| | | Location: Home » Books » Hughes, Howard » The Investigation: A Former FBI Agent Uncovers the Truth Behind Howard Hughes, Melvin Dummar, and the Most Contested Will in American History | |
|
| | Like This Store? Don't forget a Gift Card For Your Favorite Person ! | |
|
|
| 
 enlarge | Author: Gary Magnesen
Publisher: Barricade Books
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $7.68
You Save: $16.27 (68%)
New (18) Used (18) from $7.67
Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 505582
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 263
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 1569802947
Dewey Decimal Number: 346.73054
EAN: 9781569802946
ASIN: 1569802947
Publication Date: December 25, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ships immediately! Perfect and New! 2005 Hardcover.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Intriguing and Informative February 3, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I came away from this story convinced that justice was not served in the case of the Howard Hughes will. Mr. Magnesen's investigation of this mystery clearly demonstrates why he enjoyed a long and successful career as an FBI agent.
Intriguing and Fascinating Read!!! January 31, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The investigation is brilliantly written so as to catch your attention at page one and keep you turning the pages until you reach the end. I could not put it down. Questions are answered and you feel content with the book when you finish the last page. I loved it!
A Great Story January 25, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a terrific piece of investigation and a poignant story about an ordinary American guy whose brush with fame turned out to be like getting hit upside the head with a push broom. You have to admire Gary Magnesen's patient, careful, and relentless pursuit of the truth. Especially when the trail was as cold as this one. I hope Melvin Dumar gets his due.
 Howard Hughes Mystery Solved December 27, 2005
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
In 1976, eccentric and reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes died at that age of 70. At the time of his death, Hughes had managed to isolate himself from all but a few close aides. No one was aware of any Will that had been written by Hughes to dispose of his estate after death. One day, a man named Forsythe (who was an employee of Hughes) walked into the Willard, Utah gas station of Melvin Dummar and left Dummar a handwritten document that purported to be the Last Will and Testament of Howard Hughes. The will, presumably, had been given to Dummar because he was one of 16 heirs listed in the document.
A couple of years later, a trial was held in Las Vegas, Nevada. A jury found that the Will was a forgery and not Hughes Last Will and Testament. Dummar ended up with nothing.
This book is about an FBI agent who thirty years after the fact decide to investigate the controversy over the will. Startingly, he reaches a totally opposite conclusion than the court did. Author Gary Magnesen finds information no one had discovered at the time of trial. For example, Hughes owned the property that Melvin Dummar claimed he found him on when he gave him a ride. Most surprisingly, he locates a credible witness who is willing to testify he gave Hughes a plane ride to the area where Dummar found him the evening before.
Questions remain. Its possible inspite of Magnesen's research to question whether he reached the right conclusion. Dummar did not have an unblemished past and had been arrested once for forging a check. Also, Dummar initially lied about the Will. He claimed he knew nothing about it and finally ended up admitting he personally delivered to the headquarters of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City. Some competent handwriting experts testified that the Will was a forgery and was not in Howard Hughes handwriting (although other experts disagreed).
Magnesen clearly believes Dummar was the victim of a miscarriage of justice. I tend to agree. Although, every reader must judge for himself.
Fascinating! December 13, 2005
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is an incredible book, and I would highly recommend it. The true story of Melvin and Howard is stanger than fiction - and far more fascinating!
|
|
|
 | |
|
