Dominick Dunne Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Author Dominick Dunne was born in Hartford, Connecticut on October 29, 1925; he was the second of the six kids of Richard and Dorothy Dunne. He died August 26, 2009 in Manhattan, New York at the age of 83 of bladder cancer. He had been fighting it since September 2008, almost a year before he died.

His brother is fellow author John Gregory Dunne (who wrote “The Panic in Needle Park, which Dominick produced and was Al Pacino’s first leading part). His family was wealthy and Irish Catholic. Dunne, however, felt like he was always on the outside looking in on the mainly WASPish West Hartford. He received a Bronze Star for heroism in World War II during the Battle Metz.

After his military service was finished, he moved to New York City and worked as a stage manager for television. Humphrey Bogart brought him to Hollywood because he wanted Dunne to work on a television version of “The Petrified Forest”. During his time in Hollywood, he spent a lot of time around the rich and famous, one example was Elizabeth Taylor. Hobnobbing with celebrities was something that he was superb at, and simply a natural at doing. Everyone gravitated toward him, and mixed easily with actors, writers, and artists who were at a given function. In the year 1979, he moved to rural Oregon because his outrageous partying got in the way of his ability to work. It was in Oregon, that he was able to write “The Winners” his first book.

With his wife Ellen Beatriz Griffin, he had five kids, two that died in infancy, one named Alexander, and two children who became actors (Griffin and Dominique). Dominick and Ellen were married from 1954 until their divorce in the year 1969.

He hosted a television series on CourtTV called “Dominick Dunne’s Power, Privilege, and Justice”. On this show, he covered some big murder trials, some include: O. J. Simpson, Michael Skakel, the Menendez brothers, William Kennedy Smith, and Claus von Bulow.

He also made quite a few contributions to Vanity Fair. One such article, was his journal entries during the John Sweeney murder trial. He chronicled his thoughts during this case due to the fact that John Sweeney killed his daughter, Dominique. John was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and received a six year sentence, but was released after serving just two and a half years of it.

In the year 2008, he went across the country, from New York to Las Vegas, so that he could cover O. J. Simpson’s trial for Vanity Fair. This time around, O. J. was on trial for armed robbery and kidnapping. Dunne was 82 years old at the time, and declared this to be the final time he would do such a thing.

His fiction documents the ways that high society interacts with the judiciary system. Some of his novels incorporate real life events.

Dunne’s novels “The Two Mrs. Grenvilles”, “An Inconvenient Woman”, and “A Season in Purgatory” were each turned into a mini series.

“People Like Us” is a stand alone novel and was released in the year 1988. Old money is always the way to go, at least that is what Gus Bailey says. New money, though, is able to get its foot in the door, especially where it is wanted the least.

Ruby and Elias Renthal move from Cincinnati and get even richer in New York. They go from millionaires to billionaires. High society would not be polite if they did not accept them now. It would also be to their advantage to accept them in. while the market is strong, no one has anything to worry about. Just those awful secrets out in their past. Anyone want some scandal?

Some found they wanted to read this while on breaks at their job, because they could not put this down for very long, and they wanted to read all of his work after finishing this one. Fans of the novel like the developed characters who feel human, and the excellent prose. It is interesting trying to figure out who Dunne has based some of these characters on. He does a great job of consistently writing a superb book, and this one here is no exception.

“The Two Mrs. Grenvilles” is a stand alone novel and was released in the year 1985. Billy Grenville, is an ensign with the Navy and heir to a vast fortune in New York. When he sees Ann Arden (who is a showgirl) on the dance floor, he falls in love, right then and there. He marries the woman, much to Alice Grenville’s horror (who is the matriarch of the family).

Ann is desperate to be accepted by the society and start being the well bred woman that she imagines in her fantasies. A single gunshot will throw Ann into being notorious. All while the pair of Mrs. Grenvilles get into a silent conspiracy that is going to connect them forever.

Some feel that Dunne is able to surpass even himself in this book. Fans of the novel find that Dunne’s biggest skill is the way that he is able to jump into a characters’ mind and fully tell the story from their point of view. Through this book, you get to see a major scandal, for some, one that has been forgotten, but through reading you get to see the every detail and the whole crime.

“Another City, Not My Own” is a stand alone novel and was released in the year 1997. Gus Bailey is the journalist of high society, and knows every secret the very rich have. He is in a Los Angeles courtroom and is a witness to the trial of the century.

The infamous case and the characters involved are starting to take shape. Celebrities, from Heidi Fleiss to Frank Sinatra are give their own theories of what happened. He sees principle drug through the mud and the gigantic gossip machine of Hollywood. It is all a part of the tale of love, ruin, and rage; one that no one is able to get enough of.

Fans of the novel like how time and time again, Dominick Dunne is able to write a superb novel, and the book is full of great details covering the case. This is a writer that is able to make everything feel real with his words. You will not be able to set the book down for very long.