Thank you to M. Hill for this Amazon review

Amazon.com: M. Hill's review of Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour

Greatest Fear Realized, November 12, 2009

By M. Hill (Colorado) - See all my reviews

For some of us, the explanation of Natalie Wood's death raised more questions than it answered. Rumors of an argument circulated early on which cast doubt on the convenient "...don't know what happened" explanation that both Wagner and Walken provided authorities. Theories have been promulgated but nothing of substance has come to light until this book's release.

There were only four people on the ship the night of Natalie Wood's death - Wood, Robert Wagner, Christopher Walken and Dennis Davern the Captain. Now we have the painful account from Davern, the tortured soul whose life was almost ruined by the secrets he kept for his employer and friend, Robert Wagner. He sat for two lie detector tests and was hypnotized because he realized the skepticism that would face him when he finally revealed what he saw the night of Wood's death. He also realized that the only way to quell his conscience so he could live with himself was to tell the truth, all of it, and without embellishment. He contacted his old friend Marti Rulli and began to ever so slowly tell the story.

A profoundly disturbing book, Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour documents celebrity privilege with crystal clarity. The special treatment that Wagner and Walken received appears to have rolled right over the living and the dead. If nothing else comes from this perhaps it is time to examine this ridiculous habit the public has of placing people on pedestals because of the work they perform. The extreme deference afforded celebrities, here is taken to a truly frightening place. Evidence ignored, interrogations not given and clear discrepancies overlooked. Wagner didn't want the bad publicity and there were plenty of people around willing to accommodate him.

The story is now haunting me and I can't seem to shake it. I am struggling with the injustice and the lack of publicity regarding the new information. Will this compelling story which quietly slipped into view without much fanfare, soon slip away without any serious investigation? This book contains one of the most chilling examples in Hollywood history of apparent celebrity misconduct along with one of the clearest examples of what happens to us when we ignore our moral compass. I sincerely hope this isn't where the story ends.