Beauchamp writes about the pictures Kennedy produced, the stars he made—and destroyed—and the men who did his bidding. She also writes about the Hollywood titans in his midst: William Randolph Hearst, Cecille B. DeMille, and David Sarnoff, whose collaboration with Kennedy resulted in the formation of RKO Studios. A fascinating tale of personal greed and business genius that examines not only the way Kennedy made his fortune but what he left in his path and how he forever changed the business of movie making.

CARI BEAUCHAMP is the author of Without Lying Down. She has written for the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Variety.