Money, Murder, and Dominick Dunne: A Life in Several Acts

Dominick Dunne was a man who reached for the upper strata of society. He grew up in a well-to-do family, but he still felt an outcast with the more affluent families in Connecticut. His father was emotionally and physically abusive. Dunne would battle an inferiority complex for most of his life, despite heroism in World War II. He would meet his wife Ellen in 1953. The Dunnes would have three children. Dunne would also lead a secret life, engaging in affairs with men and dabbling in drug use. The combination of both would lead to the end of his marriage and the derailment of his career in television and film. He would start his prolific writing career in the late 1970s, but the tragic murder of daughter Dominique in 1983 would lead to his antagonistic stance against money attempting to defeat justice, especially when it came to murder.

Robert Hofler’s biography of Dominick Dunne is a stark take on the investigative journalist. Dunne is sympathetic, even when inconsistencies are evident in his own telling of his life story. He fought to keep his homosexuality secret but was open with others. He aspired to be a better father than his own but struggled as well. He loathed the 1% but still desired the proximity. A must read for fans of Dunne!