The Black Dahlia

By: James Ellroy

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

On January 15, 1947, the tortured body of a beautiful young woman was found in a vacant lot in Hollywood. Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia, a young Hollywood hopeful, had been brutally murdered. Her murder sparked one of the greatest manhunts in California history.

In this fictionalized treatment of a real case, Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard, both LA cops obsessed with the Black Dahlia, journey through the seamy underside of Hollywood to the core of the dead girl's twisted life.

©1987 James Ellroy (P)2006 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Passionate, violent, frustrating...imaginative and bizarre." (Los Angeles Times)
"Ellroy's powerful rendering of the long-reaching effects of murder gives the case new meaning." (Library Journal)
"Building like a symphony, this is a wonderful, complicated but accessible tale of ambition, insanity, passion, and deceit, with the perfect setting of booming, postwar Los Angeles." (Publishers Weekly)

Entertaining.

I enjoyed this listen, but would strongly warn those easily offended by violence, racial slurs, bias, language, and the like to choose an alternative. That said, this novel takes some time getting started as a good deal of time is devoted to establishing main character back story, but upon the discovery of "The Dahlia," the plot snaps along without losing any momentum or quality. Sometimes depressing, sometimes outright funny, sometimes uplifting, this novel easily takes its rightful place within the Noir/Crime genre, and for those who enjoyed "L.A. Confidential," it is a sure bet. **Bonus author interview included wherein author identifies his thought processes and motivations associated with the writing of "The Black Dahlia."

Great listen...

I really enjoyed everything about this book, the writing, the narration. Big thumbs up... two bad the movie didn't even come close to the book. I was glad I "read" the book first...

Shocking

…how spectacular this book is. I was unprepared for this perverse act of fictionalizing at least four realities at once, all in the first person. So the ace performance has to be lauded, too, as that’s constitutive to the greatness of this experience. Oddly makes me like the De Palma more too because on one level it’s doomed to fail as an adaptation (this is such a NOVEL you know?) so of course BDP worked it into his language and pet obsession with control (that is, its lack and the illusion that it exists) and, well, movies.

Gritty - but great

This book is very gritty and very dark book - but one that gives you a good glimpse into old LA during a very interesting time period. I tend to enjoy Ellroy's books a lot in the beginning and slowly liking them less and less as the mystery unfolds. This book was no different. While I really enjoyed the way the book started, the books descent into gruesome madness eventually became too much for me. That being said, i still finish each book and look forward to his other books.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

The focus isn’t necessarily the mystery

Meanders and the story loses focus by the start of the second act until the third act which picks up and starts putting together the clues and theories leading to a compelling mystery that eventually does come together but for a large portion it’s melodrama although dark melodrama.

Enthralling

Ellroy's rendering of post-war LA and its cops and their culture enthralled me as much as anything in this very entertaining book. That, together with strong, full characters, a believable plot and well-pitched narration, make this one of my favorite selections so far.

Not for me

This book is just not for me.However I can see why others will like it.Ellrov is a great writer.He draws one into the time and place wonderfully.The narration is a little over the top for my taste but on the whole does a good job. I'm not much into action ,because for some reason I rarely can picture what's going on. I was able to follow Mr Ellroys action segments very well,especially the enthralling boxing match.And I hate boxing. I grew very tired of the two main officers temper tantrums and think this took away from the book. Compared to the current trend to make every killer more gruesome than the ones before, this book is not all that violent.

Excellent, gritty noir!

If easily offended, walk away now. If you are looking for an unabashed take on detective stories of yesteryear, download instantly. Love the story and narrator,he does an excellent job.

Murder, sex, romance and perversion abound. Gunplay, rivalries, it’s all here.

Sometimes Ellroy’s characters become him, they don’t so much in this book. The narration helps keep everyone in their own lane.

Complete recommendation

I was so captivated by this book, I couldn't get enough of it. Almost hate that I finished it

Loved It

This is a great story that and I enjoyed listening to it. James Elroys' stories are new to me, I will certainly listen to more of his crime fiction! After listening, I reviewed the true account of the story and then saw the movie.