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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Meh. I wanted to like this, but I just couldn’t. The characters were hard to get behind, and some of the outdated language was just not what I wanted at the moment. The story was alright over all, but just not for me.
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship
challenging
dark
tense
slow-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
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book gets really dives into the sordid possibilities of Post World War II Los Angeles. The book is loosely based on the real life murder of Elizabeth Short, and the mystery of the case turns into an obsession for a pair of boxing nemeses turned partners. This mystery is dark, not just due to the horrific nature of the crime, but also due to the flaws of main characters and their complicated relationships. Once I started reading this, I was really sucked into it.
My version was a movie tie-in, and it contained an interesting author post-script. It talks a bit about his personal connections to the real Black Dahlia and his mother, who was a murder victim, and his own obsessions about their violent ends. [a:James Ellroy|2887|James Ellroy|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1251268467p2/2887.jpg] has lived quite a life, and it is no wonder that his writing is so unflinchingly dark.
My version was a movie tie-in, and it contained an interesting author post-script. It talks a bit about his personal connections to the real Black Dahlia and his mother, who was a murder victim, and his own obsessions about their violent ends. [a:James Ellroy|2887|James Ellroy|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1251268467p2/2887.jpg] has lived quite a life, and it is no wonder that his writing is so unflinchingly dark.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fictionalised telling of the black dahlia murder. A quintessential noir full of flawed characters and dark post-war Hollywood tropes.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book took some work to finish. I just could not get into it, so I wasn’t engaged with any characters. I found myself forgetting how some characters were even introduced or how some plot lines were drawn to an end (and there were many characters and many plot lines.) In the final run of the book, the part that I think was supposed to be thrilling with surprise twists, I just wasn’t interested and was ready for it to be over.