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The Murder of Marion Miley
A historical thriller based on the real-life 1941 robbery of a Kentucky golf club that ended in the murder of a young champion golfer and her mother.
Today, the name Marion Miley is largely unrecognizable, but in the fall of 1941, she was an internationally renowned golf champion, winning every leading women's tournament except the elusive national title. This unassuming twenty-seven-year-old woman was beloved by all she met, including celebrities like jazz crooner Bing Crosby. With ambitions to become a doctor, it seemed Marion Miley was headed for greatness.
But on September 28, 1941, six gunshots broke through the early morning stillness of the Lexington Country Club. Marion had been brutally murdered. News of her death spread quickly, headlining major papers such as the New York Times. Support flooded in, spurring police in the hunt for her killers. However, the bombing of Pearl Harbor less than two months later would redirect public attention and sweep Marion's story to a forgotten corner of time?until now.
The Murder of Marion Miley recounts the ensuing manhunt and trial, exploring the impact of class, family, and opportunity in a world where steely determination is juxtaposed with callous murderous intent. As the narrative voice oscillates between Marion's father, her best friend, and one of her killers, an ever-present specter of what could have been?not just for Marion, but for all those affected by her tragic death?is conjured. Drawing on intensive research typical of the true crime genre, Beverly Bell produces a passionate homage to one of the greatest golfers of the early twentieth century.
Praise for The Murder of Marion Miley
"Don't let Beverly Bell fool she must have been reporting live in 1941 from the scene of Lexington's most notorious crime. Bell writes with a golden erudition and preternatural imagination that keep the wide-eyed reader up all night--think Truman Capote." --Patty Friedmann, author of Where Do They All Come From?
"In The Murder of Marion Miley, author Beverly Bell takes literary crime-writing to new heights. Unearthing the remains of an actual 80-year-old crime--the murder of a world-class golfer in her prime--Bell creates a lyrical, page-turning novel about chance, class, and the strains of family bonds. Set in Kentucky's Bluegrass region in the weeks before and after Pearl Harbor, Bell's book recounts the crime while plunging us into the minds of an assortment of American characters of the 1940s. From its riveting opening scene, The Murder of Marion Miley is story-telling excellence." --Neil Chethik, author of How Sons of All Ages Come to Terms With the Deaths of Their Dads
Today, the name Marion Miley is largely unrecognizable, but in the fall of 1941, she was an internationally renowned golf champion, winning every leading women's tournament except the elusive national title. This unassuming twenty-seven-year-old woman was beloved by all she met, including celebrities like jazz crooner Bing Crosby. With ambitions to become a doctor, it seemed Marion Miley was headed for greatness.
But on September 28, 1941, six gunshots broke through the early morning stillness of the Lexington Country Club. Marion had been brutally murdered. News of her death spread quickly, headlining major papers such as the New York Times. Support flooded in, spurring police in the hunt for her killers. However, the bombing of Pearl Harbor less than two months later would redirect public attention and sweep Marion's story to a forgotten corner of time?until now.
The Murder of Marion Miley recounts the ensuing manhunt and trial, exploring the impact of class, family, and opportunity in a world where steely determination is juxtaposed with callous murderous intent. As the narrative voice oscillates between Marion's father, her best friend, and one of her killers, an ever-present specter of what could have been?not just for Marion, but for all those affected by her tragic death?is conjured. Drawing on intensive research typical of the true crime genre, Beverly Bell produces a passionate homage to one of the greatest golfers of the early twentieth century.
Praise for The Murder of Marion Miley
"Don't let Beverly Bell fool she must have been reporting live in 1941 from the scene of Lexington's most notorious crime. Bell writes with a golden erudition and preternatural imagination that keep the wide-eyed reader up all night--think Truman Capote." --Patty Friedmann, author of Where Do They All Come From?
"In The Murder of Marion Miley, author Beverly Bell takes literary crime-writing to new heights. Unearthing the remains of an actual 80-year-old crime--the murder of a world-class golfer in her prime--Bell creates a lyrical, page-turning novel about chance, class, and the strains of family bonds. Set in Kentucky's Bluegrass region in the weeks before and after Pearl Harbor, Bell's book recounts the crime while plunging us into the minds of an assortment of American characters of the 1940s. From its riveting opening scene, The Murder of Marion Miley is story-telling excellence." --Neil Chethik, author of How Sons of All Ages Come to Terms With the Deaths of Their Dads
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 22, 2020
About the author
Beverly Bell
1 book13 followersUPDATE: Beverly Bell's novel, "The Murder of Marion Miley," was a finalist for the 2020 USGA Herbert Warren Wind Book Award, the highest literary honor given by the United States Golf Association.
Bell’s interest in Marion Miley began with an article she wrote about the golfer for Women’s Sports and Fitness. In other magazine work, she won an award from the Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for her piece on an U.S. Air Force fighter jet that crashed into a hotel, killing 10 civilians.
This was followed with another award about a five-year girl who was the victim of a domestic bombing incident in a K-Mart. Bell’s unpublished book was named a semi-finalist in the William Faulkner–William Wisdom competition (novel-in-progress category).
Because of her expertise and knowledge, Bell was a featured consultant in Kentucky Education Television’s documentary, Forgotten Fame: The Marion Miley Story, which won an Ohio Valley Chapter Regional Emmy.
Her profiles include a Pulitzer Prize winning author, an Indianapolis 500 champion, a national sports broadcaster as well as politicians, CEOs and entrepreneurs. Bell lives in Kentucky with her husband. They have two children.
Bell’s interest in Marion Miley began with an article she wrote about the golfer for Women’s Sports and Fitness. In other magazine work, she won an award from the Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for her piece on an U.S. Air Force fighter jet that crashed into a hotel, killing 10 civilians.
This was followed with another award about a five-year girl who was the victim of a domestic bombing incident in a K-Mart. Bell’s unpublished book was named a semi-finalist in the William Faulkner–William Wisdom competition (novel-in-progress category).
Because of her expertise and knowledge, Bell was a featured consultant in Kentucky Education Television’s documentary, Forgotten Fame: The Marion Miley Story, which won an Ohio Valley Chapter Regional Emmy.
Her profiles include a Pulitzer Prize winning author, an Indianapolis 500 champion, a national sports broadcaster as well as politicians, CEOs and entrepreneurs. Bell lives in Kentucky with her husband. They have two children.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 28, 2020
Listened to this via Audible. Enjoyed it for the most part. A little hard to rate since it's based on a true story of Marion Miley's murder.
But basing my rating just off the the performance of the story it self, I found it lacking. It was fairly dry and anticlimactic. There were a lot of names right off the bat to figure out who was who, and continued through the first half of the book.
The narrators themselves I felt did well but I didn't understand why there was one Scottish accented narrator for one character that showed up every now and then. The narrator wasn't even restricted to that one character, he narrated when the character had dialogue with Marion's dad, Fred, and would continue the conversation, which threw me at times.
But basing my rating just off the the performance of the story it self, I found it lacking. It was fairly dry and anticlimactic. There were a lot of names right off the bat to figure out who was who, and continued through the first half of the book.
The narrators themselves I felt did well but I didn't understand why there was one Scottish accented narrator for one character that showed up every now and then. The narrator wasn't even restricted to that one character, he narrated when the character had dialogue with Marion's dad, Fred, and would continue the conversation, which threw me at times.
July 4, 2020
An excellent read based on true events that occurred in my quiet, small city years ago that I was completely unaware of. Couldn’t put it down and would highly recommend especially if you are an avid golf/sports fan, love a good mystery or just enjoy reading about true life stories. Well done!
May 24, 2020
I wasn’t familiar with either murder victim Marion Miley or author Beverly Bell, but after finishing Bell’s novel, “The Murder of Marion Miley”, I’m very impressed with both women. Bell’s book is a dramatization of real murders, and Miley was a championship golfer who was murdered with her mother in a robbery gone wrong in Lexington, Kentucky in 1941. The book is a bit like Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood”, in that the author examines the crime in terms of the victims, the perpetrators, and friends and family members. But while Capote was writing straight non-fiction, Bell’s writing a form of “faction”; combining the facts of the case with fictional speculation.
Marion Miley was born in 1914, the daughter of a golf pro and his wife. As an only child, she was the apple of her parents’ eyes and began showing athletic ability at a young age. Her father channeled that ability into playing golf and Marion joined a loose circuit of country club players in the 1930’s, who mixed with budding pro players to form a sort of traveling league. Miley lived with her mother at the Lexington Club in Lexington, Kentucky, where her mother ran the country club.
In late September, 1941, the two - mother and daughter- were found badly wounded and fatally wounded in their country club apartment. Marion died on the spot and her mother survived four days longer til she died from 3 bullet wounds in her abdomen. Marion’s father was at his job at another golf club in Cincinnati. The hunt for the murderers began immediately and the three men were picked up a few weeks after the murderers.
Beverly Bell does a thorough job of introducing the reader to all the main characters, who are mostly real people. It’s sort of difficult to know what’s real and what isn’t. For instance, it’s strongly intimated that Marion was gay. This intimation comes from her best friend, but is it true?
Bell’s book is very well written. (I think this is her first book). I enjoyed the book but am slightly troubled by combining of fiction and non-fiction; true crime and something not quite so clear cut. She writes in very flat prose, which I enjoy and is complementary to the style. But if you don’t like flat prose, you might want to look elsewhere for reading material.
Marion Miley was born in 1914, the daughter of a golf pro and his wife. As an only child, she was the apple of her parents’ eyes and began showing athletic ability at a young age. Her father channeled that ability into playing golf and Marion joined a loose circuit of country club players in the 1930’s, who mixed with budding pro players to form a sort of traveling league. Miley lived with her mother at the Lexington Club in Lexington, Kentucky, where her mother ran the country club.
In late September, 1941, the two - mother and daughter- were found badly wounded and fatally wounded in their country club apartment. Marion died on the spot and her mother survived four days longer til she died from 3 bullet wounds in her abdomen. Marion’s father was at his job at another golf club in Cincinnati. The hunt for the murderers began immediately and the three men were picked up a few weeks after the murderers.
Beverly Bell does a thorough job of introducing the reader to all the main characters, who are mostly real people. It’s sort of difficult to know what’s real and what isn’t. For instance, it’s strongly intimated that Marion was gay. This intimation comes from her best friend, but is it true?
Bell’s book is very well written. (I think this is her first book). I enjoyed the book but am slightly troubled by combining of fiction and non-fiction; true crime and something not quite so clear cut. She writes in very flat prose, which I enjoy and is complementary to the style. But if you don’t like flat prose, you might want to look elsewhere for reading material.
May 24, 2021
This is the story of Marion Miley, a champion female golfer who was brutally murdered, along with her mother, in 1941. The murders, although horrific, were solved fairly quickly. There were no big twists and turns in the investigation. All pretty straight forward, despite one of the master-minds trying to manipulate and intimidate witnesses to try to change the outcome. I believe the author wrote this book because despite Miley’s fame and the brutality of the crime, it is not as well known as one would think. Probably because the bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred a few months after the killings, knocking the story off the front pages. A sad story of a life ended far too soon.
Read
June 4, 2020read in 2 days. It was that good. so many Lexington KY places and history from my Grandmother's time and my Great-grandfather's time.
August 19, 2022
it was okay. On the positive; interesting topic, highly readable.
Overall grade 2.5-3. Grade B detective fiction.
Negatives: None of the characters really engaged me. Found the section on the father annoying; same with the sections on Fritz. If you were really into golf history, you might enjoy this. I basically skimmed the last 1/8th of the book, wanting to find out the fates of the criminals. It dragged at times.
Positive: Enjoyed the newspaper clipping articles and also learning about this forgotten piece of sports history
Some of it seemed to be 40s history rewritten with a 21st century twist.
Here's a link that might be of interest to some. https://defrostingcoldcases.com/remem...
Overall grade 2.5-3. Grade B detective fiction.
Negatives: None of the characters really engaged me. Found the section on the father annoying; same with the sections on Fritz. If you were really into golf history, you might enjoy this. I basically skimmed the last 1/8th of the book, wanting to find out the fates of the criminals. It dragged at times.
Positive: Enjoyed the newspaper clipping articles and also learning about this forgotten piece of sports history
Some of it seemed to be 40s history rewritten with a 21st century twist.
Here's a link that might be of interest to some. https://defrostingcoldcases.com/remem...
November 22, 2020
I am a huge fan of mysteries. This book was very different from my normal reads because in the first few pages of the book I know who did it, how they did it, and why.
I also just finished watching the last season of "The Crown" and I suspect this book is aligned with shows like that. There is a lot of truth from real crime and a blend of fiction to fill in the blanks. Like The Crown, I couldn't put the book down. I plowed through it and with every page I grew closer to Marion and her friends/family.
By the end of the book I felt the true loss of one of golf's greats - a life that ended too early shadowed by a war and was nearly forgotten.
I also just finished watching the last season of "The Crown" and I suspect this book is aligned with shows like that. There is a lot of truth from real crime and a blend of fiction to fill in the blanks. Like The Crown, I couldn't put the book down. I plowed through it and with every page I grew closer to Marion and her friends/family.
By the end of the book I felt the true loss of one of golf's greats - a life that ended too early shadowed by a war and was nearly forgotten.
February 24, 2022
Not a fan, it was historical but not fiction. The author made it sound as though some grand revelation was coming, but alas, it never materialized. The father’s arc was heartbreaking and almost certainly a foreshadowing of his demise only to find out he’s getting married to a woman he doesn’t love or even like very much, but she’s available and respectable. I think the author gives up too much at the beginning so that the rest of the book is predictable and Somme boring. Not what you would expect from a true crime mystery. If you’re looking for that, read Capote’s In Cold Blood.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2022
This book woke me up at night! The author wrote with such detail and created such life into several characters, that they stayed on my mind even when the circumstance or event did not have to do with the murders. Because individuals became so evolved, halfway through this book, I was still troubled by the possibilities of who actually was involved in the slaying of Marion and her mother. I could have only enjoyed this book more if I was a golfer.
October 25, 2026
I listened to this story. There were parts I found confusing as the timeline switched between years before Marian"s death and time following her death. I decided I have to now go back and read the printed book in order to straighten out the timelines. I wonder if Fred Mikey married Alice and were they happy. I wonder why the book ended so a rusty. I wondered if Fred felt any responsibility for what happened to his wife and daughter, given his estrangement from his wife.
August 21, 2023
Heard this story time and time again as a Lexatonian and niece to a long time employee at the Lexington country club. Some truly believe Ms. Miley has never left the property. The story telling is superb and the research is remarkable. The book is just a little choppy, but this is to be expected as the book is the retelling of very true events.
November 19, 2023
Was good but not riveting. I would love a follow up book on Marion’s friend Fritz.
As far as murder/trial books- hard to compare with Capote or “The People Who Eat Darkness” - I think I was less interested in Fred’s indiscretions and Penny’s newfound salvation. Found myself just feeling sorry for Alice and Fritz. And Penney’s mom.
As far as murder/trial books- hard to compare with Capote or “The People Who Eat Darkness” - I think I was less interested in Fred’s indiscretions and Penny’s newfound salvation. Found myself just feeling sorry for Alice and Fritz. And Penney’s mom.
January 26, 2025
I really wanted to like this book. It seemed like a super interesting topic/story. But the delivery of it made this hard to read. It was bits of autobiography dropped into a novel….which was not fun to read in my opinion. I’m sure this is meant for someone, just not for me.
Would probably recommend to anyone interested in golf/history of golfers/amateur true crime.
Would probably recommend to anyone interested in golf/history of golfers/amateur true crime.
June 30, 2021
Really it’s more like 3.5 stars for me. I found this book very interesting. The author must have done exhaustive research! It was written almost like a fictional work rather than a day-by-day account of what happened with the murder and subsequent trial which made it easy to get sucked into every time I started reading it. I listened to this on audio and it had an ensemble cast which I thought was overwhelming and confusing to the listener. I think a smaller ensemble would have worked better, maybe 2-3 instead of 5.
January 12, 2022
Engaging, detailed, well written and emotional book about a true crime in my home town. I have always heard about it but wasn’t sure on the details. I am glad to know about it but it is truly a heartbreaking tale.
June 10, 2021
Great book about golf AND murder!
July 3, 2021
It is always fun to read a book about where you live.
October 19, 2021
True crime is not my thing. True appreciation was for the women playing golf element here and the historical aspect. But funny that so much is still the same.
November 21, 2021
Meh. I like true crime. Crazy about history - love when it comes to life. But I feel as if there was no digging deep here. Fritz had some guts, but the rest of them I didn’t really get to know. Writing was ok, details, too, editing - sheesh - you gotta catch those typos.
February 15, 2023
An outstanding read. Living outside of Lexington, KY the history of this setting was very real. What a tragic loss of life.
March 17, 2023
I do not feel that this was well-written. However, I enjoyed learning about something new to me. I was not at all familiar with this story.
July 26, 2024
Excellent!
September 14, 2024
I've never read a true crime book and it wasn't a mystery but more like a recounting of events with some fictional elements to help flesh out the plot. 3½ stars.
August 21, 2025
Fascinating true story of the murder of an up-and-coming woman golfer and her mother in Lexington. All the familiar names and places mentioned were interesting to see.
July 6, 2026
True story. I found this story to be very interesting. I had never heard of Marion Miley before this story. 4 stars
November 10, 2020
This dry book doesn't know if it's true crime or fiction. I don't have the patience for identity issues.
January 17, 2022
3.5 Not really a nail biter, but I did finish it. (I'm no stranger to DNFs)
November 7, 2023
Local history and true crime. Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews