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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
To be honest, the book was okay, but I did had to skip a few pages because it was a bit tedious. The first few chapters made me feel as if I had picked up the wrong book or that the pages had been exchanged with those of a WWE book just to fool me. Boxing was the main focus at first. Okay, if it had only been a side narrative for a few pages that would have been alright but I was approx. 70 pages in and still reading about the main character boxing. Wasn't this book meant to be a novel on the black dahlia crime? A little irritating.
Interesting reading this while knowing the real case was never closed. Really well done.
This book was face-meltingly good. I honestly may mark it as five stars in the future, I want to see how much it stays with me (haunts me); and what I feel when I read it again. I rarely keep books and I am keeping this one to read again.
Re-read still really love it...and I think 4 stars is right, there are parts that are 5 stars and parts that don't quite work. Reading more James Ellroy right now.
Re-read still really love it...and I think 4 stars is right, there are parts that are 5 stars and parts that don't quite work. Reading more James Ellroy right now.
Not what I expected at all. I was hoping for more of a crime story; the investigation of the Black Dahlia. Instead, all I got was S.L.O.W... m.o.v.i.n.g.... D.R.A.M.A... The story focused more on the personal life of the investigators involved. No one wants to read about the police involved in an investigation; people want to read about the investigation itself!
One thing I didn't expect from a famed L.A. crime novel was a total drive-by of my hometown, Aberdeen, Scotland. To drop one of my own though, I saw the film of this around a decade ago and remember virtually nothing about it and think this might have had a lot to do with how long it has taken me to get round to reading it.
This is a brilliantly plotted tale of obsession and lies pertaining to the real life unsolved "Black Dahlia" murder with Bucky Bleichert our view into things. It escalates from a book about a police investigation to the lies we'll tell ourselves and others in order to protect the ones we love. it's a real slow burn of a novel and I am certain there are many more reviews here that can do the book much more justice than me, but suffice it to say that I loved it in that way you can love something so pitch black.
I'll be back to explore "The Big Nowhere" in due course!
This is a brilliantly plotted tale of obsession and lies pertaining to the real life unsolved "Black Dahlia" murder with Bucky Bleichert our view into things. It escalates from a book about a police investigation to the lies we'll tell ourselves and others in order to protect the ones we love. it's a real slow burn of a novel and I am certain there are many more reviews here that can do the book much more justice than me, but suffice it to say that I loved it in that way you can love something so pitch black.
I'll be back to explore "The Big Nowhere" in due course!
Well I gave up on this book several days ago at around the 2/3 mark, but then picked it back up and finished it. Couldn't stay away, I guess.
Worth reading? Probably not. But it was captivating in a strange way. I wanted to see how things would turn out, even though I had to push through countless eye rolls to do so. I got so tired of the protagonist's macho schtick.
This book was immensely silly. It has the worst parts of people on display, but without much analysis, so it just defaults to shock value. The plot twists were extremely "noir" and some of the writing was really affecting. But most of it was just god-awful, seriously.
Worth reading? Probably not. But it was captivating in a strange way. I wanted to see how things would turn out, even though I had to push through countless eye rolls to do so. I got so tired of the protagonist's macho schtick.
This book was immensely silly. It has the worst parts of people on display, but without much analysis, so it just defaults to shock value. The plot twists were extremely "noir" and some of the writing was really affecting. But most of it was just god-awful, seriously.
I wanted to love this, I've heard it is the quintessential Los Angeles novel (which I agree and that was one of the things I loved about it)
I've tried to read this before, to be honest, I started a few times, but just couldn't crack the first 50 pages. I decided to try listening to it through Audible and see how that went. I made it through the first 50 pages and then I was flying through it. I was totally into it for the first 80% and then the ending. I couldn't have been more disappointed. I wanted to love it I started to through the middle, I loved how the Dahlia tore apart the two men closest to her. Honestly I wish the ending was just that and we didn't figure out who killed her, that would have been so much better to me.
I've tried to read this before, to be honest, I started a few times, but just couldn't crack the first 50 pages. I decided to try listening to it through Audible and see how that went. I made it through the first 50 pages and then I was flying through it. I was totally into it for the first 80% and then the ending. I couldn't have been more disappointed. I wanted to love it I started to through the middle, I loved how the Dahlia tore apart the two men closest to her. Honestly I wish the ending was just that and we didn't figure out who killed her, that would have been so much better to me.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No