Book review: “The Alaskan Blonde” by James Bartlett focuses on a notorious unsolved Fairbanks homicide investigation from 1953 that involves wealth, sex, race and a rising federal district attorney named Ted Stevens.
“The Alaskan Blonde: Sex, Secrets, and the Hollywood Story that Shocked America”The basic elements of the story are not in dispute. Early on the morning of Oct. 17, 1953, a badly beaten Diane Wells staggered out of her downtown Fairbanks apartment, awoke her neighbor, and explained that two masked men had gained entry into the unit she shared with her husband and attacked both of them. Officers arrived on the scene, and soon found Cecil Wells dead in his bed, apparently beaten as well.
Veteran journalist James Bartlett has accepted the challenge. Originally from Britain, he lives in Los Angeles, where some of the crucial scenes in this drama took place, including Diane’s suicide in a Hollywood hotel room. Bartlett grew obsessed with this mystery, and his new book “The Alaskan Blonde” is the result of more than five years of research. It’s a snapshot of mid-20th century Fairbanks and a detailed examination of a complicated case.
Diane and Johnny emerged as early suspects. Within months, however, Diane had committed suicide — her autopsy revealed she had recently been pregnant; whether she miscarried or obtained an abortion is unknown, but this detail adds to the mysteries swirling around the case. Johnny, meanwhile, was never charged, though he wasn’t formally exonerated for seven years.
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