There are two reasons I got this book. First, it seemed like a reasonable complement to The Jinx, regarding the Robert Durst connection. And secondly, my wishlist is getting woefully short, as I’ve run through virtually everything I found interesting.
The biggest problem with this book is that there is really no discipline in the writing. Seriously in need of an editor, it introduces people referenced through people we haven’t learned about yet (at the time of its original writing, I believe neither The Jinx nor the film All Good Things had been produced). And even if we had some external reference, it would just be good form to have a clear presentation of major players. One might imagine some jeopardy would have been stirred, but even with the extensive Las Vegas backstories, and the frankly overlong recitation of Ms. Berman’s literary recounting of her father and the mob in the city, it never really takes hold. The author essentially acknowledges this in early chapters, focusing on the Durst connection, essentially leaving subsequent mob talk as mere commentary.
More troubling is the uneven portrayal of Susan Berman herself. She is called pretty. Then homely. Excitable. Morose. A talented writer. A hack. Incredibly driven. A poor little rich girl exploiting her childhood. At the peak of her career. In dire straits. Now, this could be a solid format for presenting a complex woman, but it isn’t. It’s just a mishmash of perceptions that don’t coalesce into anything like a literary mission.
And just as an aside, I found it oddly incongruous the number of times the author referred to crossdressing with reference to Durst in Galveston. Yes, it is part of the story, and quite bizarre at that, in a story that is no stranger to bizarre incidents. But the focus placed in it seems out of proportion, particularly considering that the man was accused of at least three murders, and dismembering at least one of them. But yeah, he wore women’s clothes when hiding out.
The one enjoyable part of this laxity of form is the entry of Jeanine Pirro into the book. Whether intentionally or not, the author exquisitely portrays Ms. Pirro as a loudmouth boor on the one hand (even the venerable Kevin Pierce could not do justice to her rapacious delivery) when broadcasting, in her own self-aggrandizing way, the intention of seeking prosecution of Robert Durst in NYC. And on the other hand, the meek “Who me?” hypocrisy, running from the responsibility that she may have had a hand in facilitating her murder. Easily earns her the spot as 2nd most odious person in the story, behind Durst. Go watch The Jinx, or watch it again. This adds little to the story.