Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

The Writer With No Hands by Matthew Alford is a true account of an investigation into the death of Hollywood screenwriter, Gary Devore. Matthew Alford has managed to get hold of a file that had never been seen before, the report on the autopsy for Gary Devore. At the time, Alford was unemployed and had failed as a comedian. He found himself living with his ex-wife and children in a house that flooded. This was his chance to do something, so he began the search for proof that Devore’s death had not been natural, nor was it an accident as claimed by the police reports. He wanted to prove that Devore had, in fact, been murdered by US government ‘hit-men’ in a road accident that was staged. Armed with just a cameraman, Alford left the UK, bound for California, to trace the last steps of Gary Devore, putting himself directly in the line of fire.

The Writer With No Hands by Matthew Alford is an excellent account of what was at first seen as an unfortunate accident. The research that has gone into this book is incredible and must, at times, have been quite terrifying for the author. It clearly documents something we all know to be true but few dare to admit; that the CIA has quite an influence on Hollywood and dangerous liaisons between the two are nothing new. What this account actually does is cover every angle of Devore’s death, from the side of it being just an accident and from the side that it could very well have been an elaborate CIA plot. The outcome of the book is left hanging and, in all truth, it is down to the reader to decide which side you believe and there is plenty of evidence for both.

This is written in a compelling manner, a mixture of serious, lightness, and some humor, a book that any fan of true crime will simply not be able to put down. You will want to know everything, you will want to see all the evidence, to play judge and jury yourself, and decide for yourself what you think happened. This is a comprehensive account, painstakingly put together by one man in search of the truth. I thoroughly recommend it, not just to those who like true crime, but to anyone who reads any kind of crime thriller.