Black Dahlia Avenger
The True Story
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Black Dahlia Avenger
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Narrated by:
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Kevin Pierce
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Written by:
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Steve Hodel
About this listen
For 56 years, the Black Dahlia murder case remained one of the most notorious and high-profile unsolved crimes of the 20th century. Now, Steve Hodel, a 24-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, believes he has finally solved the case. On January 15, 1947, 22-year-old Elizabeth Short - "The Black Dahlia" - was found dead in a vacant lot in Los Angeles, her body horribly mutilated, bisected at the waist, and posed in a bizarre manner. The horrific crime shocked the country and commanded headlines for months as the killer taunted the police with notes and phone calls. Despite the massive manhunt, the murderer was never found.
Hodel began working on the case after he retired from the LAPD when he chanced upon an intriguing piece of evidence that led him on a trail that he had no choice but to follow - since it pertained directly to him. As he dug deeper, he came to believe that the killer was also responsible for over a dozen other unsolved murders in the Los Angeles area around the same time. He also found copious evidence of corruption at the LAPD, leading him to accuse the department top brass of covering up the Black Dahlia murder in order to conceal a deeper conspiracy involving crooked politicians and gangsters.
Despite a lack of physical evidence (which had been destroyed), Hodel is able to connect numerous dots and make a plausible case, complete with lurid tales of wild orgies that were attended by celebrities such as the artist Man Ray, the director John Huston, and a host of other Hollywood elites. He also discloses his killer’s obsession with the Marquis de Sade and Jack the Ripper and how he modeled his own crimes on their behavior. In particular, there is a disturbing connection between the work of Man Ray and the horrific circumstances of Short’s murder. It is doubtful that this will be the final word on the Black Dahlia murder - too much myth surrounds it and much of his evidence is circumstantial - but Hodel’s labyrinthine tale adds much to this intriguing case.
©2003, 2011 Steve Hodel (P)2012 Audible, Inc.What listeners say about Black Dahlia Avenger
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- VL
- 2021-09-21
Long but interesting story
At times the performer sounds like an automated voice. Overall the performer had little inflection to reflect the intrigue of a very interesting story.
The story is well written although some parts are apparent lists which don't transfer well to the audio format. I was fascinated until the last 2 hours.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-11-23
I loved it but never finished
I did not know the story. So when I realized the author learned by means of detective work over many years that his dad was a serial murderer - a seriously demented one - I was flabbergasted, Its a narration of a long investigation. This is totally fascinating and its a well constructed story. Decently read - no Oscars here but its very easy to listen to. Real life is so much weirder than anyone's imagination.
I felt for the author - compelled to keep mining for more - but as a reader I lost interest in the remaining details. Dont get me wrong though - you should listen to this book
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Crystal
- 2021-10-20
Interesting
this book is very interesting, even had me doing my own research on this case. How, why... these poor victims and their families.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sam Hinton
- 2022-03-09
great listen
great listen, gets a little slow around chapter 29, alot of review and alot of dates. besides that loved it
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Shannon
- 2021-09-07
Was this self published
This book needs an editor. It's about 3 times longer than necessary. It drones on and on and on with useless detail. It's incredibly boring and such a shame as it had such potential. I tried to like it. I have listened to several true crime books by this narrator. He is great. But even he couldn't make this failure of a book interesting. This was a free listen and I still feel cheated. I want my time back...
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Reni
- 2022-04-28
If I coyld give negative starts to performance, I would!
I barely made it through the first 3 chapters. I’m probably going to buy the book instead as the reader is so unenthusiastic, monotone & devoid of any emotions I find myself completely tuning out. Which is unfortunate as I am truly fascinated by this story of the Hodels. Having listened to the podcast and interviews with Steven Hodel, I wish he had been able to read for the audio on this book…
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Lila Abegunrin
- 2022-01-22
Awful
Terrible book filled with the invented ramblings of a self-important, little man complete with a the idiotic and even sometimes prejudice 'thoughts' needed to make sure you are nauseous.
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