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“He Backed the Wrong Horse”: A Response to David Oranchak
October 24, 2026 Birch Bay, Washington I have just reviewed David Oranchak’s latest YouTube video, Zodiac and Black Dahlia SOLVED! By Sherlock or Charlatan? (Part Three). First, credit where credit is due. David’s in-depth background investigation into Alex Baber is impressive and professional. He has done a considerable amount of digging, examined Baber’s claims, and…
Read MoreRobert Sadler: My Friend, Fellow Author, and a Cop Who Made a Difference
October 23, 2026 Birch Bay, Washington My readers have seen the contributions of my friend Robert Sadler through his editing and graphics work on my books over the past many years. Robert is also a retired Dallas police officer and a prolific author. A moving article in the October 2026 issue of D Magazine recognizes…
Read More103 Email Exchanges Between Steve Hodel and Alex Baber, 2022–2023”
October 23, 2026 Birch Bay, Washington 103 Email Exchanges Between Steve Hodel and Alex Baber of Cold Case Consultants, 2022–2023 A number of readers have asked about my contacts with Alex Baber and author Michael Connelly—what we discussed, and over what period of time. The photograph above shows my printed correspondence with Alex Baber during…
Read MoreStarlight, Star Bright: A Father and Son in the Night
October 19, 2026 Birch Bay, Washington Thirty-three years ago, on October 10, 1993, for his 87th birthday, my father, Dr. George Hill Hodel, purchased a commemorative star registration in his name for a star in the constellation Aquila. Nearly four weeks later, on November 6, 1993, as a present for my 52nd birthday, he gifted…
Read MoreTwenty-three Years in Print-Published Works, 2003–2026
October 10, 2026 Birch Bay, Washington My friend and fellow author, Robert Sadler has just completed this visual retrospective of my published works, beginning with Black Dahlia Avenger in 2003 and continuing through my four books published this year. Looking at these covers together brings back more than two decades of investigation, writing, and personal…
Read MoreSome Journalism Is Alive and Well: Thank You to Senior Reporter Emma Parry of The Sun
September 29, 2026 Birch Bay, Washinton Senior Reporter Emma Parry has published a new article in today’s, The Sun on my investigation into the Black Dahlia murder, the Zodiac crimes, and the evidence presented in my recent book, The Black Dahlia Murder: Fact vs. Fiction and The Zodiac Murders: Fact vs. Fiction. I’m grateful to…
Read MoreThe Zodiac Murders: Fact vs. Fiction — Now Available Published September 26, 2026
September 26, 2026 Birch Bay, Washington My new book, The Zodiac Murders: Fact vs. Fiction, is now available in paperback. This is a companion to The Black Dahlia Murder: Fact vs. Fiction. Its illustrated MYTH and FACT spreads examine claims about the Zodiac crimes alongside the documents, photographs, handwriting, and other evidence I have gathered…
Read More“26 Miles Across the Sea”-Marlin Mike Makes Landfall at Palos Verdes
September 25, 2026 Birch Bay, Washington Mike the Marlin Hodel is ashore at Palos Verdes! He swam through the night from Catalina and made it safely to the mainland. Congratulations, son. What a swim—and what a relief to hear you’re on shore. We had dolphins on call to guide him in, but it seems the…
Read MoreCatalina Swim Marathon Continues-Mike the Marlin: Toes in the Water at 10 Tonight
Thursday, September 24, 2026 Birch Bay, Washinton Tonight, Thursday, September 24, at about 10 p.m. Pacific, my eldest son, Michael Sean Hodel— “Mike the Marlin”—plans to put his toes in the water at Santa Catalina and begin his overnight swim to the Palos Verdes coast. He expects to reach Sacred Cove, also known as Smuggler’s…
Read MoreMike the Marlin Goes for the Triple Crown—Catalina to Palos Verdes, September 24 at 10 PM
September 22, 2026 Birch Bay, Washington This Thursday night, September 24, my son Michael—better known in the family as “Mike the Marlin”—will enter the water at Catalina Island and begin an approximately twenty-six-mile swim to the Southern California mainland at Palos Verdes. This will be the third and final “fin” of his Triple Crown of…
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