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| Plot Summary of The Black Dahlia |
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"Set in post-war Los Angeles (1947-1949), _The Black Dahlia_ centers on the partnership of two former prizefighters -- narrator Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard -- who are now officers with the LAPD. The sex murder of a young woman, found sliced in half, sends the two on a mission not only to break the case but to deal with corruption, racism and abuse among their fellow cops, and face their own pasts and their somewhat complicated and grubby personal codes. This excellent noir police thriller would become the first part of Ellroy's superb, gritty and profane "LA quartet," to be followed by _The Big Nowhere_, _L.A. Confidential_, and _White Jazz_."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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"Young ambitious cop Bucky Bleichert becomes drawn into the horrific torture-mutilation-murder of promiscuous aspiring Hollywood starlet Elizabeth Short, the "Black Dahlia" of the title. As his obsession intensifies, Bleichert becomes as brutal and immoral as the criminals he fights, but despite having lost almost everything, he does solve the baffling case by himself."
Gary Roberts, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Black Dahlia |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of story
- Dry-cynical
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 1930's-1950's
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 30%
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Who's the terrorist enemy here?
- evil subgroup in own govt
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- finding a known killer
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a significant amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- bulging muscles
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- throughout most of the book.
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- West
- California
The Americas (not US):
Yes
The Americas:
- Mexico
City?
Yes
City:
- Los Angeles
- dangerous
Small town?
Yes
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
- fancy mansion
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies
How many deaths?
- 5-7
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- lesbians!
- actual description of sex
- descript. of breasts
Unusual forms of death
- asphyxiation
- rough sex
- perforation--bullets
- perforation--swords/knives
- blunt clubbing (like seals)
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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