Black Dahlia, Red Rose by Piu Eatwell

It is January 15^th 1947 and in a park in Los Angeles the shocking discovery of the dismembered body of a dark woman is discovered. She was to become known as The Black Dahlia a notorious murder and the investigation that followed would cost the state millions of dollars. In Black Dahlia, Red Rose author Piu Eatwell tries to uncover what really happened and who killed Elizabeth Short.

Over the years there have been many investigations into the Black Dahlia case, but Piu Eatwell uses her past experience as a lawyer and delves into both FBI and LAPD archives to re-examine the case and the police investigation that followed. A tale of half-truths and corrupt officials. Black Dahlia, Red Rose reads from the start like a crime thriller never mind an investigation and this is great credit to Piu Eatwell author of The Dead Duke, his secret wife and the missing Corpse. The fact that this case dates back to 1947 the difficulties of trying to untangle all the documents and sift through the countless police reports not to mention the press who took a great interest in this case are always going to be difficult. Many suspects were interviewed over the murder of Elizabeth Short but no-one was ever charged for the murder of the 22-year-old woman. So the question is where mistakes made in the investigation or was that leads on the case not taken up and followed, then of course there was suspicions of corruption within the force.

There was of course intense speculation from the press as to Elizabeth Short’s lifestyle, was she a dreamer that fell into the Hollywood dream and wanted fame on the silver screen or was she a crazy man hunter. The press and the Hollywood followers came up with many explanations to the life of The Black Dahlia. Many who ended up on the road to Hollywood came off the rails, but looking at her story it evident that Elizabeth Short was a vulnerable young woman living from one day to the next from one cheap hotel to another and thus men came and men went. It is sad to say that it was just a matter of time before she fell in with the wrong type. The underworld that was then in that part of the world is dark and murky and was to be avoided. A world of sex, drugs corruption and more you enter this world and it is difficult to find an exit. Was this the world that The Black Dahlia inhabited?

Piu Eatwell writes superbly and although this is a true life crime that she is investigating Eatwell writes like a crime thriller and it reads like and old school crime thriller that has many twists and turns not to mention the shocking details that keep being thrown up. It is a book that anyone who has an interest will have real difficulty in putting this down.

It would be so easy to claim to have cracked this case but this is not what this book is about. It about pure investigative instinct in wanting to go through the facts look under every stone even those that were not lifted for whatever reason error or otherwise. Is there a suspect at the end of this, well that is something you will have to discover for yourself? Someone murdered Elizabeth Short and got away with. Even after all these years it is time to separate fact from fiction and try and find the killer of one of the most heinous murders in US history.

Black Dahlia, Red Rose is a highly recommended read and one that does not disappoint on any level.

368 Pages.

Thank you to Diana Morgan for the advanced review copy of Black Dahlia, Red Rose.

Black Dahlia, Red Rose by Piu Eatwell is published by Coronet (Hodder & Stoughton) and was published on 28^th September and is available through Waterstones, Amazon and all good bookshops.