Black Dahlia Avenger
A Genius for Murder: The True Story
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
For Viewers of the TNT Series I Am the Night and Fans of the Root of Evil Podcast, the Bestselling Book That Revealed the Shocking Identity of the Black Dahlia Killer
and the Police Corruption That Concealed It for So Long
A New York Times Bestseller
An International Bestseller
A New York Times Notable Book
An Edgar Award Finalist
In 1947, the brutal, sadistic murder of a beautiful young woman named Elizabeth Short led to the largest manhunt in LA history. The killer teased and taunted the police and public for weeks, but his identity stayed a mystery, and the murder remained the most tantalizing unsolved case of the last century, until this book revealed the bizarre solution.
Steve Hodel, a retired LAPD detective who was a private investigator, took up the case, reviewing the original evidence and records as well as those of a separate grand jury investigation into a series of murders of single women in LA at the time. The prime suspect had in fact been identified, but never indicted. Why? And who was he? In an account that partakes both of LA Confidential and Zodiac, for the corruption it exposes and the insight it offers into a serial killer’s mind, Hodel demonstrates that there was a massive police cover-up. Even more shocking, he proves that the murderer, a true-life Jekyll and Hyde who was a highly respected member of society by day and a psychopathic killer by night, was his own father. This edition of the book includes new findings and photographs added after the original publication, together with a new postscript by the author.
Customer Reviews
triumph of rationalism over the violence, misogyny and corruption of the past.
Stunning story and incredible research.
Great police work and well articulated true crime story. His initial speculative becomes obvious once all of the facts are known. His work really is a triumph of rationalism over the violence, misogyny and corruption of the past.
Theories as fact
The author presents some interesting theories but they are anchored rather tenuously by “facts” and the information given is a bit repetitive. I would say the unique perspective of the author’s investigation had potential but could have used some professional
guidance in its writing.