Book Description

On 11th January, 1947 in Los Angeles, a beautiful young woman walked into the night and met her horrific destiny. Five days later, her tortured body was found drained of blood and cut in half. The newspapers called her 'The Black Dahlia'. Two cops are caught up in the investigation and embark on a hellish journey that takes them to the core of the dead girl's twisted life.

From Publishers Weekly

Narrator Hoye firmly nails young world-weary cop Bucky Bleichert in this audio version of Ellroy's 1987 crime novel. The flawed boxer-turned-lawman becomes obsessed with L.A.'s notorious unsolved 1947 torture-murder case, as well as the secret life of his missing partner, Lee Blanchard. Hoye proves a fine match for Ellroy's hardboiled prose, shuttling easily between hard and soft tones, crystallizing Bleichert's mix of cynicism, confusion, hurt and rage. Set in booming postwar Los Angeles, this tale of ambition, deceit and obsession builds to symphonic proportions. Throughout, Hoye skillfully modulates his narration to distinctly render each character—corrupt cops, city officials, pimps, GIs, Mexican bar owners, prostitutes, society matrons and even the sound of a bullet piercing canvas. Hoye especially shines during heated police interrogations, able to shift his voice on a dime. The audio includes a new afterword from Ellroy, which might have delivered more punch had Ellroy read it himself. But in terms of this gritty, sprawling novel, Hoye was unquestionably the right man for the job.

From Library Journal

Using the basic facts concerning the 1940s' notorious and yet unsolved Black Dahlia case, Ellroy creates a kaleidoscope of human passion and dark obsession. A young woman's mutilated body is found in a Los Angeles vacant lot. The story is seen through the eyes of Bucky Bleichert, ex-prize fighter and something of a boy wonder on the police force. There is no relief or humor as Bleichert arrives at a grisly discovery. Ellroy's powerful rendering of the long-reaching effects of murder gives the case new meaning.

From AudioFile

Former dick Bucky Bleichert tells how he solved the title murder case, and why the solution of the crime was kept secret though it cost him his badge, girl, and best friend. While the Marlowe-esque Bucky is fictional, his account agrees with the known facts of this real 1947 torture-killing of an L.A. party girl. Corruption and depravity are dressed in gaudy dialogue and period grit. This edition includes a concluding essay drawing parallels between the Dahlia case and Ellroy's personal and life-changing encounter with murder. All this is served up by Stephen Hoye, who convincingly plays the detective with a world-weariness that fails to blunt his capacity for lust, shock, and revulsion. He modulates his pace shrewdly for suspense and drama, and manages to make the neo-noir clichés seem fresh and genuine. Y.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award

Book Dimension :

length: (cm)17.8 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)11.1