I am forwarding this on behalf of Barbara Payton's son, John Lee Payton, whose review of author John Gilmore's latest book, "L.A. Despair", has been rejected by Amazon.com because (in Amazon's words), "Please note that your review did
not review the book, simply just referred readers to another item which is
against our guidelines." John Lee has written the following rebuttal to Amazon.com and is awaiting the company's response.

You declined to post my review of John Gilmore's "LA Despair: A Landscape of
Crimes and Bad Times" because "your review did not review the book, simply
just referred readers to another item which is against our guidelines." This
is simply not true. If your will take a moment to re-read my review, you
will see that I said, "If you want to read a non-fiction account about my
mother, Barbara Payton, I recommend you watch for the arrival of her
biography by John O'Dowd at Amazon." This is an accurate review as the
section relating to my mother is entirely fiction -- and appalling fiction
at that. I believe I have the right and obligation to point this out to
prospective buyers, and see nothing wrong with taking the opportunity to
suggest another work which is in progress that will fully portray the whole
of her life. I could have attacked the author and the book, but to do so
lowers me to the level of an author who has written cruel fiction he passes
off as fact. Instead, I chose to make a one-sentence review stating that the
work is fiction and other points of view based on biographical research are
worth consideration. By declining to print my review, which in fact DOES
meet your guidelines, you are contributing to the pain and misery writers
such as John Gilmore have inflicted on my mother, myself, my father, and all
the many others who know this book to be a vicious, baseless attack on her.
Look at the latest review: The writer clearly says he wants this sort of
filth, and believes it is accurate because the author is John Gilmore, not
because of the documented facts presented (the writer of this review says no
documentation is necessary or desired). If you can print that, why can't you
print my review which says clearly the part of the book relating to my
mother is fiction rather than fact? This is unfair, and you should
reconsider your decision.

I hope they will take another look. I'm not giving up yet. If they won't
publish my review as submitted, I will write another saying, "The chapter on
Barbara Payton is fiction." Maybe they will publish that, but I'd rather
they go with what I've given them already.

John Lee Payton