Death of a Tycoon: An Insider's Account of the Fall of Robert Maxwell

Former foreign editor of publishing magnate Robert Maxwell's Daily Mirror , Davies ( Diana: A Princess and Her Troubled Marriage ) dishes out eyewitness dirt on the self-made billionaire-cum-con man's greed, lying and excess, but avoids solid analysis of his subject. The mercurial, ``incorrigible'' Czech-born Maxwell (1923-1991), the author reports, bullied his wife, manipulated his staff and had little regard for the truth. Addressing Maxwell's death, Davies offers several scenarios he believes to be more credible than the theory that Maxwell fell overboard from his yacht: that the KGB, which had long-term contacts with Maxwell, might have murdered him; that mobsters involved with the New York Daily News killed him; or, most likely, he suggests, that Maxwell committed suicide because he could no longer conceal his fraudulent practices. First published in Great Britain, the book emphasizes Maxwell's British holdings and scants coverage of his purchase and looting of the Daily News . It also contains numerous redundancies and other signs of slapdash editing. Photos not seen by PW. First serial to Penthouse. (May)