Synopses & Reviews
Even celebrities die--and he was the man who picked up the bodies! Allan Abbott ran the leading hearse, mortuary, and funeral services company in Hollywood and got an unprecedented glimpse of how celebrities really live and die. The Forrest Gump of the funeral industry, Abbott was everywhere celebrities died, from helping to prepare Marilyn Monroe's body for burial to standing next to Christopher Walken at Natalie Wood's funeral. Now in his memoir "Pardon My Hearse," Abbott tells the rags-to-shroud story of how we went from a young man with a hearse to the funeral driver to the stars--a rollicking, unexpectedly hilarious story of glamorous funerals, mishaps with corpses, and true-life glimpses of celebrities at their most revealing moments. "Pardon My Hearse" is an eye-opening look at secret Hollywood from the man who literally knows where the bodies are buried.
Review
"Nine Years Under" (978-1592407125, Gotham) is a memoir of a young women's apprenticeship in a funeral home. Set in Baltimore, the book does not have the West Coast, Hollywood focus of "Pardon My Hearse."This highly readable volume is filled with delightful details, colourful characters and fascinating insights. "Pardon My Hearse" is a marvellous and lively memoir, one that manages to be both engrossing and surprisingly revealing at the same time. Abbott takes the reader through Hollywood funeral service history for the first time with a fair-minded, insightful and amusing command of the material that makes the journey rewarding every sober step of the way. --Thomas A. McPherson, Professional Vehicle Historian
Synopsis
Publicity highlights: - Targeted reviews in book trade publications - Targeted reviews in consumer magazines for movie fans and celebrity gossip readers. - Author book signings in Los Angeles area. - Promotion on author's and publisher's websites. - Social media promotions on Twitter and Facebook
About the Author
Allan Abbott is the co-founder of Abbott and Hast Mortuary, Inc., Southern California's leading funeral home and mortuary service company.Greg Abbott, Allan's son, is the former managing editor of Abbott and Hast Publications, producers of Mortuary Management magazine.