I seem to have a love/hate relationship with the writings of this author. There are instances when after reading one of her books, I swear never to read another, and then find one I haven't read and bring it home.

Exceedingly dark, this is a set of short stories, each different, but alike it the typical noir of her writing style. The title is taken from the first story of Elizabeth Short, aka The murdered woman known as The Black Dahlia. The unsolved mystery remains to haunt. I'm not sure if Elizabeth was a room mate of Marilyn Monroe, but in this story the two beauties share an apartment while trying to make a mark in Hollywood. One is grossly butchered, the other goes on to ever-lasting fame.

Some of the remaining stories are ok, but not as strong as the first. Overall, unless you are an avid fan of Joyce Carol Oates, I can't recommend this one. But there certainly is something about her style that keeps me coming back for more. ( )

What a joy this reading was. There are snappy, surprising short stories that show the classic human sides. Each story shows other abysses that are self-contained and can not be compared. Each story grabbed me from the first set and was exciting until the end.
This book I highly recommend. ( )

This is a collection of short stories. The author is prolific and has written better books than this one. She might be considered a modern day Edgar Allan Poe. Some of the stories are more interesting than others. Some are odd in than apparently the character changes from human to animal without any explanation (one story from woman to bird and in another from woman to spotted hyena). The story called Anniversary has an apparent conflicting ending. Joyce is well researched as evidenced by the stories of Black Dahlia and White Rose and that of Spotted Hyenas: A Romance. Joyce likes to deal with stories of sexual frustration and broken relationships. I liked the story entitled Good Samaritan for the interesting ending. ( )

Chilling. Loved it! ( )

LOVED the first story. Freakin' amazing. Gave me nightmares. The rest were tedious and I was unable to get through them.