What I should first point out is that this book does not—as Steve Hodel claims—prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that his father, George Hill Hodel, was the Black Dahlia Killer or the Red Lipstick killer. I will say that his theories and the conjecture that he bases them upon are somewhat fascinating. Were this book a fictionalized account like Ellroy’s ‘The Black Dahlia,’ I think I may have loved it. From what evidence Hodel can present, his father certainly seems like he was capable of such terrible crimes as the brutal murder of Elizabeth Anne Short, but there is no real evidence, circumstantial or otherwise, to prove it. I may be a fool for not trusting the gut feelings of a twenty-plus year veteran of the LAPD, especially one with an impressive rate of case closures, but supposition is just not the same as evidence.

In the later portion of the novel, Hodel even goes so far as to suggest that the murder of the mother of James Ellroy (which was undoubtedly responsible for the author’s lifetime fascination with violent crime and his self-proclaimed obsession with Elizabeth anne Short) was committed by George Hill Hodel’s accomplice, thereby linking it to the Black Dahlia murder. If this really is true, it is certainly one of the cruelest bits of irony that the universe has ever delivered. However, this piece of conjecture on the part of Steve Hodel has even less evidence supporting it than his theory of his father being the Black Dahlia killer.

As far as the actual writing goes, I have to admit that this book is somewhat boring in sections. But as has been said, boredom is no excuse for not reading a book that may have some importance beyond pure entertainment value (something which I’m sure many people would dispute). The biographical and autobiographical sections of the book are the most interesting, and left me with some curiosity about the life of Steve Hodel, but not necessarily his expansion upon his father’s alleged crimes.

Apparently, Mr. Hodel has also written a sort of companion to this book where he attempts to show that his father may also have been the infamous Zodiac killer. I confess that the idea that one man could have been responsible for so many killings and have gotten away with them all is a bit far-fetched to me, especially during the expansion and refinement of forensic science that took place in the twentieth century. Even so, it may be worth a read just for the hell of it.

My suggestion to Mr. Hodel would be to sit down with a reputable and talented writer of crime fiction and try to turn his theory of his father’s alleged crimes into a more narrative-driven account. Considering that the author seems to abhore such true crime books, it’s probably unlikely, but I think it could sell a hell of a lot of books. I’d certainly be interested in reading it.