Any new book on the killing of Elizabeth Short is an interesting event, since much of the evidence is unavailable and much that is available has been sifted and resifted. Those who follow the case are likely to be well-informed and, absent an undeniable, lead-pipe-cinch solution, likely to have views that run counter to the new ‘solution’. At the same time, the case is iconic; it says so much about Chandler’s city and about the LAPD that the journey toward a ‘conclusion’, if well constructed, will be rewarding in its own right.That journey is beautifully charted by Piu Eatwell, who has a passion for texture, for material culture and for raw historical fact. With its film noir and classic crime fiction epigraphs it is designed to be evocative and in that it certainly succeeds.I do not want to spoil the ‘conclusion’ but I will say the following: the prime suspect has been so identified in the past; this is not a wild guess emerging from some distant left field. The case is circumstantial and it is extensive and persuasive. At the same time, the prime suspect has been eliminated because of an alibi, an alibi which the author attacks aggressively, if not in a manner that absolutely compels belief. Absent a dated, untouched photograph that locates the suspect 382 miles from the crime scene (as alleged) or some similar form of exculpatory evidence, the veracity of the alibi—given the shaky witnesses attesting to it—is unresolvable.The circumstantial case, however, is very strong. The author constructs a narrative, complete with a psychological profile prepared by an expert witness (who interrogated the suspect) that makes sense. It is coherent and persuasive. It also squares with the larger narrative of how women drawn to tinseltown could easily find themselves entering the valley of the shadow of death and not the nothing-but-blue-skies-ahead glamorous world of wealth, fame and lead film roles.The book is well-written, well-researched and very engaging. I will release this bit of information: (SPOILER) the author disagrees with Steve Hodel’s famous account of his father’s guilt, an account which James Ellroy found convincing. I personally find this author’s case more convincing, in part because the pictures of ‘Elizabeth Short’ in George Hodel’s effects simply do not look like Elizabeth Short and the case, while very imaginative (with the victim’s body constructed to evoke work by Man Ray) simply too unlikely.The book includes a bibliography of primary and secondary materials, an index (unlike Hodel’s book), a list of dramatis personae, 8 pp. of contemporary photographs and a postscript which lists ‘what happened to’ the principals in the story. These are all helpful and informative. The illustrations in Hodel’s book, however, are far more extensive and not to be missed by devotees of the case. Crime scene and autopsy gore are now generally available on the internet, though first viewers should be warned that they are very disturbing.R.I.P., Elizabeth.Highly recommended.