I'm not really sure what to make of this.

If the author wasn't legally bound to contact or include the family of the subject of his book, and all of the artwork used in the book has been obtained legally, then what's the problem? And if the author is using some or all of the artwork without permission, then the copyright holder has the option to sue to recover damages.

But I don't see how calling the author and publisher "crooks" accomplishes anything positive; it may even open her up to legal problems of her own.
 
It seems like a lot of fuss just because the author didn't make a courtesy call the artist's widow.