Editorial Content for Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
The horrific murder of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short in 1947, one of the nation’s most fascinating and disturbing unsolved crimes, has grown into the stuff of legend. She came to be known as the Black Dahlia and a symbol of the supposed postwar crisis of morality. But in BLACK DAHLIA, William J. Mann unpacks the myths and realities, the evidence and the headlines surrounding this case in search of not the murderer, but the victim.
It is unclear when Short earned her unfortunate nickname, but it certainly was not given to her by anyone who really knew her. It is possible, even likely, that the sobriquet was offered only by the media after her death. In many news reports, she was described as a femme fatale --- dressed in sheer black clothing, prowling the streets of Los Angeles, spending time with one man after another. In reality, Short was a young woman adrift. She had left her mother and sisters back in Medford, Massachusetts, seeking opportunities, adventure and the warm weather in California.
"BLACK DAHLIA is a propulsive and heartbreaking read.... [T]he book...captures the United States in a time of upheaval, transformation, confusion and possibility. It’s a terrific addition to the true crime genre."
Short’s plans in California were uncertain, but what is known is that she ended up relying on the support of strangers. Meals were often paid for by men she met at restaurants, and women she quickly became friends with offered her places to stay. She was often without her own belongings for various reasons and didn’t seem to earn a paycheck. She told a few different versions of her own biography, including tales about engagements, marriages, children, boyfriends and more. Mann’s account of Short is compelling and interesting apart from her death and the thwarted investigation.
But, of course, what people have long been interested in is Short’s murder, not her life. This concerns Mann, who does a great job introducing her to readers as a living and complicated young woman. If you are not familiar with the details of her death, he will fill you in. In addition, Mann examines the years-long case to find her killer with all its false leads, bogus confessions and media falsehoods that impacted the quest for justice. The context and cultural norms and challenges of midcentury America, especially for women and veterans, are also important in the story of the Black Dahlia, and Mann does excellent work here.
BLACK DAHLIA is a propulsive and heartbreaking read. Short was an enigmatic young woman --- maybe hapless, perhaps calculating, but far from the hypersexual harlot she has always been portrayed as. Mann doesn’t shy away from her faults and bad decisions, but he never revictimizes her by blaming her for the terrible fate that befell her. The book is well researched and written, sometimes shocking, and always crafted with Short's humanity at the forefront.
Despite its subtitle, “Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood,” the book is indeed about Elizabeth Short and captures the United States in a time of upheaval, transformation, confusion and possibility. It’s a terrific addition to the true crime genre.
Teaser
The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short --- better known as the Black Dahlia --- in 1947 has been in the public consciousness for nearly 80 years, yet no serious study of the crime has ever been published. Short has been mischaracterized as a wayward sex worker or vagabond, and --- like the seductive femme fatales of film noir --- responsible for and perhaps deserving of her fate. William J. Mann, however, is interested in the truth. His extensive research reveals her as a young woman with curiosity and drive, who leveraged what little agency postwar society gave her to explore the world, defying draconian postwar gender expectations to settle down, marry and have children. It’s time to reexamine the woman who became known as the Black Dahlia.
Promo
The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short --- better known as the Black Dahlia --- in 1947 has been in the public consciousness for nearly 80 years, yet no serious study of the crime has ever been published. Short has been mischaracterized as a wayward sex worker or vagabond, and --- like the seductive femme fatales of film noir --- responsible for and perhaps deserving of her fate. William J. Mann, however, is interested in the truth. His extensive research reveals her as a young woman with curiosity and drive, who leveraged what little agency postwar society gave her to explore the world, defying draconian postwar gender expectations to settle down, marry and have children. It’s time to reexamine the woman who became known as the Black Dahlia.
About the Book
Illuminating and captivating, New York Times bestselling author of TINSELTOWN and BOGART offers the first definitive account of the Black Dahlia murder --- the most famous unsolved true crime case in American history --- which humanizes the victim and situates the notorious case within an anxious, postwar country grappling with new ideas, demographics and technologies.
The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short --- better known as the Black Dahlia --- in 1947 has been in the public consciousness for nearly 80 years, yet no serious study of the crime has ever been published.
Short has been mischaracterized as a wayward sex worker or vagabond, and --- like the seductive femme fatales of film noir --- responsible for and perhaps deserving of her fate. William J. Mann, however, is interested in the truth. His extensive research reveals her as a young woman with curiosity and drive, who leveraged what little agency postwar society gave her to explore the world, defying draconian postwar gender expectations to settle down, marry and have children. It’s time to reexamine the woman who became known as the Black Dahlia.
Using a 21st-century lens, Mann connects Short’s story to the anxious era after World War II, when the nation was grappling with new ideas, new demographics, new technologies and old fears dressed up as new ones. Only by situating the Black Dahlia case within this changing world can we understand the tragedy of this young woman, whose life and death offer surprising mirrors on today.
Mann has strong opinions on who might’ve killed her and even stronger ones on who did not. He spent five years sifting through the evidence and has found unknown connections by cross-referencing police reports, District Attorney investigations, FBI files, court documents, military records and more, using the deep, intense research skills that have become his trademark. He also spoke with the families of the original detectives, of Short’s friends, and even of suspects, and relied on advice from experienced physicians and homicide detectives.
Mann deftly sifts through the sensationalized journalism, preconceived notions, myths and misunderstandings surrounding the case to uncover the truth about Elizabeth Short like no book before. THE BLACK DAHLIA promises to be the definitive study about the most famous unsolved case in American history.
Audiobook available, read by Michael Bower
