BAWL, Seattle Edition: Black Dahlia Avenger by Steven Hodel (637 hits)
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Submitted by AlwaysAnEagle (View user info) at 2006-05-08 17:32:36 EDT
Live from Tacoma, Washington, its Books From Josie's Amazon Wish List! Today we have with us the illustrious Mr. Steven Hodel, and his book "Black Dahlia Avenger: AGenius For Murder". This book was on my list because it came with the recommendation of a writer I respect very much, and who is a big true crime fan. I don't really seek out true crime novels, but because of her unerring taste, I decided to give it a spin.
It took me a long time to get through this one. I am an extremely fast reader - I started really keeping track just for kicks shortly after the fourth Harry Potter book came out. I had happened to remember when I started and ended that one, so I started noting other books I read in one shot. Obviously, there are different types of writing that are harder to read, so here are a few examples of more stuff so you can ballpark it. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" took me 5 and a half hours, "The Count of Monte Cristo" took me 7 and a quarter, and "Sphere" by Michael Crichton took me 3 and a half, while "Night" by Elie Wiesel took me 4. I have been chipping away at "Avenger" since mid-February, and while part of that is that it's not my usual genre, it's a dense read.
The Black Dahlia murder is one of the LAPD's most notorious cases, and has accrued a great mythology since it occured in 1947. A pretty, young woman from the LA social scene named Elizabeth Short was found in a public area, cut neatly in half with surgical skill, having been kicked, tortured, and otherwise beaten. The case is still open, and has been passed along from detective to detective through the years. This book examines who she was, what happened, and the main suspect.
The author, Steven Hodel, is a former LAPD detective. His occupation is what engendered much of the density of writing...this is his investigation into the Black Dahlia murder, and he prepares the evidence before you as though he was going to court the next day to argue it. I believe that was his intent, and in the closing pages of his book that contain the aftermath of the initial publishing of the book, you can hear his disappointment that the LAPD did not immediately follow up on and close the case with his evidence. He has done a thorough job, and his attention to detail is fairly spectacular.
The reason my jury is still out is that the suspect named is Hodel's own father, Dr. George Hodel. The book, though immensely detailed, smacks of ulterior motive...not necessarily a sinister motive, nor an intentional one, but an undercurrent of Stuff Going On Beneath The Surface. George Hodel was a distant father, with an enormous social life that encompassed much of LA's elite celebrity population, including artist Man Ray, and later, he moved abroad to conduct business without much of a thought for his family. The book smacked of Daddy Issues for me, but the connections drawn were interesting nonetheless. Ultimately, I feel like there is a perfectly valid chance that George Hodel could have comitted the Dahlia murder, along with the many others that the author suggests, but I remain unconvinced and expect to remain so. At the end of the book (this not being a first printing), Hodel tells about some new evidence that the book brought out of the woodwork and addresses the critics...it goes from "huh, interesting that that person came forward, that adds a twist for sure" to "ugh. Awkward." when Hodel is explaining about how he was invited to the LAPD to present his evidence, and then you can hear his shock and surprise when they never followed up on what he presented. I think the bottom line with this is that this is a 50+ year old murder that has gained enormous mystique over time, and that the LAPD is just not that concerned with it - not that that's necessarily bad...I think the LAPD has enough to deal with in terms of cases that have happened in the last MONTH to keep them busy, and they did conduct a thorough investigation at the time. Hodel goes as far as to officiously "close" the case in his book, which reeks of desperation and slight dottiness.
Hodel shows no exceptional flair for writing, which makes it slightly for me to appraise this book. As primarily a novel and fiction reader, this kind of cut and dried writing style is unusual for me as a pleasure reading choice, and instead brings back memories of college textbooks. However, the subject matter is interesting to me, and I enjoy and appreciate the level of detail that Hodel has gone into in the interest of proving his case. If you don't buy his theory on the crime itself, the reading makes for a good dose of gossipy pulp. It's up to you to decide whether the whole thing is bullshit or not, which I guess is the point of this type of book.
My recommendation of this book would be completely coningent on your interests. If the Black Dahlia murder or true crime novels in general spark your interest, I think you'll really enjoy this, and the detail, as I mentioned, is fantastic. If you are not particularly interested in either, then it still might be worth a spin, but if you get bored with it by the second chapter or so, then just flip through and read what appeals to you. This is probably one to pick up at a bookstore, so you can flip through the book and see if you think it would be something you would enjoy.
User Reviews
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2006-05-09 07:47:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
Submitted by CookieLass (user info) at 2006-05-08 21:33:05 (#)
Ranking: 2
Shlongy, how can you read books on golf?
It's really quite easy.
You open the book, turn to page one, and just start 'sounding out" the words. Repeat about 345 times until finished. Presto. You've just read a book about golf.
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2006-05-08 23:20:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Isn't Steve Hodel the Motel 6 guy that says "We'll leave the light on"?
Submitted by CookieLass (user info) at 2006-05-08 21:33:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Shlongy, how can you read books on golf?
Submitted by Beer_bong (user info) at 2006-05-08 20:10:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
GO TACOMA WASHINGTON WOO!!
*does the 253 area code dance*
Submitted by Judoka (user info) at 2006-05-08 18:20:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Thanks I think I'll pick this up.
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2006-05-08 18:18:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
I added a point for using "than" instead of "then".
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2006-05-08 18:08:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Is this about golf? NO???
Than I've lost interest already.