herself or was she killed.
A fascinating read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars rounded up. Everyone knows Marilyn Monte and most know her story. Poor Norma Jeane Baker, the girl who had nothing who became the woman that had everything. But back in August 1962, her light burnt out and the most famous woman in the world was no more. This book looks back on her life and lets the reader consider her death. Was it an accident? Was it suicide? Or was it murder?

While I did feel that the title of this book was a little misleading, as only a small part of the book concentrates on the final part of Monroe’s life, I nevertheless still found it interesting. With short chapters perfectly capturing important scenes, the book tells the remarkable story of her early years and her stardom and of course her final few days.

It’s a well researched and unflinching story of a troubled life. I turned the pages with increasing dismay as I learnt more of Marilyn’s struggles and her relationships with doctors who would happily hand out uppers and downers with no hesitation. I knew where her story was headed and after reading this can’t help but think her death was inevitable. I don’t think Marilyn was ever going to find her happy ending.

[Natalie Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a few books on Marilyn Monroe having always found her life story heartbreaking, this one didn’t bring anything new but I felt like it was more respectful than others. Does not go into too much detail but I couldn’t put it down.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but, that being said I really thought it would focus more on her "Last Days". It read more like a biography of her life. Which was interesting, not what I expected though.

[Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve long been a fan of James Patterson, so I was interested to see what he’d do with the woman I have read more about than anyone else. Will he bring something new to this familiar story? Will he tell it with the sensitivity it needs and deserves?

The answer is yes to both questions - sort of. Firstly, this is not a book about the last day of Marilyn Monroe as the title suggests, rather a complete memoir of her life. Though I found the movie star’s childhood years are glossed over rather quickly, there is a fictional storytelling aspect to the narrative that makes this fun and enjoying to read, much like one of Patterson’s crime books with its trademark short chapters and clipped sentences.

Marilyn’s movie star years are given more depth, and there were a few stories included I’d not heard before. But like any story on Marilyn, you have to wonder how much is truth and how much myth. The authors go into the backstories on the movie sets, which is always intriguing, and much time is spent on Marilyn’s three marriages to James Dougherty, baseball legend Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller, as well as her relationships with the Kennedy brothers.

I liked how the authors turned a sensitive lens to the complicated personality of Marilyn Monroe, painting her as a fragile, naive and damaged woman on the one hand and an intelligent, warm and determined woman on the other.

As to her last days? It’s largely left open for the reader to speculate whether her death was suicide, murder or accident.

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Being titled ‘The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe’ I expected there to be more than 10 pages being about her last days. The blurb on the book states ‘drawn from rigorous research, this book seeks answers’ but is just a rehash of every other Marilyn biography. I thought this book would describe the controversy surrounding her death but her death was only mentioned in the last 10-20 pages.

[Alice Jackman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title’s a bit misleading - it’s not a thorough examination of MMs last days but a pretty standard biography. There’s nothing new here but I suppose it’s a reasonable starting point for anyone interested in Marilyn. I felt a bit disappointed.

[Amanda Rau · Rating 3 out of 5]

No really the “last days” of her life but more of her entire life. It started out really good with the night of her death but then it was kinda like listening to facts read off about her life. Still very interesting but expected it to be more about her last days

[Sara Temple · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent. There was a lot of information I did not know. I did the audio and it was done really well! Definitely check it out!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful, impeccably well researched and written account of the months leading up to the death of one of the most recognisable faces of the 20th century.

As a Marilyn fan, and reader of many biographies about her, this ranks up there with the best. It is also my first James Patterson book, but I’m certain won’t be the last. The author avoided the trap of sensationalising the parts of Marilyn’s life that some other biographers thrive on, and he documented the many intricate layers to her personality and what fuelled her decisions regarding her life both privately and publicly.

The only minor thing I would have loved to see would be some photos chosen by the author to accompany the highly detailed descriptions of times in her life, such as notable events like film premiers, photoshoots and her weddings. Otherwise, this was a near faultless book.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting book but details her whole life not just last days

[Tiffany Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When they found Marilyn Monroe,” the Los Angeles Times reports, “one of her hands grasped a telephone. Perhaps she had called for help. She’d been calling for help all her life.”

I’ve been fascinated with Marilyn Monroe for most of my life. I’ve read many books about her life. When I learned that James Patterson was going to write a book about Marilyn, I knew that I absolutely had to read it. It was very clear that this was a very well researched book and I learned a good bit that I had never heard before. Patterson and Edward-Jones go into great detail about Marilyn’s heartbreaking start to life and all of the trauma she experienced from those who were supposed to love her the most. Her mother had a history of mental illness and Marilyn spent a good bit of her childhood bouncing from foster families to orphanages. It seems like all she ever wanted was to be loved for who she was. I really only wish that this book would have focused more on the circumstances surrounding her death. There are so many unanswered questions and so many theories. The parts that focused on her death had some interesting insights that have been implied in the past, but I’d never seen stated in the way they were presented in this book. It makes my heart sad that she never truly seemed to find the happiness she was searching for.

Thank you to James Patterson, Imogen Edwards-Jones, and Little, Brown, & Company for providing me with a physical copy of this book. The content of my review was not impacted in any way by this.

[Elizabeth McFarland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't quite what it was advertised as. It's in no way a thriller, and there are only a couple of chapters pertaining to her death and the events surrounding it. It was basically just another biography, but despite all of that, I liked it. It wasn't groundbreaking; everything in it consisted of things I already knew, stuff I'd already read about in the past. However, it had been a long time since I'd read much about her. It felt nostalgic and brought me back to my adolescence when I couldn't get enough of Marilyn Monroe. I can't be the only one who went through a Marilyn stage, right? I had pictures, books, all her movies on VHS, and even the Barbie dolls on stands in my room. I would watch "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" over and over again. I knew every song by heart and all the dialogue word for word. This audiobook, which was very well narrated by Meg Price, brought all of that back for me and made me so emotional. Now please excuse me while I go watch my favorite movie!

Many thanks to Hachette Audio for this complimentary audiobook!

[WM D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe . James Patterson. Non fiction. This book is set in Hollywood and it’s about the last days of Marilyn Monroe. The book examines what happened after she was found dead. In my opinion it strongly suggests a cover up was made to cover up the fact that Bobby Kennedy had visited her prior to her death. I would recommend reading this book to anyone who wants to know more about what happened to her and who was involved with her death.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really hoping this had new information. it was not the last days of Marilyn's life. it was again her entire life story that has been told several times. I have no idea why this is listed as a thriller, there is no mystery or thriller aspects to this book.

[Jana Mikkelsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, and made me think of she really died by suicide.

[Deena Perkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not only was this book not really about the last days of MM (it covered her entire life), but there was nothing new and definitely nothing that would shed light on the various conspiracy theories regarding her death. If you don't know anything about her life and you want more of a summary that is easy to read, then this book is fine for that. But if you already knew most of her life, this book doesn't provide any new information.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Becka Regnier · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did find this book interesting but I’m giving it a 2/5 because the title and description are so off from the real thing. Hardly any of it covered her last days and it was in no way a thriller. Interesting biography but nothing new here 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Holly Buderus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't learn anything that hasn't been printed dozens of times already in the six decades since Ms Monroe's death. That was disappointing enough. Unfortunately, as the book cover reads, "The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe: A True-Crime Thriller," I was expecting something thrilling that also dealt with a crime. This was really a biopic, and the only crime was that her doctor kept prescribing pills she was clearly abusing.