Steve Hodel, New York Times bestselling author of “Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder” will return for an encore ‘Author Night’ appearance in the South Pasadena Public Library Community Room on May 19 at 7:00 p.m. In 2008 Hodel appeared before a full house in the venue and revealed a wealth of compelling evidence that his father, Dr. George Hodel, was 1947’s Black Dahlia murderer, the perpetrator of one of the most infamous crimes in Los Angeles history.
George Hodel (1907-1999) grew up in South Pasadena on an estate on Monterey Road. He was identified as a child musical prodigy and the Hodel home was even visited by famed composer Rachmaninoff. Later George Hodel was declared a boy genius after scoring 186 on an IQ test, purportedly 1 point higher than Einstein. George graduated early from South Pasadena High School and in 1923 at only age 14 entered Cal Tech. Later as Dr. George Hodel, a physician, he hobnobbed with Hollywood socialites. 1n 1949 Dr. George Hodel became a Black Dahlia murder suspect and the LAPD planted two microphones in the family home. Dr. Hodel abruptly moved to the Philippines under very suspicious circumstances and after living there for many years, returned to Northern California in the late 60s.
Steve Hodel’s follow-up “Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hodel “is even more shocking than its predecessor. “Most Evil” presents a stack of forensic, visual, and circumstantial evidence that Dr. George Hodel may well have been the ”The Zodiac,” who committed the most bizarre series of murders of the 20th Century. In the late 60s and early 70s The Zodiac terrorized California with his serial killings and his cryptic threats to police and newspapers. Steve Hodel spent 24 years as a homicide detective with the LAPD earning one of the highest “solve rates” in the department before becoming a nonfiction crime author. The publication of his “Black Dahlia Avenger” in 2003 garnered national news coverage and television appearances.
Two of those present at the 2008 Steve Hodel Author Night are singer Renee Simone and pianist Gere Fennelly who that night performed 40s songs as the Lucky Dames. On May 19 they will return as members of “Summer of ’69,” a 7 piece band that will play the Zodiac-era tunes “Come Together,” “Easy to be Hard,” “Age of Aquarius” and others. They will be joined by Darr Senit on bass, Damon Wilson on guitar, Peter Sheppard on guitar and vocals, Bruce Bode on keyboards and vocals, and Bruce Vessa on drums and vocals.
The Author Night program is free and open to the public and presented by the South Pasadena Public Library and the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library. The Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street and no tickets or reservations are necessary. Refreshments will be provided and signed hardback copies of “Most Evil” will be available for purchase for only $10. It retails for $26.95.
