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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Loved it! Great fictionalization of events of one of the greatest unsolved murder cases! Made me an Ellroy fan!
The plot is a bit of a mess, the mystery is half-baked, but the noir ambiance cannot be beat.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
This has been on my TBR list for 6+ years. I was super disappointed to find my local library did not have a hard copy, so I took the plunge...added the kindle app and downloaded the book. It was a good story, written in the "Maltese Falcon" kind of way that I like. I knew it was a true story and still unsolved, so that made the ending a little hard to come to terms with. I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more as a physical book?
"The Black Dahlia is a roman noir on an epic scale: a classic period piece that provides a startling conclusion to America's most infamous unsolved murder mystery--the murder of the beautiful young woman known as The Black Dahlia."
"The Black Dahlia is a roman noir on an epic scale: a classic period piece that provides a startling conclusion to America's most infamous unsolved murder mystery--the murder of the beautiful young woman known as The Black Dahlia."
‘The Black Dahlia’ by James Ellroy is phenomenal noir! The story is convoluted and dark. Evil and guilt not only haunts every character, they each succumb to the darkness, knowing they are fallen. Some revel in the evil, others drown. Slowly.
It’s 1946. The narrator, Officer Dwight ‘Bucky’ Bleichart, is hungry for a promotion and recognition in the Los Angeles police department. He is happy when Sergeant Lee Blanchard becomes his partner after an epic boxing match staged by the department between the two men. They work in Central Division Warrants. Bleichart is determined to learn everything he can from the senior officer.
It’s a time when the only differences between many police officers and criminals is the possession of a police badge and the people that they choose to be their victims. The police prey on the criminals. Mostly.
Bleichart is a broken man three years later. He has solved almost a dozen deaths in that time connected to his own friends and lovers, most either officially unsolved or attributed to others innocent of the crime. One of them, labeled the Black Dahlia murder, is so awful it leads to the mental unraveling of first Blanchard, and then Bleichart.
When everything is finally put together correctly three years later by Bleichart, he no longer has a job, a partner or a wife. Writing a memoir is all that he can do. Yet readers can see the venom injected by the problem of who killed Elizabeth Short, called the Black Dahlia by the newspapers, is still poisoning Bleichart. Justice is impossible. That is the venom.
‘The Black Dahlia’ is about damaged people, not only a singular murder. All of the characters have done things or have mental cracks from bad luck that have shaken them like an earthquake. Unable to process through whatever the ego-destroying event in their pasts, these characters try hopefully or desperately to move on. But the baggage of their pasts rots them from the inside. The torture murder of the Black Dahlia is the straw which causes final collapse into darkness for each of the characters. Degradation is the only lifestyle in which they can live another day, and its a slow-acting caustic acid, not a cure. The only tiny bit of peace Bleichart gets is he learns who did it and why the murder happened. That’s it.
The novel was published in 1987 and is the first of what is called the L.A. Quartet novels by Ellroy. This is one of the darkest noir detective books in the classic style I have read, somewhat like the novels by Raymond Chandler but even more bleak. There is definitely a feel of Truth, though, pervading every page. A movie was made of [b:L.A. Confidential|57727|L.A. Confidential (L.A. Quartet, #3)|James Ellroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348575361l/57727._SY75_.jpg|2589940], the third novel in the quartet, and I have seen the movie. ‘The Black Dahlia’ is a lot like the movie L.A. Confidential.
I have read other even more dark noir novels, but few capture that special atmosphere. Ellroy nails it.
“ Cherchez la femme” Look for the woman
It’s 1946. The narrator, Officer Dwight ‘Bucky’ Bleichart, is hungry for a promotion and recognition in the Los Angeles police department. He is happy when Sergeant Lee Blanchard becomes his partner after an epic boxing match staged by the department between the two men. They work in Central Division Warrants. Bleichart is determined to learn everything he can from the senior officer.
It’s a time when the only differences between many police officers and criminals is the possession of a police badge and the people that they choose to be their victims. The police prey on the criminals. Mostly.
Bleichart is a broken man three years later. He has solved almost a dozen deaths in that time connected to his own friends and lovers, most either officially unsolved or attributed to others innocent of the crime. One of them, labeled the Black Dahlia murder, is so awful it leads to the mental unraveling of first Blanchard, and then Bleichart.
When everything is finally put together correctly three years later by Bleichart, he no longer has a job, a partner or a wife. Writing a memoir is all that he can do. Yet readers can see the venom injected by the problem of who killed Elizabeth Short, called the Black Dahlia by the newspapers, is still poisoning Bleichart. Justice is impossible. That is the venom.
‘The Black Dahlia’ is about damaged people, not only a singular murder. All of the characters have done things or have mental cracks from bad luck that have shaken them like an earthquake. Unable to process through whatever the ego-destroying event in their pasts, these characters try hopefully or desperately to move on. But the baggage of their pasts rots them from the inside. The torture murder of the Black Dahlia is the straw which causes final collapse into darkness for each of the characters. Degradation is the only lifestyle in which they can live another day, and its a slow-acting caustic acid, not a cure. The only tiny bit of peace Bleichart gets is he learns who did it and why the murder happened. That’s it.
The novel was published in 1987 and is the first of what is called the L.A. Quartet novels by Ellroy. This is one of the darkest noir detective books in the classic style I have read, somewhat like the novels by Raymond Chandler but even more bleak. There is definitely a feel of Truth, though, pervading every page. A movie was made of [b:L.A. Confidential|57727|L.A. Confidential (L.A. Quartet, #3)|James Ellroy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348575361l/57727._SY75_.jpg|2589940], the third novel in the quartet, and I have seen the movie. ‘The Black Dahlia’ is a lot like the movie L.A. Confidential.
I have read other even more dark noir novels, but few capture that special atmosphere. Ellroy nails it.
“ Cherchez la femme” Look for the woman
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Didn't like this book. Found the author's writing dry and boring. Couldn't keep characters straight because my mind was wondering.
I knew nothing of the story behind The Black Dahlia until told by a colleague who saw me reading it at work. (it was lunch time ok, well almost). I don't normally like reading true crimes but knowing that this book had a basis in truth was intriguing.
I've seen reviews which felt the start was too slow but I enjoyed the lead up to the actual murder where the characters were developed and relationships were formed. I'm glad Ellroy took the time to do this before things started spiralling out of control. The book becomes more and more chaotic as the twists and turns are revealed.
I've seen reviews which felt the start was too slow but I enjoyed the lead up to the actual murder where the characters were developed and relationships were formed. I'm glad Ellroy took the time to do this before things started spiralling out of control. The book becomes more and more chaotic as the twists and turns are revealed.
Really creepy, haven't seen the movie but I can totally see Scarlett playing the lead chick in it.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicide, Vomit, War