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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What James Ellroy does well in "The Black Dahlia" is his creation of a gritty world full of dirty cops, hookers and other folks in compromising positions. The novel really sets the reader into a seedy world very effectively -- it was a world that I personally found difficult to take at times.
The novel is based on true events -- the murder of Elizbeth Short, whose body was found, severed in half on a California lawn in the 1940's. The murder, which became a big news story that shocked the nation, remains unsolved to this day. Ellroy's narrator, Bucky Bleichert, is a cop who becomes obsessed with solving the crime.
While Short's murder is central to the story, it takes Ellroy a long time to actually get there and even longer to fit together a solution. Ultimately, the book is well done, but not really suited to my taste.
The novel is based on true events -- the murder of Elizbeth Short, whose body was found, severed in half on a California lawn in the 1940's. The murder, which became a big news story that shocked the nation, remains unsolved to this day. Ellroy's narrator, Bucky Bleichert, is a cop who becomes obsessed with solving the crime.
While Short's murder is central to the story, it takes Ellroy a long time to actually get there and even longer to fit together a solution. Ultimately, the book is well done, but not really suited to my taste.
A good mystery. Many plot twists and turns. Bucky is a really good imperfect hero.
4.5 STARS
Lovely novel by Ellroy loosely based upon a true story, made all the more fascinating due to Ellroy's mother's murder around the same time, and that his mother lived only a matter of blocks from where the Black Dahlia's body was found. Who wouldn't be affected by this upbringing? And I think you sense the weight and passion of it all in his writing.
This is one of his earlier novels, and perhaps it shows. There's less of his staccato hard-boiled prose, and more of a standard flow in writing style.
But prose, plot, characters etc, everything you want in a novel, is all there in spades.
Lovely novel by Ellroy loosely based upon a true story, made all the more fascinating due to Ellroy's mother's murder around the same time, and that his mother lived only a matter of blocks from where the Black Dahlia's body was found. Who wouldn't be affected by this upbringing? And I think you sense the weight and passion of it all in his writing.
This is one of his earlier novels, and perhaps it shows. There's less of his staccato hard-boiled prose, and more of a standard flow in writing style.
But prose, plot, characters etc, everything you want in a novel, is all there in spades.
I didn't like this book. I didn't like the characters, the plot or the writing. In fact, I found it an unpleasant book to read and eventually just skimmed through to find out how it was resolved. Worst of all - the big surprise reveal was pretty obvious: a real case of 'well DUH.'
Cracking! Gripping, full of twists and turns and I felt invested in the characters. Would like to read the other LA confidential books now.
This was one of those books that I needed to pay really close attention to in order to understand what was happening. Mostly because of the 1940's vocabulary and the police acronyms. This wasn't a bad thing though, it made for an immersive read. The dialogue, too, really sets the scene for the story, pulling me straight back in time.
The gritty underbelly of L.A. is on display in this horrific murder mystery, where nobody is as honest or good as they seem. It's a harsh, dark world and it makes you wonder if there are any good guys when everybody seems to be shades of grey. It wasn't a depressing book but it does show how brutal life can be no matter who you are--lowly police detective or carefree heiress.
Recommended for people who like noir, gumshoe mysteries and characters with plenty of black streaking through their pure souls.
The gritty underbelly of L.A. is on display in this horrific murder mystery, where nobody is as honest or good as they seem. It's a harsh, dark world and it makes you wonder if there are any good guys when everybody seems to be shades of grey. It wasn't a depressing book but it does show how brutal life can be no matter who you are--lowly police detective or carefree heiress.
Recommended for people who like noir, gumshoe mysteries and characters with plenty of black streaking through their pure souls.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Solid fare - good characters and an interesting story
It's not that I got 5 stars worth of enjoyment out of this, but it's certainly a 5 star novel in my mind. Gritty in the extreme. Disturbing. There are no good guys here. The edition I read included an afterword from the author written after the motion picture came out. A gut wrenching personal insight into Ellroy's life and how it relates to his telling of this story. Can't describe this as my cup of tea but I lost lots of sleep not being able to put it down.