Book Review: The Murder of Marion Miley by Beverly Bell

As a sports reporter for the News Journal, I had heard the name of Marion Miley before. I knew that she was a famous historical figure in the world of golf, and I was aware of the fact that she has a yearly tournament named after her in Lexington. I did not know, however, that she was murdered. That is, until I came across this book a few weeks ago on the University Press of Kentucky website.

First and foremost, let me explain that The Murder of Marion Miley by Beverly Bell is not a strict historical recounting of Miley’s life, or her untimely demise. In fact, this book is a fictional account that is based on actual events.

In conducting research for the book, Bell used information from newspaper archives, court transcripts, letters and family documents, as well as Marion’s own personal diary and scrapbooks. Some details in the book have been changed, but most of the characters referenced were actual people who existed, many of them famously.

Before I get into reviewing The Murder of Marion Miley, allow me to give just a little bit of background information on who she was. I actually had to go online and do some research into this myself, but luckily I came across a very informative article that was published in 2016 by the Philadelphia Inquirer titled, Frank’s Place: Golf star’s life was cut short by killing.

The author of the article, Frank Fitzpatrick, discusses Miley being murdered at 27 years of age. She was shot twice, once in the head, during a robbery that took place at the golf star’s Lexington Country Club home during the fall of 1941, about two months before the events of Pearl Harbor. Her mother, Elsie, was also shot, and would later succumb to her injuries.

The Miley family was originally from Philadelphia. Marion’s father, Fred, developed an interest in the sport of golf at a young age. Marion was born in 1914, and would later follow in her father’s footsteps by becoming an accomplished golfer in her own right.

The Miley family moved to Florida in 1921, and then again to Lexington in 1929. All the while, golf was at the center of wherever they went. Over the years, Marion built an impressive resume for herself, winning the Kentucky Women’s Amateur title six times, among many other prestigious accolades.

Marion’s natural golfing ability, her good looks and her attractive personality all combined to earn her celebrity status at the time, with over 1,000 mourners gathering at her funeral after her tragic death. She was a true pioneer for female athletes.

Now, with the stage adequately set, let’s dive into the book, shall we?

Simply put, I thought this was a really good book, and I enjoyed it a great deal. I would recommend it to just about anyone, but only with the understanding that it obviously deals with some very mature subject matter.

I appreciated the fact that Bell wastes no time, hooking the reader in immediately by placing us at the scene of the crime. She pulls no punches when describing the horrific events that took place at the Lexington Country Club on the night that Marion and her mother were fatally wounded.

From there, we gain insight into all aspects of the ensuing investigation. Along the way we also get to see behind-the-scenes as we take an intimate look at how Marion’s father, her friends, and even the criminals themselves deal with life in the aftermath of The Murder of Marion Miley.

I enjoyed the flashbacks appearing throughout the book that offered glimpses into Marion’s personal life, as well as her stellar career on the golf course. Another nice touch was the excerpts from newspaper reports that detailed the crime itself, the various stages of the investigation, and then the trials that followed.

This tale is set during a time in our country’s history long before the Internet and smart phones, when the newspaper was still pretty much at the center of people’s day-to-day lives. I admit, this ended up being a big part of the book’s appeal for me personally.

With twists and turns, heartbreaking in many places, but interesting throughout, I would definitely suggest that you add The Murder of Marion Miley by Beverly Bell to your upcoming summer reading list.