Play Audiobook Sample
The Black Dahlia Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 27,156 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Bonus feature includes an original afterword by James Ellroy, titled "Hillikers," read by Stephen Hoye. On January 15, 1947, the torture-ravished body of a beautiful young woman is found in a vacant lot. The victim makes headlines as the Black Dahlia–and so begins the greatest manhunt in California history. Caught up in the investigation are Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard. Both are obsessed with the Dahlia–driven by dark needs to know everything about her past, to capture her killer, to possess the woman even in death. Their quest will take them on a hellish journey through the underbelly of postwar Hollywood, to the core of the dead girl's twisted life, past the extremes of their own psyches–into a region of total madness.
Download and start listening now!
"Though sporting a slightly more traditional, less brain-rattling prose style than later novels, such as American Tabloid or The Cold Six Thousand, The Black Dahlia is classic Ellroy noir: violent, brutal, dirty as an L.A. slum alley and peopled with hard, scar-knuckle men straddling the law and women equally as hard and rough as the men who lust after them."
— Justin (4 out of 5 stars)
The Black Dahlia Listener Reviews
-
" Pure pulp. Three stars for exemplifying the genre without trying to transcend it. "
— Stephen, 2/19/2014 -
" A cool book, dont see the movie it is trash. "
— Julio, 2/17/2014 -
" a good read, authentic to its period. Hard to read sometimes, if only because the characters are so perfectly frustrating that you occasionally want to reach through the pages and slap them around. Edgy and fraught with tension. "
— Capiz, 2/10/2014 -
" Dark, entertaining, a twisted mix of woman-on-a-pedestal and misogyny. Graphic, politically incorrect, gruesome, yet somehow also funny. Lots of 1940s cop-speak, a sultry, oversexed Hollywood underground. Gritty. Leaves me wondering seriously if the movie could do/did it justice. More to follow at dunceacademy.com. "
— Spencer, 1/28/2014 -
" It's an OK book. I've decided I don't like detective books very much. Unlike real life, the two main characters, Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard, found the killer of the Black Dahlia. Can you believe this case has been open for, like, 60 years? "
— Scareyon, 1/16/2014 -
" Just not a great book. Very herky jerky, feel like it could have ended after 200 pages "
— Murphknows, 1/11/2014 -
" Dark and pure. Beautifully, cruelly written. Essential. "
— Lester, 1/8/2014 -
" I thought of this book again and gave it another star as I should have done originally. It is really good. "
— Joy, 1/4/2014 -
" Review pending ... "
— William, 1/1/2014 -
" Fiction mixed with fact, the way only Ellroy can do it. "
— Matttoker, 1/1/2014 -
" Dark. Gritty. Full of blood. True story. What a joy to read. "
— Reese, 12/28/2013 -
" I read this quite a while ago (1995?). What I remember is the heaviness of the writing. Heavy in a good way. Well put together characters and a tough plot. Ellroy has a unique voice. Some may find him hard to get into. If you persevere, it's worth the effort. "
— David, 12/23/2013 -
" Good story. I love period pieces. I did, however, think that Ellroy's prose was a bit melodramatic. I liked the book enough to buy another one of his : L.A. Cofidential (which I haven't yet read.} "
— M., 12/7/2013 -
" HORRIBLE ending. one of the worst endings i've ever read. "
— Nika, 12/7/2013 -
" anything by Ellroy is just plain awesome and terrifying "
— Amelia, 9/14/2013 -
" I read this a long time ago. It was overdone and too gross! "
— Kristina, 9/7/2013 -
" This book was good at first but took a totally weird turn at the end. "
— Corin.garbe.2, 8/26/2013 -
" Plot was engrossing and fast-paced right till the last page.The excessive use of police jargon and acronyms does mar getting glued to the book in the first 50 pages.One has to make an effort to overlook them and yet not lose track of the plot. "
— Madhumita, 8/5/2013 -
" Incredible. Ellroy's the best writer in America. "
— Letterswitch, 1/11/2013 -
" Awesome crimenovel. Murder, love and conspiracy. Nuff said. "
— Alexander, 12/27/2012 -
" Forever a favorite! The movie was just as good. "
— Allison, 4/12/2012 -
" Not my favorite James Ellroy book. A bit uneven and self indulgent. Would have given it three and a half stars were there such a thing. "
— Judi, 3/23/2012 -
" One of his best. Real ghastly murder and a quartet of characters searching for redemption through the murderer's discovery. "
— Dev, 2/26/2012 -
" Once the novelty of the writing style wore off, just did not care about the Dahlia at all. Not even a little. "
— Sharon, 5/22/2011 -
" The Los Angeles Boy and Girls Club Presents Books on Drunk, Book #2. ||| I don't know what to say yet! I have to wait until after the club meeting! I didn't like it that much! But I don't think that it's bad necessarily! "
— Arlington, 5/13/2011 -
" All the characters in the book do stupid things. I guess that's supposed to make it like real life but, I can't say it was a good book. "
— Jake, 5/6/2011 -
" Extremely disturbing and engaging. One of the darkest books I've ever read, yet I could not put it down. Every sentence was gripping. Every clue earth shattering and the twist didn't stop coming until the very end. "
— Jelani, 4/26/2011 -
" Dark. interesting, i guess this was the first crime novel i've ever read. hard to believe considering how much that genre has interested me for how long. i'd recommend it.. "
— Entherder, 4/13/2011 -
" He mixes the truth with the murder of his mother, not great. "
— Sharon, 4/9/2011 -
" Still on my list as one of the favorites. Quick shout out to the Federal Hill Wine and Book club for a great meeting. If you're into film noir, this is a book for you. If you're into true crime, also a book for you. "
— Melinda, 4/1/2011 -
" My first time reading Ellroy's LA Quartet. Not as well developed stylistically as his later books, but still an enjoyable read. "
— Cameron, 3/29/2011
About James Ellroy
James Ellroy was born in Los Angeles in 1948. His LA Quartet novels—The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, and White Jazz—were international bestsellers. American Tabloid was Time’s Novel of the Year for 1995, and his memoir My Dark Places was a Time Best Book of the Year and a New York Times Notable Book for 1996. He lives on the California coast.
About Stephen Hoye
Stephen Hoye has worked as a professional actor in London and Los Angeles for more than thirty years. Trained at Boston University and the Guildhall in London, he has acted in television series and six feature films and has appeared in London’s West End. His audiobook narration has won him fifteen AudioFile Earphones Awards.