Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-332) and index.

On January 15th 1947 the naked, dismembered body of a black-haired beauty, Elizabeth Short, was discovered lying next to a pavement in a Hollywood suburb. She was quickly nicknamed The Black Dahlia. The homicide enquiry that followed consumed Los Angeles for years and the authorities blew millions of dollars of resources on an investigation which threw up dozens of suspects. But it never was solved, until now. Piu Eatwell for the first time reveals compelling evidence, both forensic and eye witness, which finally points to the identity of the murderer. This is a dark tale of sex, manipulation, orgies, obsession, psychopathy and one of the biggest police cover ups in history. The case was immortalised in James Ellroy's famous novel based on the case, in Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon and Brian de Palma's movie.