Yes, I also failed to find the Ian MacDonald book. Even contacted Macdonald, but too late, after the book went oop. Don't want to pay the current $86.04 offering at Amazon...
Only about 30 pages in but enjoying Dameronia so far.
I also saw the Jazz Times review, which is pretty accurate. Apparently it's not possible to compile a detailed biography because Dameron was private and left little documentation behind. But there's sufficient material to put together a reasonable biography with some unavoidable holes. Also concur re. the musical analysis, which is somewhat over my head. However, the analysis is blended in with the biographical prose so there aren't lengthy unreadable passages. And I can make a longer-term project out of deciphering the analysis.
To sum up (prematurely, see above), the book is not everything I as a Dameron fan hoped for (because of the sometimes sketchy details), but I doubt one could do better because of the lack of researchable material (disclaimer: I haven't read MacDonald). One could argue that the musical analysis is essential because of Dameron's reputation as a composer, but it might well intimidate many readers. Still, this is at the front of my reading queue and I expect to finish it over the weekend. And then spend some time researching harmony and musical notation...