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The Girl in Alfred Hitchcock's Shower Hardcover – February 2, 2010

by Robert Graysmith (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 56 ratings
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The New York Times bestselling author who investigated the Zodiac case now uncovers a real-life mystery of murder, body doubles, and obsession

Marli Renfro was a model who played a part in one of the most iconic scenes in American movies- as Janet Leigh's nude body double in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho-only to fade into obscurity, a footnote in Hollywood history. It wasn't until 1988 that Marli Renfro made news again-raped and murdered by a serial killer with a fetish for the classic Hitchcock shocker. But as Graysmith investigated Marli's story, a nagging doubt entered his mind. What if Marli was still alive? What if another woman had been murdered in her place? And if Marli was still alive, would he ever find her?

The line between art and reality is blurred in this astonishing coda to one of the most memorable screen murders of all time, and to a real- life crime that one man was determined to solve.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Berkley Hardcover
  4. Publication date
    February 2, 2010
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    6.58 x 1.17 x 9.26 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    042523231X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0425232316
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Graysmith (Zodiac) mixes film history, true crime, and autobiography with disappointing results in this scattered exploration of the woman behind one of cinema's most memorable scenes. Though his goal is ostensibly to track down Marli Renfro—Janet Leigh's body double in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho—who some believed was raped and murdered in the 1980s, Graysmith takes too long getting there. Detailing the intricate Psycho shoot, which was painstakingly designed by Hitchcock in order to both shock the audience and pass the rigorous censor test, Graysmith introduces readers to Renfro, a gorgeous redhead who came to the film via modeling, some of it nude. Interspersed with Renfro's experiences as an actress, Playboy model, and dancer is an account of the life and crimes of Henry Sonny Busch Jr., a Norman Bates–look-alike in L.A. who strangled three women and had a penchant for Psycho. Graysmith, comparing his own growing obsession with Renfro to the plot of the 1944 film Laura (where the detective also falls for a dead woman after seeing her photograph), is determined to discover what really happened to her. As sloppy as Hitchcock's shower scene was precise, Graysmith's jumbled account never finds its footing, despite the fascinating subject matter. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley Hardcover; 1st edition (February 2, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 042523231X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425232316
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.58 x 1.17 x 9.26 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 56 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
56 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Marli
5.0 out of 5 stars Great seller
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2022
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Item arrived in great condition and in a timely manner.
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JL
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Service
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2022
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Product arrived earlier than expected and in mint condition. Highly satisfied.
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Laura I.
3.0 out of 5 stars 3 books in one
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2021
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Kind of an oddly written book. It's supposedly about Marli Renfro but also goes into the filming of Psycho (makes sense) and the Sonny Boy murders. The Sonny Boy murders could have been it's own book and it got to the point where I stopped reading those chapters. The Psycho part was interesting but the same information was constantly repeated. As for Marli, she definitely lives an interesting life but the book would have been better if it was in chronological order instead of starting with Psycho, going to her childhood, back to Psycho and then going into more of her pre-Hitchcock life.
Might be a better read if it was structured better.
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DUNCAN L NANNEY
4.0 out of 5 stars The cover page is misleading!
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2020
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The publishers have it right. This book is all about Marli Renfro, "the girl in Alfred Hitchcock's shower". But the cover had to insert something else kind of misleading: "A murder that became a real-life mystery. A mystery that became an obsession." Well, not quite. Only in the ten page Chapter 37 do we find the LAURA type scenario where the central character, Marli, is pronounced murdered then is discovered in fact to be alive and well, happily living out her days in the desert. Most of this book is indeed about Marli's life as an exceptional model which at times is interesting but not gripping like one would expect out of a book largely promoting itself as a true crime narrative. I am giving this book a higher rating than other reviewers because even though it did not live up to my initial expectations, there was plenty in here I found absorbing such as the intricate work that went into the production of the shower scene in PSYCHO and reading of the true crime case of Sonny Busch in Los Angeles in the same period, a case I was unaware of. As is the case in other Graysmith books, he is to be commended as a very talented descriptive writer.. I also have to empathize with his life of fixating on every possible corner of old murder cases and the characters in them. I have done this too to the annoyance of some of my friends who wish I would get another hobby. But some things you just can't let go of, These characters from these cases end up in your nightmares. If you stare at these people's pictures long enough, I have found, eventually their lookalikes arrive, however irrational this may sound, and what unusual trouble they can cause!
4 people found this helpful
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C.R. Holmes
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2016
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Excellent!!! I love Hitchcock, and the background of this book, which drops names of famous people. I love Mr. Graysmith!!!
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Bryan Young
5.0 out of 5 stars I really loved this book
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2016
I really loved this book. It offered me all the most fascinating bits from cinema history, true crime, and offered a window into a different way of thinking.

This was just top notch for pushing all of the buttons of my interests.
One person found this helpful
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Dave
2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting start; lackluster finish for unrelated stories
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2010
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Interesting title; interesting premise; and what seems to be a very well-researched mystery book...I was hooked! Throw in Alfred Hitchcock and I was a goner for this one, even though some of the reviews seemed a little unenthused. The book is mainly about Marli Renfro, a young girl whose big claim to fame is that she was the body double for Janet Leigh in  Psycho 's shower sequence. If you don't see Janet's face...well, that's Marli. A parallel story is detailed about Sonny Busch, a Norman Bates-like man with a seemingly domineering mother and a passion for strangling older ladies. As I read these fascinating tales, I kept waiting for the parallel paths to converge; strangely enough, they don't. Author Robert Graysmith, known for writing  Zodiac , takes many detailed tangents...stories about Francis Ford Coppola, early Las Vegas, the town of Searchlight, and early nudie films. Again, I kept waiting for all of these tangents to tie together at the end, and disappointingly enough, they don't. Billed as a murder-mystery in the style of the famous noir movie  Laura , the long-winded explanations of the book fizzle into a short ending that is extremely lackluster. Instead of this rambling tale, Graysmith should have written a number of short stories rather than trying to tie all of these unrelated vignettes together into one book. Although the stories of filming the shower sequence in "Psycho" are very interesting, I have a feeling there are other books that detail the same information. Probably best to check this out at a library rather than purchase it...you might be disappointed like I was. As a footnote, the details of Graysmith's obsession for Renfro and his collection of clippings of her nude magazine layouts seems just this side of creepy.
9 people found this helpful
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Avid Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars A view into Hitchcock's methodology
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2016
Fascinating view into Hitchcock's methodology. Nice juxtaposition of true crime and movie history.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Richard Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars I love the book The Girl In Alfred Hitchcocks Shower.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
Have started to read the book it's very interesting. I know the lady who was the shower scene double for Janet Leigh in the 1960 Psycho shower scene. We chat online. I love the film and find it interesting to learn about the making and behind the scenes etc. A great film and a nice book. Thank you.
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fuka_edo_museum
4.0 out of 5 stars ペーパーバックの労作
Reviewed in Japan on June 2, 2013
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はさみこみのモノクロ写真が多数あり、
本文もかなりのボリュームです。
多読精読するにはかなりの英語力と
忍耐力がいります。インパクトのある表紙に
ひかれてうっかり買ってしまいました。
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