SISTERS IN DEATH
The Black Dahlia, The Prairie Heiress, & Their Hunter
BY ELI FRANKEL
America’s greatest unsolved murder.
The defining case of the 20th century.
The ultimate true crime mystery.
Who was Elizabeth Short?
Who killed THE BLACK DAHLIA?
For decades the case has been shrouded in lies, myths, misconceptions and exaggerations.
While its legend only grows.
A long list of potential suspects have become the obsession of modern researchers and writers.
But no connection to the victim has ever been established with any of these suspects.
Leaving the case ice cold.
Until now.
Through never before seen evidence and stunning revelations from those who lived the saga, the missing pieces are about to be revealed.
The Black Dahlia case is finally solved.
And the story is unlike anything you could imagine.
SISTERS IN DEATH: The Black Dahlia, The Prairie Heiress & Their Hunter, available from Kensington Press October 2025
"Sisters in Death" is a stunning journalistic achievement. Author Eli Frankel brings the heat to one of the most notorious cold cases in the history of American crime. With the eye of a skilled detective and an Ellroyesque ability to take the reader into the crime scene and on the hunt for a notorious killer, Frankel finally provides answers to what really happened to the beautiful, young Elizabeth Short. Forget what you think you know about The Black Dahlia. The truth is even more terrifying than what you've been led to believe!"
A gripping and chilling journey into one of the most tantalizing unsolved crimes in American history––the brutal murder of Elizabeth Short, known as the “Black Dahlia.” In this meticulously researched telling, Frankel exposes one of Hollywood’s oldest and darkest secrets with a shocking twist that will change everything you thought you knew about the Black Dahlia. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!
The infamous 1940s Black Dahlia murder case in Los Angeles may not ever be formally solved, but Sisters in Death, which links the LA murder of Elizabeth Short to the grisly 1941 slaughter of Leila Walsh in Kansas City via a psychopath who knew them both, makes a convincing argument for author Eli Frankel's ghastly conclusion. Exhaustively researched, deftly written, Sisters in Death is Frankel's first book. Readers will hope that it's far from his last.
The unsolved and brutal "Black Dahlia" murder case has been part of the Los Angeles' lurid crime history for almost 80 years. Like the death of Marilyn Monroe, movies and books and speculation about the real truth have run rampant. Now Hollywood producer-author Eli Frankel has come up with a stunning new take with "Sisters in Death." which delves deeply into the murder of 23-year-old Elizabeth Short. It is a riveting "must read" for true crime aficionados.
In this meticulous and exhaustive analysis of the infamous Black Dahlia incident, Eli Frankel sets the record straight on the investigation and on the victim. His considerable effort to link two strikingly similar murders to a single suspect makes his killer more credible than other popular options. Students of this long-unsolved case should celebrate Frankel's contribution. This book is an essential read for any true crime fan.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Who killed the Black Dahlia? In this eye-opening shocker, an award-winning producer, true-crime researcher, and Hollywood insider finally solves the greatest - and most gruesome - murder mystery of the twentieth century just before its 80th anniversary.
In January 1947, the bisected body of Elizabeth Short, completely drained of blood, was
discovered in an undeveloped lot in Los Angeles. Its gruesome mutilations led to a firestorm of publicity, city-wide panic, and an unprecedented number of investigative paths led by the LAPD—all dead ends. The Black Dahlia murder remained an unsolved mystery for over seventy years.
Six years earlier and sixteen hundred miles away, another woman’s life had ended in a similarly horrific manner. Leila Welsh was an ambitious, educated, popular, and socially connected beauty. Though raised modestly on a prairie farm, she was heiress to her Kansas City family’s status and wealth. On a winter morning in 1941, Leila’s butchered body was found in her bedroom bearing unspeakable trauma.
One victim faded into obscurity. The other became notorious. Both had in common a killer whose sadistic mind was a labyrinth of dark secrets.
Eli Frankel reveals for the first time a key fact about the Black Dahlia crime scene, never before shared with the public, that leads inexorably to the stunning identification of a criminal who was at the same time amateurish and fiendish, skilled and lucky, sophisticated and brutish. Drawing on newly discovered documents, law enforcement files, interviews with the last surviving participants, the victims’ own letters, trial transcripts, military records, and more, this epic true-crime saga puts together the missing pieces of a legendary puzzle.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eli Frankel has served as a television and documentary production company owner, Emmy-nominated executive producer, network executive, showrunner, editor, camera operator, writer, and director of multiple series for broadcast television, cable television, and streaming networks. His credits include MGM/Epix’s definitive Charles Manson documentary series “Helter Skelter”, Netflix’s Emmy-nominated Skin Decision, Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian, American Chopper, Survivor, Amazing Race, and many other series. A graduate of the University of Southern California’s distinguished School of Cinema/Television film production program, he wrote, directed, and co-produced the feature film 21, which was selected for the Independent Feature Film Market at the New York Film Festival and won the best picture award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. As an avid true crime researcher and writer, he devoted more than five years to solving the mystery of who killed the Black Dahlia. He lives in Los Angeles and can be contacted HERE.