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Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder
In 1947, California's infamous Black Dahlia murder inspired the largest manhunt in Los Angeles history. Despite an unprecedented allocation of money and manpower, police investigators failed to identify the psychopath responsible for the sadistic murder and mutilation of beautiful twenty-two-year-old Elizabeth Short. Decades later, former LAPD homicide detective-turned-pr
...morePaperback, 593 pages
Published
August 1st 2006
by HarperCollins Publishers
(first published 2003)
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Former LAPD detective Steve Hodel is convinced that his late father, Dr. George Hodel, killed the Black Dahlia.
After reading his book, I am not.
Many strong cases are built on a preponderance of circumstantial evidence. The problem with this book is that most of the "evidence" Hodel presents isn't circumstantial. It's supposition and conjecture.
Circumstantial evidence is when an item belonging to a suspect is found at a crime scene, or an eyewitness c...more
After reading his book, I am not.
Many strong cases are built on a preponderance of circumstantial evidence. The problem with this book is that most of the "evidence" Hodel presents isn't circumstantial. It's supposition and conjecture.
Circumstantial evidence is when an item belonging to a suspect is found at a crime scene, or an eyewitness c...more
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Until this book was recommended by a friend, I purposefully avoided knowing much about this crime because I knew (a) that it would never be solved, and (b) that I would start obsessing about solving it (e.g., JonBenet Ramsey). I realized that I should have followed my gut when at 1 a.m. last night I found myself googling "Black Dahlia" and perusing the black dahlia foia documents on the Net. The book is much better than I expected -- I couldn't put it down -- but it really does raise...more
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This book has been on my shelf for awhile. I've always wanted to read about the Black Dahlia murder. But it always got pushed to the back of the pile. I love reading murder mysteries and this one did not disappoint me. It's also a true story which also is something I like to read about. This starts out as a way for Mr. Hodel to trace some of his family history. But soon leads him on the track for the elusive murderer of Elizabeth Short, The Black Dahlia. Keep in mind this murder took place Janua...more
this book is pretty gruesome. I read it a few years back and it was a bit of an eye opener for me, a bit of a rude awaking if you will. Corruption of the government, the circle of people who paid the the law to protect them against, rape, abortions (which weren't legal then), murders, etc...
It's interesting because this book is published as a fiction, yet this man, the aurthor goes the lengths to name his father as the murderer. Provides facts and dates of his attempt to bring Elizab...more
It's interesting because this book is published as a fiction, yet this man, the aurthor goes the lengths to name his father as the murderer. Provides facts and dates of his attempt to bring Elizab...more
A good book about the possibility that Elizabeth Short's killer was the author's psychopathic physician father. While the pictures that led to Steve Hodel questioning his father's role in her death were ultimately proven to NOT be pictures of Beth, the author, a former LAPD homicide investigator, does a lot of deep research on his father, and on Elizabeth, and finds that his father WAS a suspect in her death. It is the most compelling, and believable of all the books I've read about Beth's mur...more
Steve Hodel has entirely convinced himself of two things: his father's guilt in a number of murders, the most prominent being that of the infamous Black Dahlia; and the LAPD's complicit cover-up of him being considered as a suspect, which continues to this day, according to his book. I can appreciate the zeal with which he presents his case, both as a former investigator and as the offspring of an "evil" man, but the circularity and uncertainty of the evidence he uses to argue his poin...more
so, i picked up this book fairly closed off to the idea that mr. steve hodel here had ACTUALLY solved the black dahlia case... mostly, i was just in the mood for some true crime, and the half price bookstore had this one on display, and i've always been fascinated by this particular case.
well, by the time i finished reading the bonus features added after the first publishing, i'm about 98% on board. because a) hodel seems to know what he's doing, i mean, this was his career and all, ...more
well, by the time i finished reading the bonus features added after the first publishing, i'm about 98% on board. because a) hodel seems to know what he's doing, i mean, this was his career and all, ...more
Claiming to have finally solved the U.S.’s most famous unsolved murder, retired LA homicide detective George Hodel contributes to the Black Dahlia industry with Black Dahlia Avenger. Hodel provides the reader with a true crime Hollywood noir police procedural far grimmer, visceral, and psychologically disturbing than any fiction conjured up on Patricia Cornwell’s morgue slab.
Serving for decades on the LAPD, coupled with a Hollywood pedigree, garnered Hodel access to records, photogr...more
Serving for decades on the LAPD, coupled with a Hollywood pedigree, garnered Hodel access to records, photogr...more
A very interesting book, especially if, like me, you happen to be rather intriged by the Black Dahlia murder. It all began after the death of the author's father. His stepmother gave him a small photo album and in it were two photos of a woman Steve didn't recognize. They did, however, jog something in his memory. He was eventually reminded of the Black Dahlia. Personally, I don't think the photos are of Elizabeth Short, and since the book was originally published, the author has admitted that p...more
This book purports to be a solution to the notorious Black Dahlia murder you're probably familiar with. I haven't read any other books making the same claim, so I can't compare whether this case is any more solid than any of those, but some of the "evidence" the author suggests is flimsy at best. Handwriting analysis plays a large part, and when you start to throw around words like "obvious" when it comes to handwriting analysis, you're grasping at straws. The other weird par...more
You know, it's rare that I read true crime. That doesn't mean I don't like it--just that I'm not often in the mood. I devoured Helter Skelter, then proceeded to re-read it so many times that the cover has since fallen off. My beef with this book is not with the genre.
My problem with this is that I felt that Hodel drew too many conclusions without sharing facts that supported them. The idea of his father being the murderer of the Black Dahlia is intriguing, but I never really felt...more
My problem with this is that I felt that Hodel drew too many conclusions without sharing facts that supported them. The idea of his father being the murderer of the Black Dahlia is intriguing, but I never really felt...more
This is a true crime nonfiction book. And as those kinds of books go, it's really easy to get into. It's never boring. And it's descriptions of old Hollywood and LA are really neat to read.
Basically the story is this: Steve Hodel goes through his dead dad's things and finds pictures that his dad took of Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. He finds this curious and so he investigates further (he's a retired LA policeman and now works as a PI) and he finds what he believes to be oodles...more
Basically the story is this: Steve Hodel goes through his dead dad's things and finds pictures that his dad took of Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. He finds this curious and so he investigates further (he's a retired LA policeman and now works as a PI) and he finds what he believes to be oodles...more
This was a get well present from my best friend. She kind of has a sick sense of humor. She figured since I got sliced open for surgery, that this would be an appropriate present!!!
The book started out strong, but my interest began to wane mid way through. The author, Steven Hodel, wrote the book to prove that his father was the Black Dahlia murderer. He also lists several other women that he believes were also killed by his father and his father's best friend. The book really...more
The book started out strong, but my interest began to wane mid way through. The author, Steven Hodel, wrote the book to prove that his father was the Black Dahlia murderer. He also lists several other women that he believes were also killed by his father and his father's best friend. The book really...more
Dogwood27
rated it
Recommends it for:
True-Crime Enthusiasts
Recommended to Dogwood27 by:
Thrift store find
The story of the most famous unsolved murder in LAPD history.
Unbelievable and that's just the first half of the book. This is L.A. Confidential meets Jack the Ripper. The Questions never stop and the truth will leave you speechless. A sad story of how we live but even more the darkness that lives in some of us, George Hodel and Elizabeth Short are forever linked by the gruesome murder which terrified L.A. in the early months of 1949.
Unbelievable and that's just the first half of the book. This is L.A. Confidential meets Jack the Ripper. The Questions never stop and the truth will leave you speechless. A sad story of how we live but even more the darkness that lives in some of us, George Hodel and Elizabeth Short are forever linked by the gruesome murder which terrified L.A. in the early months of 1949.
Steve Hodel is a retired LAPD homicide detective.
In "Black Dahlia Avenger," he posits that his deceased, estranged father was not only the Black Dahlia's murderer, but a brutal serial killer who escaped justice.
Hodel's book is fascinating and sad, but ultimately unconvincing. His case is a tenous daisy chain of circumstantial evidence and sometimes paranoid-sounding conjecture. He also has an obvious conflict-of-interest due to his painful relationship with fat...more
In "Black Dahlia Avenger," he posits that his deceased, estranged father was not only the Black Dahlia's murderer, but a brutal serial killer who escaped justice.
Hodel's book is fascinating and sad, but ultimately unconvincing. His case is a tenous daisy chain of circumstantial evidence and sometimes paranoid-sounding conjecture. He also has an obvious conflict-of-interest due to his painful relationship with fat...more
Why the writer could say his father was the murderer is just baffling.
Not one shred of "evidence" points to the father in any way.
Photographs shown as proof the father knew the victim are so obviously not her.
If you are just interested in the black Dahlia story, it might be ok.
If you are looking for a factual account, don't bother with this book.
Not one shred of "evidence" points to the father in any way.
Photographs shown as proof the father knew the victim are so obviously not her.
If you are just interested in the black Dahlia story, it might be ok.
If you are looking for a factual account, don't bother with this book.
Hodel's arguments about the Black Dahlia murderer are passionate but, i judge, inconclusive and at times tedious, tangled, and shrill. The book interested me enough to get through it without stopping, but the writing is far from stellar, and too often Hodel seems to be wallowing in the vice and ugliness his father (maybe) perpetrated.
The Black Dahlia Avenger, is worth reading if not only for the twists and turns of a true murder mystery, but for the surprising, and unbelievable link between the author, Steve Hodel, and the believed actual murderer!
You will not be disappointed if you are looking for a true-crime story which keeps you on the edge of your seat!
You will not be disappointed if you are looking for a true-crime story which keeps you on the edge of your seat!
This one of the craziest books I've ever read. It was hard to put down until I was completely convinced by Hodel that his father committed the crime. After though, it was hard to stay interested because I felt like I already knew everything I needed to know. But over all I enjoyed reading this.
This is one of the most engrossing non-fiction works I have ever read. The story presented is chilling to the bone. Some think that the author is deluding himself, but based on his long career as a professional investigator, I have a large degree of confidence in his conclusions.
Inititally, I was caught up in the drama and agreed with the author's findings until around page 350. After that, the story became repetitive and actually began to give me second thoughts. It felt as if he were forcing circumstantial evidence to make the reader believe. Disappointed.
L’enquête de Steve Hodel est plus que convaincante. Tout au long de ce pavé de presque 800 pages il nous décortique un fait divers jamais élucidé, et nous révèle la face cachée de la police du Los Angeles des années 40. Corruption, crimes, scandales sexuels, tout y est. Avec une froide objectivité Hodel nous dresse le portrait de son père, impressionnant et génial, et celui de l’assassin du Dahlia, pervers et joueur, et à coup de preuves et de nombreuses pièces à conviction nous démontre les rou...more
Very interesting theory on Mr. Hodels part that really makes me question...did his dad do it??? He certainly gives a strong case that he did. I don't know how I feel about it after reading this book! If I had to say now, I'd agree with him that his dad is the killer!
Kid
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
ANYONE who likes to have their mind blown
Probably the most fucked up "true crime" book I've ever read. It follows the well worn (I learned later) path of "my dad [or mom] killed [some famous unsolved murder victim]." What takes this book into next levs territory is the almost literary theory (close reading style) approach to a crime of which the author had no access. Reading this book is like the reverse of a Russian matryoshka doll, a bland page is turned to reveal a slightly brighter, larger tableaux of guilt and ...more
Disturbing. The case for his father being the serial killer of all these women seems to be circumstantial. It's horrific to think of one person doing all those crimes. I'm not entirely sure I buy it. But a fascinating story nonetheless and I'll be reading the follow up.
TOTAL PAGE TURNER. Great, great LA history. It was a much smaller town then, but with big city successes, perverts and corruption. Oh, and a VERY convincing story that the author's father was BD's killer and that she was only one of several.
This was a book that someone left in the hallway of an apartment bldg I lived in, when I first moved to Philadelphia. It is so addicting and very fascinating. A quick read and makes a good case for the writers claim that his father was the killer.
Good thing the content was interesting, because Steve Hodel's writing reminds me of a teenager's: overdramatic, too detailed, presumptuous. Some of his deductions were a real stretch, but I liked that he included so many photos and samples of letters, etc. I found the handwriting evaluation ridiculous; millions of people write in the same style. Also, the two photos of victim Betty Short found in George Hodel's effects do not look like the same person, and don't necessarily match the other photo...more
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![Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hill Hodel [With Bonus CD]](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1301670430m/7036075.jpg "Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hill Hodel [With Bonus CD]")
