Black Dahlia Avenger

Creepy, scary, and intense.

I loved the book. What an eye opening series of events. Very well done. I'd recommend this book to anyone that loves murder mysteries or true crime drama books. You won't be disappointed!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great book!

I enjoyed the book. I appreciate the time and effort of the research used to present the evidence. I look foward to the sequel.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Pornography without substance- first 9 hours only

What would have made Black Dahlia Avenger better?

To be completely fair, I only made it nine hours into the twenty hour story before quitting, but this story could definitely use actual evidence, or at least evidence given earlier in the story and with more substance than 'the body was posed like a famous Man Ray photo and George Hill Hodel worshipped Man Ray, so this is 'inescapable evidence' that George Hill Hodel committed the murder'.

What was most disappointing about Steve Hodel’s story?

The first half of the book is essentially a character assassination. Steve Hodel does do a fantastic job explaining what a sick bastard his father was, but a sick bastard does not mean G. Hodel was in fact the Black Dahlia Avenger. The incest trial, the forcing young Steve to smoke an entire cigar, G. Hodel's relationship history, the sex parties, sharing women with Fred Sexton is all very interesting, but after nine hours of that with VERY little evidence connecting him back to Elizabeth Short, I feel as though I've listened to a son only airing out his grievances about the man,

What about Kevin Pierce’s performance did you like?

Kevin Pierce always gives a fantastic performance, but this was not one of his best. I found it halting and a little unsure, as though he were reading the book for the first time or simply had a tough time getting through it.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Black Dahlia Avenger?

MUCH of the beginning. Or at least tie in G. Hodel's many issues with some evidence, so it doesn't feel like I'm listening to nothing but sex scandals when it's supposed to be a book about the murder of Elizabeth Short.

Any additional comments?

It's a shame I couldn't get through this, because based on the aftermath of the novel, a lot of people took this theory very seriously and found it solid, which leads me to assume that there must have been something worth hearing in the second half. But if I were a juror, just based on what I've listened to so far, I would have acquitted G. Hodel because it feels as though the 'prosecutor' is using emotional arguments in place of evidence.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Compelling Listen!

Would you consider the audio edition of Black Dahlia Avenger to be better than the print version?

This made me want to go out and purchase the print version. The photos and diagrams are adequately described, but it would be nice to check them out firsthand.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I admire the author's courage to come forward with his findings.

What does Kevin Pierce bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I felt like I was being officially briefed on the case.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book reaffirmed my belief that the world has its own mechanisms to balance things out. (The son seeking justice for the sins of his father)
There is true evil in this world. It hurt me immensely to hear what happened to these women. Being a woman in this world is a scary thing. It shouldn't be, but it is.

Any additional comments?

I feel that the various low reviews for this book are from "armchair detectives" who are upset that their pet theories aren't in the spotlight. This is a solid book. Steve Hodel spent years piecing this together. One or two coincidences could obviously be written off, but this book spins a complex tapestry of them. Considering how old this case is and how most of the physical evidence has since "disappeared", I feel like this is the closest we are going to get to a definitive answer as to who killed Elizabeth Short.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Too long, tedious and repetitive!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The first part yes, the rest is just repetitious. Couldn't finish.

Would you be willing to try another book from Steve Hodel? Why or why not?

Not if its like this one.

What about Kevin Pierce’s performance did you like?

He's just easy to listen to. Not the best, but not too bad.

Was Black Dahlia Avenger worth the listening time?

Asked and answered.

Any additional comments?

This is a very interesting case it just could have been told in half the time.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Wow that's 20 hours I will never get back

What would have made Black Dahlia Avenger better?

The author/detective interjected too much of his own opinion and conclusions, which he tries to back up with weakly linked evidence.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Black Dahlia Avenger?

The only actual evidence presented is the writing analysis, which is suspect.

Any additional comments?

I really was excited to listen to this initially. The author is a reputable detective with an impressive record...how and why he ever came to these conclusions and assumptions are simply baffling.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Fantasy simply put...

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Evidence for any of his statements. This is a classic example of a cop who picks a favorite suspect and twists everything to fit his idea. This is literally thought police. And I'm sorry but that isn't enough for me.

Would you ever listen to anything by Steve Hodel again?

No.

What three words best describe Kevin Pierce’s performance?

Good performance with bad material.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. This man knows his father was evil and without any hard evidence he can't prove it, so he'll tell anyone who will listen that his father is responsible for every notable crime of the last 70+ years. Yes, you read the correctly.

Any additional comments?

PLEASE SAVE YOU'RE MONEY. DON'T PICK THIS BOOK.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Believer

What made the experience of listening to Black Dahlia Avenger the most enjoyable?

The story, there are times when it seems to drag on and I found myself wondering why he was telling us this but in the end it all ties together.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The story

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did shed a tear for Elizabeth when he talks about what her killers put her through

Any additional comments?

I believe Steve Hodel, with all the evidence presented I think his dad did kill her

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Doesn't work as an audiobook.

One can only hope that Hodel did a better job as a murder investigator when he worked for the LAPD than he is doing in his retirement. The entire basis on his case comes down to his interpretation of photographs and hand writing analysis of scanned documents--all of which could have been told in half the time, and none of which works as an audiobook without visuals.

His connections are tenuous at best and in some cases, outright ridiculous. His comparison of the crime as his father's homage to Man Ray's Minotaur lacks any reference to what is probably the most notable feature of the work--the absence of the model's head. Would someone who had gone through all the effort to recreate the effect of the photograph (in what Hodel claims to be in intimate detail) and who had already brutally bisected and mutilated a body, then hesitate to decapitate the victim to achieve the full effect?

In addition to the frustrating and gaping holes in the story overall, the first half of the narration is done in such a deadpan and awkward cadence that the listener is often more focused on the reading than on what is being read.

Save your time. After 18 hours invested, I don't feel like I know anything more of any substance in relation to this crime.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

Compelling argument

Any additional comments?

If the author's facts are verifiable and unimpeachable ... case closed. This book stopped me in my tracks. Out of all of the other suspects and theories put forward by different authors and detectives in the past years about who may have killed the Black Dahlia, Steve Hodel's suspect rings the most true. I shudder to think...

3 of 5 people found this review helpful