Marilyn Monroe's death in August 1962, apparently a suicide, shocked the world. With fame, powerful friends and lovers, and the world at her feet, why would she have killed herself? This title argues strongly for a new version of events, based on thousands of documents, some never published before. Matthew Smith's interpretation of events surrounding Marilyn Monroe's death is based not only on the full and true forensic evidence from the time, but also on the tapes that Mariyln made for her psychiatrist in the weeks before her death, tapes that portray a woman in full charge of her life and looking forward to a bright, busy, successful future.