Detective Anna Travis is working on a horrific, brutal murder case that has created a media frenzy. The victim, Louise Pennel, a 24-year-old, single, 'fun-loving' girl, was last seen in a London night club wearing a sequinned mini-dress and a red rose in her hair. In an eerie mirror image of the famous LA murder case of Elizabeth Short in the l940s known as the Black Dahlia, her body was found dumped by the River Thames… severed in half and brutalised beyond recognition. Anna Travis must summon all the strength and guile she became so well known for in ABOVE SUSPICION to hunt down this sadistic killer. **Lynda La Plante's Widows is now a major motion picture**
******* A TIMES 'BOOK OF THE YEAR' ******* ***Shortlisted for the CWA Dagger for non-fiction*** 'A magnificent, meticulous and startling re-examination of a crime that haunts the world's imagination' Geoffrey Wansell, author of An Evil Love: The Life of Frederick West 'Eatwell writes brilliantly . . . [she] has finally offered [Elizabeth] Short a type of belated justice. Her book reads like a thriller' Sunday Times 'A compelling read, in both style and substance . . . A must-read for anyone with an interest in the Black Dahlia - or indeed any fan of the true-crime genre' Rod Reynolds, author of The Dark Inside 'Compulsively readable, impeccably researched and heart-rending at times . . . Superb' Sarah Lotz, author of The Three and The White Road ************* On 15th January 1947, the naked, dismembered body of a black-haired beauty, Elizabeth Short, was discovered lying next to a pavement in a Hollywood suburb. She was quickly nicknamed The Black Dahlia. The homicide inquiry that followed consumed Los Angeles for years and the authorities blew millions of dollars of resources on an investigation that threw up dozens of suspects. But it never was solved. Until now. In this ground-breaking book, Piu Eatwell reveals compelling forensic and eye witness evidence for the first time, which finally points to the identity of the murderer. The case was immortalised in James Ellroy's famous novel based on the case, in Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon and Brian de Palma's movie The Black Dahlia. This is a dark tale of sex, manipulation, obsession, psychopathy and one of the biggest police cover ups in history.
The first instalment in the bestselling Anna Travis series from the BAFTA-winning writer Lynda La Plante, author of Widows, now a major motion picture Young Anna Travis has been assigned to her first murder case - a series of killings that has shocked even the most hardened of detectives. They started eight years ago - now the body count is up to six. The method of killing is identical, the backgrounds of the girls identical - all drug-users and prostitutes. Then a seventh body is found. The modus operandi is the same - but the victim is a young student with the 'face of an angel'. The profile of the murderer has changed dramatically. Determined to earn the respect of her male colleagues, Anna stumbles on a vital piece of information which links one man to the killings, a much-loved actor on the brink of international stardom. His arrest would create a media frenzy. But if he were foundinnocent, his wouldn't be the only career over - Anna's hard fought for reputation would be destroyed once and for all … 'Lynda La Plante practically invented the thriller. Above Suspicion blew me away - it grabs you and doesn't let go until the last page' KARIN SLAUGHTER 'La Plante is building up an interesting body of writing that is underrated… Anna proves a resourceful and believable heroine and heralds the launch of a major new character' GUARDIAN 'The prime suspect here is an adored actor, poised to hit the big time. Could he really be behind a string of grisly murders? It's up to Anna Travis, La Plante's gutsy new heroine, to find out' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Like Jane Tennison, Anna Travis has to work a world which is still rampantly chauvinistic… it is a novel to read about the complexity of relationships, as well as for its compelling plot' DAILY EXPRESS
For Viewers of the TNT Series I Am the Night and Fans of the Root of Evil Podcast, the Bestselling Book That Revealed the Shocking Identity of the Black Dahlia Killer and the Police Corruption That Concealed It for So Long A New York Times Bestseller An International Bestseller A New York Times Notable Book An Edgar Award Finalist In 1947, the brutal, sadistic murder of a beautiful young woman named Elizabeth Short led to the largest manhunt in LA history. The killer teased and taunted the police and public for weeks, but his identity stayed a mystery, and the murder remained the most tantalizing unsolved case of the last century, until this book revealed the bizarre solution. Steve Hodel, a retired LAPD detective who was a private investigator, took up the case, reviewing the original evidence and records as well as those of a separate grand jury investigation into a series of murders of single women in LA at the time. The prime suspect had in fact been identified, but never indicted. Why? And who was he? In an account that partakes both of LA Confidential and Zodiac, for the corruption it exposes and the insight it offers into a serial killer’s mind, Hodel demonstrates that there was a massive police cover-up. Even more shocking, he proves that the murderer, a true-life Jekyll and Hyde who was a highly respected member of society by day and a psychopathic killer by night, was his own father. This edition of the book includes new findings and photographs added after the original publication, together with a new postscript by the author.
The highly acclaimed novel based on America's most infamous unsolved murder case. Dive into 1940s Los Angeles as two cops spiral out of control in their hunt for The Black Dahlia's killer in this powerful thriller that is "brutal and at the same time believable" (New York Times). On January 15, 1947, the torture-ravished body of a beautiful young woman is found in a Los Angeles 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: Warrants Squad cops, friends, and rivals in love with the same woman. But 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.
Knowlton experiences a flood of repressed childhood memories, and realizes that her father was L.A.'s notorious Black Dahlia Killer. Carefully documenting her claims, she exposes George Knowlton's 30-year rampage of rape and murder. Even more shocking is the evidence she provides revealing that the police always knew the killer's identity.
Electronic Distribution Date: October 1999 Printed & Bound Distribution Date: October 1999 This is a unique and compelling account of the Black Dahlia murder - one of Hollywood's most infamous unsolved crimes. Childhood Shadows: The Hidden Story of the Black Dahlia Murder combines the author's personal experience as a close friend of Elizabeth Short with in-depth research, bringing a unique perspective and opening up an intriguing new area of speculation about who the killer might be. Author Mary Pacios sets the stage by recreating the neighborhood she shared with Elizabeth 'Bette' Short during the years of the Great Depression and World War II. The war ends, but instead of peace, the horrendous murder of the young and beautiful Elizabeth Short sends shock waves through the nation. Years later, haunted by the unsolved murder of her childhood friend, Pacios sets out to discover the true circumstances surrounding her friend's brutal death. Because of her personal relationship with the victim, Pacios gains access to officials close to the investigation, who discuss with her unpublicized details of the case and their own privately held theories about who murdered the Black Dahlia. A Network of people sent Pacios information and gave her referrals. The research that Pacios expected to last only a few months, turned into a strange ten-year odyssey, leading her to a well-known celebrity whose name as a suspect is likely to startle millions. Appendices of public documents, an extensive annotated bibliography and photographs are included.
Under the watchful eye of DCS James Langton, DCI Anna Travis takes charge of an investigation for the first time. But is it purely a missing person's case - or a full blown murder enquiry? An ominous pool of blood and no victim lead Anna on a desperate hunt for a man who has disappeared without trace. As Anna becomes obsessed with seemingly irrelevant details, Langton fears that she is losing control. They still have no body and Anna is under increasing pressure to make an arrest...