The orginal Black Dahlia - Elizabeth Short. Brutally murdered in real life and in James Ellroy's novel. June saw the Tyneside Book Club mixed up in the murky and murderous world of 1940s Los Angeles.
James Ellroy's The Black Dahlia is based on the real-life murder of Elizabeth Short - a Hollywood hopeful whose body was found badly mutilated. But much of the rest of the novel comes purely from Ellroy's imagination.
That proved to be a very dark place, and this was certainly not a book for the faint-hearted. Tyneside Book Club members though largely embraced its pitch-black tone and subject matter.
Some found it hard going at first, and felt the novel took some time to get into its stride. Ellroy's spare and pithy style though did appeal to most.
Many liked the fact this wasn't a straightforward story of victims and heroes with its moral ambiguity making it complex, and perceptions of characters changing as events unfolded.
That complexity did mean occasionally checking back to ensure you could follow the twists and turns, but it also meant the conclusion was far from predictable.
And although there was a whodunnit interest within the plot, members found much of their fascination lay in the characters and atmosphere.
Some did find it a little too bleak, having to break off and come up for air from the intentionally claustrophobic atmosphere, but most found the last few chapters raced to a compelling conclusion, which did at least have some germs of hope for the future of some characters.
Overall, The Black Dahlia proved to be a good choice, with much to discuss. For most, it was their first encounter with Ellroy, but the quality of his writing means most said they would be keen to read more.
James Ellroy's The Black Dahlia is based on the real-life murder of Elizabeth Short - a Hollywood hopeful whose body was found badly mutilated. But much of the rest of the novel comes purely from Ellroy's imagination.
That proved to be a very dark place, and this was certainly not a book for the faint-hearted. Tyneside Book Club members though largely embraced its pitch-black tone and subject matter.
Some found it hard going at first, and felt the novel took some time to get into its stride. Ellroy's spare and pithy style though did appeal to most.
Many liked the fact this wasn't a straightforward story of victims and heroes with its moral ambiguity making it complex, and perceptions of characters changing as events unfolded.
That complexity did mean occasionally checking back to ensure you could follow the twists and turns, but it also meant the conclusion was far from predictable.
And although there was a whodunnit interest within the plot, members found much of their fascination lay in the characters and atmosphere.
Some did find it a little too bleak, having to break off and come up for air from the intentionally claustrophobic atmosphere, but most found the last few chapters raced to a compelling conclusion, which did at least have some germs of hope for the future of some characters.
Overall, The Black Dahlia proved to be a good choice, with much to discuss. For most, it was their first encounter with Ellroy, but the quality of his writing means most said they would be keen to read more.
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