TONY CASTRO is a Harvard and Baylor University-educated historian, Napoleon Bonaparte scholar and the author of the landmark civil rights history "Chicano Power," which Publishers Weekly acclaimed as “brilliant… a valuable contribution to the understanding of our time.”

Tony's latest book, "The Book of Marilyn," is a "thriller about the hunt for Marilyn Monroe’s lost diary—holding secrets that could rewrite history, topple power, and cost lives. Some truths are too dangerous to survive."

From its Amazon.com listing:

HOLLYWOOD’S GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL • Late one fateful night in 1978, Los Angeles prize-winning journalist Alex De La Cruz finds himself face-to-face with the story of a lifetime. Standing on his doorstep is Josie Clémenceau, a mysterious middle-aged woman whose timeless beauty evokes the golden age of Hollywood—but her eyes speak of shadows and secrets long buried. In her hands is a discovery that could rewrite history: Marilyn Monroe’s lost diary.

“Blockbuster mastery at its best… A gleefully explosive novel impossible to put down.” — LAMonthly.org

“An ingenious, pulse-quickening Hollywood-political suspense thriller.” — The Angeleno

What begins as a memoir of a movie star’s dazzling life quickly takes a darker turn. Hidden within the diary’s pages are revelations that shatter the mythos of America’s past. Marilyn Monroe, it turns out, had unwittingly stumbled upon a web of conspiracy tying the Mafia, anti-Castro operatives, and rogue CIA agents to one of the 20th century’s most infamous events: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Before she could reveal what she knew, Marilyn was silenced.

Now, Alex and Josie are plunged into a high-stakes race to uncover the truth. But powerful forces—spanning the worlds of politics, organized crime, and Hollywood’s elite—will stop at nothing to keep the diary’s secrets buried. What begins as an investigation spirals into a deadly game of cat and mouse, where every step closer to the truth puts Alex and Josie in greater peril.

As the lines between past and present blur, Alex discovers that Josie’s connection to Marilyn Monroe might be far deeper—and more dangerous—than she’s revealed. The diary isn’t just a link to history; it’s a ticking time bomb that could expose decades of corruption and deceit.

With whip-smart dialogue, relentless suspense, and a plot that unfurls like a tightly wound thriller, The Book of Marilyn is more than a conspiracy novel—it’s a brilliant reinvention of the genre. Part Hollywood noir, part political intrigue, and wholly captivating, this is a heart-pounding tale of secrets, power, and the unyielding search for truth.

Get ready for a novel that will leave you breathless until its final, unforgettable twist.


As a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, Tony studied under Homeric scholar and translator Robert Fitzgerald, Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz, and French history scholar Laurence Wylie. While at Harvard, he was a regular lecturer at the JFK Institute of Politics.

He is also a popular public speaker known for his wit and humor. He most recently lectured at his alma mater, Baylor University, on The Religion of Sports: From Michelangelo to Derek Jeter.

Tony lives in Los Angeles with his wife Renee LaSalle and Jeter, their black Labrador retriever. Their two grown sons, Trey and Ryan, and their families also reside in Southern California.