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Black Dahlia Avenger II: Presenting the Follow-Up Investigation and Further Evidence Linking Dr. George Hill Hodel to Los Angeles' s Black Dahlia and other 1940s LONE WOMAN MURDERS
Five New Investigative Chapters added to this 2014 edition:
Chapter 23-LAPD Historical Society—The New Evidence
Chapter 24-Odor Mortis—The Smell of Death
Chapter 25-The KMEX-Univision Interviews
Chapter 26-Murder as a Fine Art: The Hodel/Man Ray Nexus
Chapter 27-Biometrics: New Photo Forensics
In Black Dahlia Avenger II bestselling author and veteran LAPD homicide detective Steve Hodel presents his eight-year follow-up investigation [2006-2014] into the Los Angeles Black Dahlia and other serially connected 1940s L.A. Lone Woman Murders. After the 2003 publication of his NYT bestseller and MWA Edgar nominated true-fact crime book, Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder, and receiving a "CASE SOLVED" legal opinion from many of LA's top law enforcement officials-which included a then active Head Deputy District Attorney and LAPD's Chief of Detectives-Hodel didn't stop there. In this investigative sequel he presents his careful deconstruction of the Dahlia Myth-exposing and correcting the Black Dahlia Murder's Three Greatest Urban Myths:
Myth No. 1 – “It was a standalone murder"
Myth No. 2 – “There was a Missing or Lost Week"
Myth No. 3 – “The case was never solved.
2006-2014 Investigation Includes:
• The obtaining of Dr. George Hodel's full DNA PROFILE which can now be made available for law enforcement testing and comparison to multiple cold case unsolved crimes.
• Discovery of the Hollywood residence where the BLACK DAHLIA MURDER was committed along with physical evidence connecting the killer to the house and to the vacant lot where he later transported and posed the victim's surgically bisected body.
• Identification of "The Baron," George Hodel's house-guest and accomplice overheard by detectives discussing "crimes and payoffs" on the 1950 DA bugging tapes.
• New expert medical testimony and evidence photos proving – “A Doctor did it."
• Complete original and unabridged 1950 DA-Hodel Black Dahlia Bugging Transcripts. [146 pages]
• THE HUSTON LETTERS - Personal correspondence between famed film director, John Huston and his ex-wife, Dorothy Huston Hodel [the author's mother] covering the years 1948-1957. In these private letters Dorothy shares with John the day to day personal fear and terror she was experiencing living with George Hodel, as the doctor threatened her and the children with physical harm in the months just prior to his fleeing the country.
• A World Class Surrealist Photographer reveals his firsthand knowledge of the crimes.
• Over 300 photographs and crime exhibits including the 1969 Sowden House 17-Photo Historical Survey.
Chapter 23-LAPD Historical Society—The New Evidence
Chapter 24-Odor Mortis—The Smell of Death
Chapter 25-The KMEX-Univision Interviews
Chapter 26-Murder as a Fine Art: The Hodel/Man Ray Nexus
Chapter 27-Biometrics: New Photo Forensics
In Black Dahlia Avenger II bestselling author and veteran LAPD homicide detective Steve Hodel presents his eight-year follow-up investigation [2006-2014] into the Los Angeles Black Dahlia and other serially connected 1940s L.A. Lone Woman Murders. After the 2003 publication of his NYT bestseller and MWA Edgar nominated true-fact crime book, Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder, and receiving a "CASE SOLVED" legal opinion from many of LA's top law enforcement officials-which included a then active Head Deputy District Attorney and LAPD's Chief of Detectives-Hodel didn't stop there. In this investigative sequel he presents his careful deconstruction of the Dahlia Myth-exposing and correcting the Black Dahlia Murder's Three Greatest Urban Myths:
Myth No. 1 – “It was a standalone murder"
Myth No. 2 – “There was a Missing or Lost Week"
Myth No. 3 – “The case was never solved.
2006-2014 Investigation Includes:
• The obtaining of Dr. George Hodel's full DNA PROFILE which can now be made available for law enforcement testing and comparison to multiple cold case unsolved crimes.
• Discovery of the Hollywood residence where the BLACK DAHLIA MURDER was committed along with physical evidence connecting the killer to the house and to the vacant lot where he later transported and posed the victim's surgically bisected body.
• Identification of "The Baron," George Hodel's house-guest and accomplice overheard by detectives discussing "crimes and payoffs" on the 1950 DA bugging tapes.
• New expert medical testimony and evidence photos proving – “A Doctor did it."
• Complete original and unabridged 1950 DA-Hodel Black Dahlia Bugging Transcripts. [146 pages]
• THE HUSTON LETTERS - Personal correspondence between famed film director, John Huston and his ex-wife, Dorothy Huston Hodel [the author's mother] covering the years 1948-1957. In these private letters Dorothy shares with John the day to day personal fear and terror she was experiencing living with George Hodel, as the doctor threatened her and the children with physical harm in the months just prior to his fleeing the country.
• A World Class Surrealist Photographer reveals his firsthand knowledge of the crimes.
• Over 300 photographs and crime exhibits including the 1969 Sowden House 17-Photo Historical Survey.
776 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 13, 2012
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579 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 6, 2012
Pretty much a rehash of his last two books. No real new info.
April 28, 2021
I inadvertently read this out of sequence (can't imagine why I thought a book with a "II" in the title would follow the original instead of being the third, but oh well...) Like Black Dahlia Avenger, the book reads like a police file a lot of the time. Hodel is a detective first, an author second. That said, what it lacks in narrative style it makes up for in calm, methodical examination of facts.
The more expansive Hodel's claims about his father's proposed crimes gets, the more skeptical I become but I'll say this: he brings solid arguments to each claim and is, in the text at least, very transparent about what he believes to be true, what he knows to be true, and what he speculates on based on the available evidence. In that sense I can't say that any of his conclusions are baseless and if you're looking for a good true crime story he's laying out a doozy of one in these books.
The more expansive Hodel's claims about his father's proposed crimes gets, the more skeptical I become but I'll say this: he brings solid arguments to each claim and is, in the text at least, very transparent about what he believes to be true, what he knows to be true, and what he speculates on based on the available evidence. In that sense I can't say that any of his conclusions are baseless and if you're looking for a good true crime story he's laying out a doozy of one in these books.
January 26, 2013
Steve Hodel has either solved the Black Dahlia case or amassed an eerily comprehensive collection of circumstantial evidence. Black Dahlia Avenger was a masterwork of true crime theory that took readers into some very dark alleyways where speculation and fact merged. This sequel is like a case file slash personal collection of notes and addenda. In my view just as engaging as the first, it builds a trial-worthy case against George Hodel and uses documents and first-hand accounts to sketch the web of corruption that led to cover-up and misdirection. This is real-life, real-death LA noir.
January 13, 2019
The body of evidence
This volume fleshes out with further evidence and details the basis of Steve Hodel’s charge that his father George Hodel was the Black Dahlia murderer. Some of the evidence is compiled from personal accounts of events that happened years before and seem to be of questionable credulity. Why would Tamar Hodel allow her teenage daughter to spend an afternoon with her grandfather George Hodel, knowing that she herself had been molested as a young girl by him? Now that stretches credulity. Overall though the book is fascinating and very convincing.
This volume fleshes out with further evidence and details the basis of Steve Hodel’s charge that his father George Hodel was the Black Dahlia murderer. Some of the evidence is compiled from personal accounts of events that happened years before and seem to be of questionable credulity. Why would Tamar Hodel allow her teenage daughter to spend an afternoon with her grandfather George Hodel, knowing that she herself had been molested as a young girl by him? Now that stretches credulity. Overall though the book is fascinating and very convincing.
October 19, 2022
Good follow-up to books 1 and 2, but repetitious.
August 26, 2019
A lot like Hodel's first book
I didn't find this book as fascinating as the Black Dahlia Avenger. It could have been shorter with less rehashing from the first book. Love the many photos. I can't imagine what his third book could be about. I hope it's not another rehash of the first two books.
I didn't find this book as fascinating as the Black Dahlia Avenger. It could have been shorter with less rehashing from the first book. Love the many photos. I can't imagine what his third book could be about. I hope it's not another rehash of the first two books.
May 29, 2023
Me ha costado mucho más que el primero y me he quedado dormida mientras lo leía. Tiende a ser repetitivo, párrafo tras párrafo repitiendo información de algún capítulo anterior o colando pasajes completos de la primera parte y no sé, voy a leer el tercero, claro que sí, pero lo de tener que leer Most Evil y su continuación pues...
January 18, 2019
There are some interesting links in this one. While I find the evidence against George Hill Hodel pretty compelling, I'm not convinced as to some of Steve Hodel's connections, particularly to other murders.
March 12, 2019
Lots of CAPITALIZING! and EXCLAMATION POINTS and unnecessary italics!!
And bolding!!
Some new info here, but it looks like the first book had been updated with a lot of the stuff presented here.
And bolding!!
Some new info here, but it looks like the first book had been updated with a lot of the stuff presented here.
November 11, 2020
Hmmmm... I don’t know what star to give this book. It was interesting, but also very repeating. And I almost felt like Steve Hodel was getting too sure of his theory, and started to pin every other murder he came across on his father.
December 24, 2017
Very compelling case and Hodel has convinced me at least that his father was the murderer of Beth Short.
August 2, 2022
good and updated information
I am sold that Steve Hodeida has cracked the case. It is very convincing that the lapd has kept this case as a secret for many years.
I am sold that Steve Hodeida has cracked the case. It is very convincing that the lapd has kept this case as a secret for many years.
November 5, 2025
Same as Black Dahlia avenger but with more details.
January 19, 2013
Moué... le moins que je puisse dire c'est que je ne suis vraiment pas convaincue par les "thèses" de Steve Hodel quant à l'accusation qu'il porte sur son père, soit disant assassin d'Elizabeth Short et de plein d'autres femmes à Los Angeles.
D'abord l'auteur focalise sur deux photos trouvées dans un album appartenant à son père après la mort de celui-ci, et cherche absolument à nous convaincre que celles-ci représentaient Elizabeth Short. Elles ne sont vraiment pas criantes de ressemblance, beaucoup de femmes à l'époque adoptant le même look. Les thèses construites par cet ancien inspecteur du LAPD reposent énormément sur ce type d'a priori, et d'hypothèses très tirées par les cheveux (les pseudo ressemblances entre les oeuvres d'art de Man Ray que George Hodel adulait et la pose des corps de cadavres de femmes sur les lieux du crime, les pièces à conviction 85a où Steve Hodel s'acharne à comparer 2 photos de femme où il y aurait le même grain de beauté sur le bout du nez alors que de façon très criante ses femmes ne se ressemblent pas du tout, nez épaté pour l'une pas pour l'autre, pas la même bouche...) ; les preuves apportées notamment par la graphologue sont nuancées par du conditionnel et des "probablement", ce que l'auteur ne remarque même pas...
Même si des doutes subsistent quant à l'innocence de George Hodel, car cet homme était réellement un pervers sexuel manipulateur et a priori il existerait des bandes son où celui-ci exprime des faits au sujet d'Elizabeth Short et de sa secrétaire assassinée, le livre nous plonge dans un profond malaise : Steve Hodel parle de tous ces faits horribles avec un détachement extrême, sans émotions sur ce père dont il est persuadé que c'était un monstre (il essaie à un moment de se lâcher dans ses écrits mais ça ne fonctionne pas des masses), et il n'a pas l'air d'éprouver quoi que ce soit pour les victimes. C'est froid, chirurgical, lourd car il tente de nous convaincre à toutes les pages, et malsain finalement.
Pas à un moment il ne remercie Elizabeth Short alors qu'elle est quand même malgré elle, à la base de toute cette fascination morbide. Cette femme après toutes ces décennies n'est plus qu'un tronc légendaire à pseudo célèbre, et c'est ça qui est vraiment triste dans cette affaire... Quand s'intéressera-t-on vraiment à la victime qu'elle fut ?
D'abord l'auteur focalise sur deux photos trouvées dans un album appartenant à son père après la mort de celui-ci, et cherche absolument à nous convaincre que celles-ci représentaient Elizabeth Short. Elles ne sont vraiment pas criantes de ressemblance, beaucoup de femmes à l'époque adoptant le même look. Les thèses construites par cet ancien inspecteur du LAPD reposent énormément sur ce type d'a priori, et d'hypothèses très tirées par les cheveux (les pseudo ressemblances entre les oeuvres d'art de Man Ray que George Hodel adulait et la pose des corps de cadavres de femmes sur les lieux du crime, les pièces à conviction 85a où Steve Hodel s'acharne à comparer 2 photos de femme où il y aurait le même grain de beauté sur le bout du nez alors que de façon très criante ses femmes ne se ressemblent pas du tout, nez épaté pour l'une pas pour l'autre, pas la même bouche...) ; les preuves apportées notamment par la graphologue sont nuancées par du conditionnel et des "probablement", ce que l'auteur ne remarque même pas...
Même si des doutes subsistent quant à l'innocence de George Hodel, car cet homme était réellement un pervers sexuel manipulateur et a priori il existerait des bandes son où celui-ci exprime des faits au sujet d'Elizabeth Short et de sa secrétaire assassinée, le livre nous plonge dans un profond malaise : Steve Hodel parle de tous ces faits horribles avec un détachement extrême, sans émotions sur ce père dont il est persuadé que c'était un monstre (il essaie à un moment de se lâcher dans ses écrits mais ça ne fonctionne pas des masses), et il n'a pas l'air d'éprouver quoi que ce soit pour les victimes. C'est froid, chirurgical, lourd car il tente de nous convaincre à toutes les pages, et malsain finalement.
Pas à un moment il ne remercie Elizabeth Short alors qu'elle est quand même malgré elle, à la base de toute cette fascination morbide. Cette femme après toutes ces décennies n'est plus qu'un tronc légendaire à pseudo célèbre, et c'est ça qui est vraiment triste dans cette affaire... Quand s'intéressera-t-on vraiment à la victime qu'elle fut ?
October 1, 2012
Having read the first book "Black Dahlia Avenger" when it came out, I had to read this one to satisfy my own curiosity. Mr. Hodel actually makes a pretty compelling case in naming his deceased father as not only the killer of Elizabeth Short, but a serial killer of epic proportions. I read this book on my Kindle Fire, and there are a LOT of press clippings and copies of documents in the book that one must enlarge to actually see. Especially interesting is the fact that the author, who was an LAPD Homicide Detective before he retired,is now a private investigator. Anyhow, there is no doubt there was a lot of graft and corruption in the LAPD in the 1940s; abortion was illegal and many policemen had wives and mistressess who obtained abortions from their chief suspect in the Black Dahlia murder (among others). The doctor was also tried for incest with his 14 year old daughter and acquitted! That in itself is an ugly story (she also received an abortion). The author's mother was scared to death of her ex-husband (she had once been married to movie director John Huston) and made no secret of it. There are ties to many, many "unvsolved" murders named in the book and it is terrible.... However, when the new police chief came in, the D.A.'s office apparently ordered all of the paperwork delivered to them where it has rested in boxes on a shelf for over fifty years. The author had access to this paperwork, and the fact that the police never arrested the murderer in question speaks to one to the reasons why I hate politics so much. It was one of those "lesser of two evil" choices for the department, the county, and th individual officers and attorneys involved. This book is not for the faint of heart at all. It reveals just how very ugly humans can be. However, I have read true crime books my whole life and I thought the author was very thorough to date. He is still investigating all of this.....
May 9, 2013
Seré muy breve porque lamentablemente hay poco que decir. Primero, recomiendo leer el comentario que escribí sobre el primer libro de Steve Hodel, Black Dahlia Avenger. Así será más fácil hacerse una composición de lugar. En cualquier caso, haré un resumen: Steve Hodel, durante muchos años detective de la policía de Los Ángeles, descubre entre los recuerdos de su padre fallecido fotos de varias mujeres entre las que cree distinguir a Elizabeth Short*, la famosa joven asesinada de forma brutal en los años 40. Su instinto de policía le induce a emprender una investigación que detalla a lo largo del libro y que concluye con la certeza de que su padre, George Hodel, mató a la Dalia Negra y a otras tantas mujeres en las décadas de los 40 y 50.
Black Dahlia Avenger II es un inmenso apéndice del primer libro. También hay menciones al segundo, sobre otros asesinatos también presuntamente cometidos por George Hodel en la zona de San Francisco, que yo obvié por su probable falta de veracidad (ahora parece que el señor Hodel es el culpable de todos los asesinatos sin resolver de la historia de California). Cuando digo apéndice, me refiero precisamente al añadido de datos, anécdotas, fotografías y otros que no aporta nada nuevo a la idea principal y que simplemente busca afianzarla. La editorial del primer libro es Harper Collins, la del segundo, Thoughtprint Press. La diferencia entre ambas es grande. El primer libro era un relato bien expuesto y cuidado. El segundo es tan literario como un expediente policial: desordenado, mal redactado, mal maquetado y muy reiterativo. En resumen, sí, es un libro del que se puede prescindir aunque seas un aficionado a las historias criminales.
*Es curioso el tema de las fotografías. Steve Hodel reconoce en este segundo libro que tiene dudas de que la mujer de las fotografías fuera Elizabeth Short. Es decir, que su corazonada fue falsa aunque el resultado de la investigación fuera bueno. Curioso.
Black Dahlia Avenger II es un inmenso apéndice del primer libro. También hay menciones al segundo, sobre otros asesinatos también presuntamente cometidos por George Hodel en la zona de San Francisco, que yo obvié por su probable falta de veracidad (ahora parece que el señor Hodel es el culpable de todos los asesinatos sin resolver de la historia de California). Cuando digo apéndice, me refiero precisamente al añadido de datos, anécdotas, fotografías y otros que no aporta nada nuevo a la idea principal y que simplemente busca afianzarla. La editorial del primer libro es Harper Collins, la del segundo, Thoughtprint Press. La diferencia entre ambas es grande. El primer libro era un relato bien expuesto y cuidado. El segundo es tan literario como un expediente policial: desordenado, mal redactado, mal maquetado y muy reiterativo. En resumen, sí, es un libro del que se puede prescindir aunque seas un aficionado a las historias criminales.
*Es curioso el tema de las fotografías. Steve Hodel reconoce en este segundo libro que tiene dudas de que la mujer de las fotografías fuera Elizabeth Short. Es decir, que su corazonada fue falsa aunque el resultado de la investigación fuera bueno. Curioso.
February 19, 2017
I will not be posting a complete list of my true crime/serial killer reading in public.
April 15, 2013
I enjoyed Hodel's follow-up book to The Black Dahlia Avenger. I think it's clear that he's worked very hard investigating this case, and he again provides compelling evidence that his father in fact knew Elizabeth Short and was responsible for her murder. A lot of what he talks about in this book is repetitive to the first book, but it was nice to refresh my memory on some things, and he does provide some new tidbits as well. However, I'm still not sure about George Hodel being The Zodiac Killer, but I did not read "Most Evil", which focuses on this.
June 6, 2014
Lots of information. Some redundancy. I read the original BDA years ago. I still think that he has done any excellent job of proving that his father was indeed the BDA. As far as relations to other murders, his theories are interesting and he does pinpoint eerie similarities. The Lipstick Murders do seem feasible that his father may have been involved. However, the Zodiac murders seem a little more like wishful thinking. Overall, he is an excellent author and the man does his research!!!
April 11, 2014
Lots of interesting information, but that's all this is - a collection of bit and pieces, without any coherent overview. If you're new to the case I'd say steer clear of this one and go for the first book, but otherwise this does a good job of plugging some of the gaps in the story.
September 19, 2015
Very compelling and tastefully written
I heard of this story and had to read it for myself...I also hope an L.A detective with intelligence would just read this, even to try to disprove the findings.
I heard of this story and had to read it for myself...I also hope an L.A detective with intelligence would just read this, even to try to disprove the findings.
June 17, 2012
Don't judge me. Okay, judge me. I'm a sucker for true crime stories, even HIGHLY questionably written ones...
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews