Who and what killed Dylan Thomas? The death of this iconic writer, in New York in November 1953, remains shrouded in mystery fifty-five years later. What might have been a triumphant new departure in his career and life with the first production of Under Milk Wood, and plans to work on operas with Igor Stravinsky and Samuel Barber turned instead into a requiem for man whose life spiralled out of control.

Was it alcohol abuse, diabetes, a heart attack, medical incompetence – all reasons previously advanced? And was Thomas himself at fault? What part was played by his lover, Liz Reitell, her doctor Milton Feltenstein, hospital doctors McVeigh and Glibertson, the literary impressario John Malcolm Brinnin?

Leading Dylan Thomas authority David N. Thomas draws on his extensive research, and uncovers startling new evidence, to produce the definitive answers in a superbly written account which balances historical context with forensic detail, Thomas' character with the demands made upon him by friends, lovers and his reading public. His verdict is a chilling study of a poet, a place and a death.

David Thomas is the author of several books on Dylan Thomas, including Dylan Thomas: A Farm, Two Mansions and a Bungalow, an account of his life in wartime west Wales, which has been made into the film, The Edge of Love, starring Keira Knightly and Sienna Miller.