“The evidence points to jilted lovers and vengeful husbands”
Cracking an infamous cold case in LA Noi re
The murder of Elizabeth Short, better known as the Black Dahlia, is one of America’s most famous cases. Her mutilated body was found dumped in a vacant lot in Los Angeles on January 15, 1948, and despite investigating almost 200 suspects, the LAPD never identified the killer. The savage nature of her death has been a source of fascination for historians, amateur detectives, and writers for the past 70 years. And her murder has even permeated the world of videogames via Rockstar’s 2011 detective adventure LA Noire. Around the time of Short’s murder, protagonist Cole Phelps is promoted to the LAPD’s homicide desk. You investigate a series of murders bearing all the hallmarks of the Dahlia killer, but the evidence says otherwise, pointing to jilted lovers and vengeful husbands. That is until the final case, The Quarter Moon Murders, where it’s revealed that they were all framed by Garrett Mason, the real culprit. It later transpires that Mason is related to a government official, and so the Black Dahlia case remains, at least in the public’s eyes, unsolved. His crimes are covered up, and life goes on.
I’ve read a lot about the Black Dahlia and ’40s Los Angeles, and it’s a thrill to experience these events first-hand in LA Noire. The opportunity to explore such a lavish, authentic recreation of the city’s post-war years is extremely valuable as a fan of the era, and it’s clear developer Team Bondi did its homework. The resolution of the homicide desk is unsatisfying in some ways, with the killer’s reveal rendering all the legwork and clue hunting you did pointless. But the way the Short murder is woven into the story is very well done.
Of course, Team Bondi wasn’t the first to tell a story like this. In 1987, James Ellory’s book The Black Dahlia told a story rooted in the facts of the Dahlia case, and also imagined an outcome where it was solved. The story in the novel is very different, but it’s interesting to note the similarities in how the game and book use Short’s murder to tell their stories. However, as intriguing as these mysteries are, I do have to remind myself that Elizabeth Short was a real person. Pop culture’s obsession with her tragic demise is, honestly, a little bit creepy.
Time travel
LA Noire is probably Rockstar’s most divisive game, but I adore it. I’m aware of the disguised linearity of the cases and the often-confusing truth/ doubt/lie system, of course. But when it does such a good job of transporting me back ’40s LA, I’ll happily overlook its flaws. I have a special appreciation for games that give me the chance to explore virtual recreations of places I can never visit. That’s something LA Noire doesn’t get enough credit for, and I’m dreaming of the day when Rockstar decides to make another one, as unlikely as that seems.
the way the Short murder is woven into the story is very well done