I thought I would try something in a later time period than I read normally. The mid 1940's murder of the Black Dahlia has always fascinated me. I think the fascination is a combination of horror and amazement. Horror at the level of violence inflicted on Elizabeth Short and amazement that such a crime was never solved.So, I got hold of a copy of John Gilmore's Severed the True Story of the Black Dahlia. Gilmore's good. The book is well paced. Gilmore provides a lengthy depiction of Short's personal life and the marginal existence she led prior to her murder. Severed is incredibly graphic. So much so that I was way over my head! Give me simple straight forward thieves any day of the week. I'm not sure if I agree with Gilmore about who the murderer is. If you Google the Black Dahlia you'll find multiple sights dealing with the crime. There are also several different men named as the murderer including two children who have named their fathers and written books about why they believe their Dad it. {Boy you'd really have to hate your Father to think him capable of doing these things} One woman named Orson Welles as the murder. It's sad that the case is going to remain unsolved. So many theories with no satisfactory answers.
I haven't got anything new to read. So I may go back to reading some old favorites. I'm not supposed to buy any new books until I finish reading all of the mysteries I've accumulated and let sit. But we'll see....
