Publishers Weekly declared that Severed 'delves deeply into one of Hollywood's most celebrated murder cases.' Through Gilmore's relentless spade work, the spectral luster of this most spectacular unsolved murder in American crime history seems not diminished but enhanced. John had the opportunity to interview Arnold Smith, the outcome might have been different.'

Douglas (author of Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit) states that 'Gilmore has done extensive research into the Short case. Gilmore reveals the twisted psychology and down-and-out life story of the murder suspect, including transcripts of his taped 'indirect confession.' In his book The Cases That Haunt Us, legendary FBI profiler John E. Severed remains the first non-fiction book to offer a documented exploration of the Black Dahlia case endorsed by law enforcement and forensic science experts. After reading Severed, I feel like I truly know Elizabeth Short and her killer.' In his hard-boiled yet haunting prose, Gilmore evokes some of the spookiest corridors of old-time Los Angeles, the wartime world of Hollywood bars, dance halls and rooming houses where, as the author puts it, 'no one remembers the names.' Severed also unfolds the tangled inside story of the police investigation into the murder and the Hearst-stoked media frenzy that paralleled it. The question of who killed the Black Dahlia stands today as one of the most intractable mysteries in the annals of true crime.ĭirector David Lynch described Severed as 'the most satisfying and disturbing conclusion to the Black Dahlia case. Valentine's Day Massacre and the Lindbergh kidnapping-was the first to grip the psyche of post-war America with its stark carnality. The Black Dahlia murder-unlike such earlier headline-grabbing cases as the St.

Author John GIlmore in front of residential hotel where Black Dahlia suspect died in fire.

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