James Ellroy: The Black Dahlia

The Black Dahlia

before reading The Black Dahlia, i knew nothing about the case except that it’s a true story of the unsolved, brutal murder of a young woman named Elizabeth Short that took place in California a long time ago–in 1947, i found out later. thus, i didn’t know which of the characters were real or made up, though it’s clear that Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Officer Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert, the protagonist and narrator, belongs to James Ellroy.

Ellroy’s fictionalization isn’t about the Elizabeth Short, aka The Black Dahlia, case. it’s the story of a young man’s rapid descent into a personal hell of his own making. Bucky, as well as most of the characters, are completely disturbed and seem to have no redeemable qualities. the one exception is Kay Lake, the woman who stands between Bucky and his partner, Leland (Lee) Blanchard. if you have a weak stomach, don’t bother reading this book. the description of Elizabeth Short’s beaten and hideously mutilated body is nowhere near as sick as these characters. the writing is excellent–vivid and dramatic–and as such, Ellroy doesn’t hold back in describing the characters’, especially Bucky’s, flaws.

the book is divided into four parts. “Fire and Ice,” introduces readers to Bucky and explains how he and Lee become partners. “39th and Norton,” named for the Los Angeles intersection near which Elizabeth Short’s body was found, is the book’s longest section and unfortunately, begins dragging towards the end. Part III, “Kay and Madeleine,” is named after the two main female characters in the book and in Bucky’s life: Kay Lake and Madeleine Sprague. like Part II, this section moves slowly, but is mercifully short. “Elizabeth,” in which events pick up again at a lightning pace, concludes both Bucky’s work on the case and his story.

aside from the disturbed characters and slow middle section, i had other difficulties while making my way through the novel. one was the incredible amount of violence, most of it inflicted by the LAPD. violence normally doesn’t bother me, and i’m still not sure why it affected me the way it did here. maybe because the LAPD is portrayed as corrupt, which isn’t necessarily a fictionalization? i also disliked the portrayal and treatment of women and minorities. however, the story takes place in the ’40s, so perhaps these representations are merely a Zeitgeist. finally, Ellroy employs a lot of 1940s slang, with which i’m unfamiliar. of course i could have looked it all up, but i was too lazy. besides, i was caught up in reading, and anyway, some of the terms can be defined based on the context.

despite my complaints, i absolutely loved The Black Dahlia, which is an excellent read that i highly recommend to anyone looking for a real page-turner.