The book describes his incredible experience with Monroe and provides critical insight into what happened at the coroner's office in the days following her death," said Crystal Jackson, his daughter.

"Most people are unaware that a 22-year old African-American was at the center of Marilyn's investigation. The events that transpired in 1962 changed my father's life forever, and his story is an unheralded part of American history." 

At the heart of this story is Grandison's discovery of Marilyn's secret diary, which was brought in with Marilyn's property on the day of her death. The book reveals passages from Marilyn's diary describing her involvement with Government Agencies and key public figures. Grandison was the last county official to acknowledge reading the journal before it disappeared from the Coroner's Office days after her death.

Now 80, he also sparked the infamous 1982 District Attorney Inquiry into her death after telling the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors about what happened at the Coroner's Office. 

"My father is one of the last direct links to this historic case," Jackson noted. "This book is about much more than Marilyn Monroe. It's about American Democracy and the sometimes tragic consequences of getting placed in its path."

Released by Baitcal Publishing, Memoirs of a Deputy Coroner: The Case of Marilyn Monroe is now available in a special revised edition that contains photos, notes, and documents from Lionel Grandison's Marilyn Scrapbook. Get it on paperback and digital at Amazon. Read more!