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Reckless: Millionaire Record Producer Phil Spector and the Violent Death of Lana Clarkson
In the early morning hours of February 3, 2003, police were summoned to the spooky Alhambra, California, castle of legendary music producer Phil Spector. There they discovered Lana Clarkson, dying in a chair, shot through the mouth. Spector claimed Lana killed herself, but he soon charged with murder.
The pop-music genius, who revolutionized music from the Beatles to the Ramones, was making headlines again. But Spector, notorious for his eccentric behavior, volatile temper, and gun-crazy obsession, pleaded innocent. What really happened on that fateful pre-dawn morning in Spector's hilltop mansion? As the controversial prodigy's life of fame, money, and excess was coming undone, a true Hollywood mystery was about to unfold.
Murder or suicide? You be the judge.
Eight page photo archive.
The pop-music genius, who revolutionized music from the Beatles to the Ramones, was making headlines again. But Spector, notorious for his eccentric behavior, volatile temper, and gun-crazy obsession, pleaded innocent. What really happened on that fateful pre-dawn morning in Spector's hilltop mansion? As the controversial prodigy's life of fame, money, and excess was coming undone, a true Hollywood mystery was about to unfold.
Murder or suicide? You be the judge.
Eight page photo archive.
333 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 24, 2021
“I am who I am,take it or leave it, but please take it.”
This book is absolutely fascinating! It begins with his childhood and continues through his start in the music business. He’s a pathological liar so there’s that. I’ve made it to the “I wish I was an African American “ phase. His mother-in-law and new Ronnie of the Ronnettes (be my baby) have bought him three Afro wigs.
I swear this man is sociopathic with a borderline personality. Remember that devastating scene in what’s love got to do with it when Tina is approached to record a song for Spector and he actually pays Ike to stay away from the studio? So then he beats Tina to bits? I had no idea that song was a total flop! I honestly thought it climbed the charts. Instead Spector ruins the vocals by inviting about 4000 people to play the instruments and I think there may have been a choir at some point Tina sang her heart out and Ike in his drug induced haze just about killed her. So not worth it poor Tina.
This book is absolutely fascinating! It begins with his childhood and continues through his start in the music business. He’s a pathological liar so there’s that. I’ve made it to the “I wish I was an African American “ phase. His mother-in-law and new Ronnie of the Ronnettes (be my baby) have bought him three Afro wigs.
I swear this man is sociopathic with a borderline personality. Remember that devastating scene in what’s love got to do with it when Tina is approached to record a song for Spector and he actually pays Ike to stay away from the studio? So then he beats Tina to bits? I had no idea that song was a total flop! I honestly thought it climbed the charts. Instead Spector ruins the vocals by inviting about 4000 people to play the instruments and I think there may have been a choir at some point Tina sang her heart out and Ike in his drug induced haze just about killed her. So not worth it poor Tina.
May 16, 2019
This was published before Phil's trial, so, if you're hoping to know how it all turns out, this book won't tell you. In fact, there is not all that much about Lana's death, or her life. If you took out the few pages about her, you could easily publish this book as a biography of Phil's life.
Unless you're a big Phil Spector fan, you may not get much out of this. For true crime fans, it leaves a lot to be desired.
3 Stars = It was just 'okay'.
Unless you're a big Phil Spector fan, you may not get much out of this. For true crime fans, it leaves a lot to be desired.
3 Stars = It was just 'okay'.
January 17, 2019
Carlton Smith is a well-known True Crime author. This book is made to look like a True Crime book but it really is not. It does lead up to a crime- the shooting of Lana Clarkson in the home of legendary record producer Phil Spector. But the book is mostly a bio of Phil Spector. The guy is Bizarre with a capital B. He started out as a singer and songwriter. He had one hit- To Know Him Is To Love Him. He went on to work with and produce records with The Crystals (Da Do Ron Ron) and the Ronettes (Be My Baby) and married Ronnie from the group, George Harrison and John Lennon, the Righteous Brothers, the Ramones, among others. He spent money like crazy and even bought a castle. At the end of the book a woman is shot in the mouth in his home and at first he says he shot her but then changes his story to say that she committed suicide. The book is written in 2004 and the trial doesn't take place until 2007 so we are left to google how it ended.
It was interesting to read about his life and there is a lot of 60's and 70's music history here but if you want to know more about the murder trial you should look for a different book.
It was interesting to read about his life and there is a lot of 60's and 70's music history here but if you want to know more about the murder trial you should look for a different book.
April 8, 2017
She made him feel small--at the bar and literally--so he killed her...
July 11, 2018
Well, I think the book was really good but it did talk a lot about Phil Spector life as well as the murder. I wish that they would of talked a lot about the murder and not so much about his life. But I did find it very interesting though. The book did have a lot of information in it.
November 13, 2019
As many reviews have pointed out, this book was published before the trial so it ended up being mostly a biography of Phil Spector (and a shorter bio of victim Lana Clarkson). That being said, most of the information was news to me and I enjoyed reading it.
February 16, 2017
did not like the ending,leaves you wondering if his money will set him free
April 19, 2015
Books such as this are what give the true crime genre such a bad rap. Trashy, sensational, poorly written and researched, "Reckless" has no literary merit and serves only to pander.
It is clear that the author, Carlton Smith, never met Spector, nor did he speak to anyone for this book. Indeed, it looks as if he never left his house in order to write it. Everything (and I do mean everything)in it is taken from other sources. He googled Spector and compiled the results, lifting liberally from magazine articles and newspapers.
The book was obviously written quickly to capitalize on the case. The book ends before the trial, making it a pointless account of the case. It includes endless rhetorical questions, indicating Smith was good at asking questions but had no ability to answer them.
Most troubling of all is that only 90 pages of a 325 page book are about the murder. The rest is a biography of Spector, shamelessly lifted from the three prior biographies of Spector.
The writing is simple at best, hokey at worst. Smith insists on building song lyric puns into everything, which serves only to diminish the victim and the real tragedy of this event.
There is nothing here to recommend. I read this stuff because I have to. Save yourselves.
It is clear that the author, Carlton Smith, never met Spector, nor did he speak to anyone for this book. Indeed, it looks as if he never left his house in order to write it. Everything (and I do mean everything)in it is taken from other sources. He googled Spector and compiled the results, lifting liberally from magazine articles and newspapers.
The book was obviously written quickly to capitalize on the case. The book ends before the trial, making it a pointless account of the case. It includes endless rhetorical questions, indicating Smith was good at asking questions but had no ability to answer them.
Most troubling of all is that only 90 pages of a 325 page book are about the murder. The rest is a biography of Spector, shamelessly lifted from the three prior biographies of Spector.
The writing is simple at best, hokey at worst. Smith insists on building song lyric puns into everything, which serves only to diminish the victim and the real tragedy of this event.
There is nothing here to recommend. I read this stuff because I have to. Save yourselves.
September 18, 2015
Reckless: Millionaire Record Producer Phil Spector by Carlton Smith. No doubt one of the most poorly written books I've ever read. The front and back covers both imply the book is about the 2003 death of Lana Clarkson, a young Hollywood star-to-be and Phil Spector who once was a millionaire record producer and who was tried for her murder. The book opens with Clarkson's death, but the next mention of her is 78% through the book. The book, published in 2004, even ends before Spector's trial even begins. (Trail concluded in 2009). Most of the book is a rehash and comparisons to two, sometimes three other books about Spector's life (written long before Clarkson's death). It seems the author did almost no authentic research himself, so I'm in disagreement with another reviewer.
November 28, 2011
Terrible storyline...............was looking for the book to be about the murder; instead it garnered about one chapter at the end..............90% of the book was about Spector...............if I had wanted that, I would have looked for a biography on him.............usually Smith is a good author; but severely disappointed in this one.
August 18, 2010
This was published before a verdict was reached in the murder trial and seems to have been a rush job to take advantage of trial publicity. Not well-researched and probably only of interest to those who were abreast of the trial at the time.
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July 24, 2007Phil Spector is one crazy dude. Did he actually kill someone? This author seems to think so.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews