Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Black Dahlia

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy

9 reviews

mindsplinters's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I haven't read any Ellroy in a while and totally forgot how raw and abso-freakin-lutely violent and crude his books can get. I also forgot what a big theme obsession can play in his books. Seriously, there is a lot of it here. Mind you, I'm a true crime fan and have done plenty of reading on the actual historical Black Dahlia (including Hodel's book) which is probably why this book ended up on my shelves ages ago. But a little Ellroy goes a long way so it went unread for equal ages. It's actually an interesting conceit, building a tale of obsession and love and hate and corruption and facades around the case and Ellroy has a talent for making you loathe some of his characters. Equally as talented at presenting you with a character that you want to root for because they make your heart hurt... but they are so gosh darn flawed and such a mess that rooting for them feels a bit illegal.

Enter Bucky and Lee and Kay and all sorts of other reprobates. Very noir, very period accurate, very on-tone with the set-dressing and dialogue, and a very thorough romp down the spiral with your guest host, Bucky. It's fascinating like a car wreck is fascinating.

To be honest, the only character I would feel safe in a room alone with is Russ Millard. What an absolute sweetheart.

Content Warnings

romonko's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

James Ellroy wrote this book in order for him to tell his own story about Elizabeth Short or The Black Dahlia. Elizabeth is found in a vacant lot in January 1947. She was mutilated, tortured, murdered, cut in half and dumped in the course of two horrendous days. Using real-life people, and some fictional characters, Ellroy has shown us what probably happened to Elizabeth Short, who was The Black Dahlia. The story is about two young policemen who become involved in the investigation of the Black Dahlia's murder, and it depicts how this event shaped and changed their lives. Both men become totally absorbed and the book shows how their lives were forever changed and sent spinning off the rails from this one horrific murder. When I read Ellroy's final words on the book, I found that he too, in his own way, was obsessed by the Dahlia, even though he was born just after she died. He explains that it was almost a parallel story of what actually happened to his own mother in the 1950's. The book is graphic and explicit, but at the same time it shows the strength and goodness that is in some people as opposed to the absolute derangement of others. It depicts the psychotic mind as well as or better than any other book I've read about this. This book is as noir as any book can get. It's full of obsessions, lies, psychoses, sex, torture and murder. For anyone with a queasy stomach, the book might be way too much to take. For me it was like climbing into a tub of bathtub gin, and not coming up for air until I finished the book. it actually wrung me out, but I kept turning pages. No one does crime like James Ellroy, and nobody does it with so explicitly, and with so much aplomb. In a James Ellroy world, just about anything is possible, and the tension does not leave until the very end of the book. So expect the unexpected, be prepared for some pretty horrific scenarios, get angry and frustrated with the main characters, and fall into the world of post-war LA.

Content Warnings

celia671234's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

lesliewilleford's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Content Warnings

thnksfrthmmrs's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I thought I was going to read about the actual Black Dahlia. Bless that girl's soul, this heavily fictionalized depiction of her murder is insulting.

A lot of random storylines were unnecessary to the story, unlikeable characters... It was a real struggle getting through this disturbing book.

Content Warnings

xxfrasierfan360noscopesxx's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A truly surprising amount of this book is concerned with some sort of polycule comprised of two 1940's LAPD guys and a schoolteacher

Content Warnings

linddykal's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

reubs's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Goes hard but lots of content warnings. V different to chandler but I think it picks up from the style he was getting at in the long goodbye

Content Warnings

jdcorley's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Some day I'll write 50,000 words about the tapestry of this novel, how terrible (in the ancient sense) and wonderful (same) it is. it's that kind of experience: noir and crime and mystery and historical character drama all wrapped and intertwined and all, in the end, the same, the same, the same.

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