Little Sister

My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood

De: Lana Wood

Narrado por: Lana Wood

In this memoir, Lana Wood investigates the mysterious drowning of her sister, the actress Natalie Wood, and clears up the myths and misconceptions behind one of the most notorious celebrity deaths of our time.

On the night of November 29, 1981, Natalie Wood disappeared from her yacht, the Splendour, while visiting Catalina Island with her husband, Robert “R.J.” Wagner and their friend, Christopher Walken. The beloved movie star’s tragic drowning shook America, inspiring troves of magazine covers and media pieces. What was originally believed to be an open-and-shut case of accidental drowning has been called into question over the years, and in 2011 the investigation was reopened. In 2018, at the urging of the public, it was reclassified as “suspicious.”

Ever since, the question has remained: What really happened to Natalie Wood?

Lana Wood, Natalie’s younger sister, long suspected nefarious circumstances surrounding her sister’s death. Her closest confidante from childhood, Lana stood witness to Natalie’s life: the successes, the heartache, and her deepest pain. But there was tremendous fear about investigating the case. Uncertain of what her own search would unravel, and frightened of the possibilities, Lana stayed silent for years, until she no longer could. She realized she was ignoring what was in front of her, and that the best way to honor her sister's legacy would be uncovering the secrets behind the very end of Natalie’s life.

By elucidating previously unknown complications of Natalie’s life, and offering new evidence from key parties involved in the investigation—including the boat’s captain and other witnesses—Little Sister recounts Lana’s search for the truth and brings to light explosive details that have been suppressed for decades. Ranging from the bonds that hold family together, to inconsistencies in interviews with detectives to complications with evidence, this story of sisterhood and mystery presents a fresh perspective on a night that has long been fodder for Hollywood lore.

Lana’s new book was so worth the wait!

I am a lifelong Natalie Wood fan, and have always known that her life was ended due to foul play. Many people feel a closeness to Natalie, but Lana is her sister. She knows intimate facts the only a close family member could know, and feels such deep grief no one should have. I find her book to be frank, candid, and open, and her perspective to be spot on.-I purchased the audio book as soon as I knew that she would be doing the narration, and I’m glad I did. I have now listened to it all the way through twice, and plan to buy a physical copy to go with my Natalie Wood collection. I agree with Lana‘s conclusions, and I applaud her bravery in keeping her sister‘s name alive. I very much doubt that Natalie will get the justice that she’s so deserves here, but have no doubt that her justice will come in the hereafter by the ultimate judge. I highly recommend this book!

Heartbreaking

Very entertaining book about the love between two sisters. My heart goes out to Lana wood.

I love Lana!

Everything Lana found suspicious I always felt the same way. I agree with what she thinks happened. I appreciated Lana's honesty. Lana I am so very sorry for the loss of your daughter! I lost my son on December 12, 2023. He lived with me. He was 43 and had blood clots. It caused severe strokes. I too had to agree to take the ventilator off and let him go. Not a day goes by I don't think of him. I absolutely loved Natalie! I am so sorry that happened. She deserved better.

Not a bad point of view on something familiar

First, I loved that the author read the book. There were parts where her emotion came through and it felt genuine. Overall though, I finished the book feeling like the author left something out. Maybe Robert Wagner is as heartless as he seems to be in the author's telling. Maybe he disliked/distrusted her all those years for a reason. Either she didn't see the reason or she maintained her privacy by not explaining it. Still this book was well worth my time. I was a Natalie Wood fan and saw most of her movies and even read other biographies about her in the past. Hearing what her sister had to say about their relationship was, if it is all accurate, a new take on an old "story".

Compelling story. Emotionally honest and brave.

Lana has fought a long and difficult battle with what has to be one of the biggest coverups in Hollywood. Her emotional honesty and candor as she tells the story of her and Natalie’s great love and bond as sisters brought me to tears many times. Rather than coming right out and accusing Wagner of being responsible for Natalie’s death, she carefully presents reports and factual events to explain what she believes happened and why. I have always believed that it wasn’t an accident. And to pay the price of being isolated and banned from the Wagner family simply because Lana wanted to know what happened to her sister only added to her painful journey through grief and loss. Lana reveals a lot of interesting stories of her life with Natalie from childhood through adulthood. I was captivated by this book.

Good read

Done by her sister, loved hearing story from her point of view. couldn't put it down!

Bravo, Lana!

I really enjoyed this book! It is compelling and very moving. And Lana Wood did an excellent job in her narration!!

Unexpected

I wish there was somehow more detail about the case and a few more stories about Natalie -- but overall this book presents the available information about the Natalie Wood case in a compelling way, including new bits of information that may surprise you.

A very thought provoking story.

I was riveted from beginning to end. Lana tells a story about two sisters who loved each other dearly. She tried so hard to understand what happened to her sister. My heart goes out to her. I have always thought RJ did it and this book makes me think I'm right.

Natalie Deserves Justice

The most detailed analysis of Natalie Wood's MURDER beautifully and heartfully narrated by her loyal sister, Lana.

I never cared for Robert Wagner. He's always given off an air of snobbery, smugness, superiority and pomposity...and Lana's anecdotes confirm this is exactly who he is. Wagner's always had the reputation of being a hothead and heavy drinker. There were multiple physical signs on Natalie's body indicating there was a tremendous struggle that evening on board The Splendor. I believe her screams for help - and the multiple bruises on her face, head, arms and legs - occurred as Wagner tried to shove her off The Splendor in a fit of jealous rage. Lana states that one of the bruises on her arms looked like a hand mark. I also believe Wagner knocked her out to shut her up and that she was unconscious when she went into the water. The skipper of The Splendor admitted that he turned up the music on the boat so other boaters would not hear RJ and Natalie arguing, that he saw Robert Wagner in the back of the boat arguing with Natalie, and shortly thereafter only Wagner was in the back of the boat! Wagner was adamant that the skipper NOT call for help and delayed calling authorities for several hours. Those are not the actions of a loving, concerned husband, but the actions of someone who is guilty of something and needs time to "get his story straight" and coerce others on the boat to go along with it. But nearby boaters did hear and report 1) the altercation, 2) a woman's cries for help and 3) very loud music coming from The Splendor. The skipper has admitted he withheld information for fear of Wagner's wrath. Christopher Walken has remained virtually silent, claiming that he had too much to drink, went to bed early and slept through the whole thing. Highly unlikely. They were on a small yacht, not Buckingham Palace! The fact that nail clippings and other vital evidence were not gathered/kept, and most fluid samples were discarded, point to yet another "cover-up" autopsy by LA Coroner Thomas Noguchi, just as he did in the Marilyn Monroe case. Final Analysis: Robert Wagner is a nasty piece of work and knows EXACTLY what happened to Natalie Wood that evening. He's gone on with his life, remarried and GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT for 40 years -- and it's high time Natalie gets the justice she deserves. It's not too late. They did not have DNA testing in 1981, but we certainly do now. The LA District Attorney needs to order Natalie Wood's exhumation and obtain the necessary evidence to convict her killer (and we all know WHO that is!).