57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Black Dahlia murder is (almost) solved, January 2, 2006
Being a serious Black Dahlia buff, I devour each and every new book that comes out about the crime. While my favorite book remains SEVERED by John Gilmore (my introduction to Elizabeth Short), I have to concede that THE BLACK DAHLIA FILES by Donald Wolfe is clearly the best, most authoritative, and most carefully researched book yet written on the crime, and the one that appears to come closest to actually solving this nearly 60-year-old murder mystery...almost.
The hook here is that FILES was written from newly opened Black Dahlia case files. Yes, this is certainly a hook, but I would say the real hook is that it's a book written by a skilled nonfiction crime writer who presents his case with verifiable evidence, historical context, and source notes, a first for a Dahlia book. Author Wolfe also acknowledges past books and pet theories. He notes that John Gilmore came very close to catching the killer in SEVERED (in fact, Gilmore's suspect plays a role in Wolfe's theory), he pays respect to Mary Pacios' well-researched CHILDHOOD SHADOWS (but, come on, we all knew Orson Welles didn't do it), and he thoroughly discredits the much hyped hokum of Steve Hodel's BLACK DAHLIA AVENGER and its equally delusional predecessor, DADDY WAS THE BLACK DAHLIA KILLER.
The "files" alluded to in the title are two boxes of DA case files which, unfortunately, do not include the police files nor the official autopsy with its "dark secret" (Wolfe reveals what he believes the secret to be, but I remain skeptical). While these two boxes do reveal some intriguing new information about the crime and the officers involved in the investigation, the information tends to raise more questions than it answers, and it's frustrating when Wolfe is forced to conclude many provocative passages with the admission that possible corroborating evidence remains "locked away in an LAPD warehouse" (35 boxes of files still remain sealed).
Nevertheless, Wolfe knows a lot about LAPD corruption, the newspaper business, and the mob in 1947 Los Angeles, and he firmly plants Elizabeth Short in the center of it all. It's really fascinating stuff, and midway through this book, I was convinced Wolfe had solved the crime. However, in the end, Wolfe connects the dots via a remarkable eyewitness account of the crime scene by two LAPD police officers that seemed just too good to be true. Wolfe states that these same offices provided smoking gun evidence for his previous book, THE LAST DAYS OF MARILYN MONROE. Hmmm... It's a little convenient, and until we learn more about the credibility of these men and their account, I'll leave Wolfe's dots unconnected. Still, what remains is an intriguing set of circumstantial evidence, expertly presented, along with the chilling recollections of Jack Anderson Wilson (the chief suspect in SEVERED), who almost certainly WAS at the scene of the crime.
And what of the woman herself? Unfortunately, the romantic image of Elizabeth Short as fated hauntress of the night or virginal victim stalked by a beast is dissipated somewhat in the reality of Wolfe's reconstruction. She ceases to be a cipher for noir fantasies of 1947 LA and appears before us as she most likely really was -- a foolish dreamer with bad teeth who played dangerous games with men who should have been avoided. Maybe that's why I still cling to SEVERED as my Black Dahlia bible, which transforms Betty Short into a raven-haired phantom who haunts you. With Wolfe, what haunts in the end is the feeling that this infamous crime is very, VERY close to being solved...if only.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic!!! Has justice finally been served?, January 8, 2006
Between the evidence presented in John Gilmore's excellent "Severed" and now Donald Wolfe's "The Black Dahlia Files", it appears that some sort of justice has finally been served for the brutal murder of Elizabeth Short. This book, by far, delivers the most plausible solution to one of the the 20th century's most intriguing mysteries. It's unfortunate, however, that many more important pieces of the puzzle are still being kept hidden from the public eye. Well, the cat's out of the bag, as they say. Hey, LA, its time to reopen the case and serve justice officially.
***It's easy for some to sit back and lob potshots at Donald Wolfe's investigation of the Dahlia case. It doesn't require any work on their part. However, it would be far more useful, and considerably more difficult, for them to present a MORE plausible solution. If an alternate TRUTH exists, please enlighten us.***
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Deceptive Journalism., April 18, 2006
This book looks nice, lots of nice pictures and massive end notes. But after researching this book it turns out that the author bases his information on questionable sources from previous books and previously discredited sources. True Black Dahlia experts have dissected this book and found multiple errors on each page. His end notes often refer to newspaper articles that don't exist. It's been shown that the author's involvement in the story didn't exist. For instance he didn't live on the same block as Segal when he was murdered as he says he did in the book.
This book follows a pattern of people writing "crime solved" books on bogus premises to make a buck.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
