Fifty years after James Dean's fatal road accident, Defechereux has written a biography of the actor's short life filled with fast cars.

Set against a background of sports car racing in Fifties America and Dean's rapid rise to Hollywood success, the story reads as a dramatic reconstruction of events based around the facts of his life and death. At times, the specific details about Dean and his motoring exploits seem thinly spread, but the story does contain accounts of the races Dean squeezed between filming commitments.

The events surrounding the fatal accident as he drove his new Porsche 550 Spyder to a race meeting are reconstructed with chilling detail, including shots of the accident aftermath.

The 132-page hardback is illustrated with period racing photographs and images of Dean.

Even if you're not a James Dean fan, it's hard to put this book down once you've opened it.