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| Finstad received the prestigious ] for literary excellence for her first book, ''Heir Not Apparent'' (1984), drawn from her experiences as a young law clerk and trial attorney investigating claims to the billion-dollar estate of legendary industrialist, aviator and filmmaker ], who appeared to have died without a valid will. Her second book, ''Ulterior Motives: The Killing and Dark Legacy of Tycoon Henry Kyle'' (1987), took her into the genre of the nonfiction novel created by Truman Capote’s true crime masterpiece ''In Cold Blood'', centering on a spectacular murder trial which revealed that self-made millionaire Kyle, shot by his older son, had a violent Jekyll-Hyde personality and a lifetime of secrets, including a hidden wife and daughter. | Finstad received the prestigious ] for literary excellence for her first book, ''Heir Not Apparent'' (1984), drawn from her experiences as a young law clerk and trial attorney investigating claims to the billion-dollar estate of legendary industrialist, aviator and filmmaker ], who appeared to have died without a valid will. Her second book, ''Ulterior Motives: The Killing and Dark Legacy of Tycoon Henry Kyle'' (1987), took her into the genre of the nonfiction novel created by Truman Capote’s true crime masterpiece ''In Cold Blood'', centering on a spectacular murder trial which revealed that self-made millionaire Kyle, shot by his older son, had a violent Jekyll-Hyde personality and a lifetime of secrets, including a hidden wife and daughter. | ||
| Finstad then wrote the national bestseller ''Sleeping with the Devil'' (1991), the harrowing true story about the murder-for-hire of Barbra Piotrowski, a California beauty queen in a destructive love triangle with a married Texas health club tycoon named Richard Minns, alleged to have hired the assassins who shot and paralyzed Piotrowski. Finstad’s research led to |
Finstad then wrote the national bestseller ''Sleeping with the Devil'' (1991), the harrowing true story about the murder-for-hire of Barbra Piotrowski, a California beauty queen in a destructive love triangle with a married Texas health club tycoon named Richard Minns, alleged to have hired the assassins who shot and paralyzed Piotrowski. Finstad’s research led to Minns's arrest for felony passport fraud after he fled the country using assumed names.. | ||
| Following the success of ''Sleeping with the Devil'', Suzanne Finstad wrote a trio of insightful, groundbreaking biographies of ] (1997), ] (2001) and ] (2005). In ''Child Bride: The Untold Story of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley'' (1997), Finstad offers a revealing, bittersweet account of the courtship and marriage of ] and 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu based on extensive interviews with family, close friends, classmates, co-stars and Priscilla Presley, shattering long-established myths. |
Following the success of ''Sleeping with the Devil'', Suzanne Finstad wrote a trio of insightful, groundbreaking biographies of ] (1997), ] (2001) and ] (2005). In ''Child Bride: The Untold Story of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley'' (1997), Finstad offers a revealing, bittersweet account of the courtship and marriage of ] and 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu based on extensive interviews with family, close friends, classmates, co-stars and Priscilla Presley, shattering long-established myths. Priscilla Presley won a lawsuit against Currie Grant for his claim quoted by Finstad that he had sex with her in exchange for introducing her to Elvis and a judgment. | ||
| ''Sleeping With the Devil'' and ''Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood'' were adapted for television – the former fairly successfully but the latter was poorly executed by director ], lacking the emotional appeal of Natasha and ignoring the dark implications of Finstad’s exhaustive research in favor of a drowning sequence based purely in fantasy. | ''Sleeping With the Devil'' and ''Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood'' were adapted for television – the former fairly successfully but the latter was poorly executed by director ], lacking the emotional appeal of Natasha and ignoring the dark implications of Finstad’s exhaustive research in favor of a drowning sequence based purely in fantasy. | ||
Revision as of 15:06, 5 August 2006
Suzanne Finstad is an American lawyer, author and biographer. She is the award-winning author of a number of literary works, including the acclaimed New York Times bestseller Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood (2001).
Finstad received the prestigious Frank Wardlaw Prize for literary excellence for her first book, Heir Not Apparent (1984), drawn from her experiences as a young law clerk and trial attorney investigating claims to the billion-dollar estate of legendary industrialist, aviator and filmmaker Howard Hughes, who appeared to have died without a valid will. Her second book, Ulterior Motives: The Killing and Dark Legacy of Tycoon Henry Kyle (1987), took her into the genre of the nonfiction novel created by Truman Capote’s true crime masterpiece In Cold Blood, centering on a spectacular murder trial which revealed that self-made millionaire Kyle, shot by his older son, had a violent Jekyll-Hyde personality and a lifetime of secrets, including a hidden wife and daughter.
Finstad then wrote the national bestseller Sleeping with the Devil (1991), the harrowing true story about the murder-for-hire of Barbra Piotrowski, a California beauty queen in a destructive love triangle with a married Texas health club tycoon named Richard Minns, alleged to have hired the assassins who shot and paralyzed Piotrowski. Finstad’s research led to Minns's arrest for felony passport fraud after he fled the country using assumed names..
Following the success of Sleeping with the Devil, Suzanne Finstad wrote a trio of insightful, groundbreaking biographies of Priscilla Presley (1997), Natalie Wood (2001) and Warren Beatty (2005). In Child Bride: The Untold Story of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley (1997), Finstad offers a revealing, bittersweet account of the courtship and marriage of Elvis Presley and 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu based on extensive interviews with family, close friends, classmates, co-stars and Priscilla Presley, shattering long-established myths. Priscilla Presley won a lawsuit against Currie Grant for his claim quoted by Finstad that he had sex with her in exchange for introducing her to Elvis and a judgment.
Sleeping With the Devil and Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood were adapted for television – the former fairly successfully but the latter was poorly executed by director Peter Bogdanovich, lacking the emotional appeal of Natasha and ignoring the dark implications of Finstad’s exhaustive research in favor of a drowning sequence based purely in fantasy.
Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood was named the best film book of 2001 by the San Francisco Chronicle. Finstad’s most recent biography, Warren Beatty: A Private Man, was selected as one of the top five entertainment books of 2005 by the Times of London.
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