Totally Booked with Zibby Eli Frankel, SISTERS IN DEATH: The Black Dahlia, The Prairie Heiress, and Their Hunter
Nov 24, 2025
Eli Frankel, an award-winning producer and true-crime researcher, dives into his groundbreaking book, Sisters in Death. He reveals how decades of research and a deep dive into overlooked documents led him to uncover a forgotten prime suspect in the notorious Black Dahlia case. Eli shares fascinating insights into his amateur detective journey, the brutal 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, and how his TV background shaped his investigative approach. He also emphasizes the importance of centering victims' stories, rejecting harmful narratives.
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Cold Cases Yield New Leads With Primary Docs
- Deep primary-document research can reveal overlooked prime suspects decades later.
- Eli Frankel found a suspect central to LAPD files who had never been deeply examined.
A Suspect Tied Across States And Years
- Frankel discovered a suspect linked to a 1941 Kansas City murder with similarities to Elizabeth Short's death.
- He researched archives in Missouri and California and tied both victims to the same suspect profile.
Centering Victims Restores Their Humanity
- Victim lives were often reduced to repetitive, shallow retellings in prior work.
- Frankel prioritized restoring full, respectful biographies of the two women to center them in the narrative.
