Comments (15)

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Sep 05, 2021Andrew_Cook rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Good noir from James Ellroy. In many ways it feels like a more assured reiteration of his previous novel Clandestine, hinging on some similar beats and structure. His examination of the inherent brutality in our power structures is sharp…
Feb 06, 2021dejesusa1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Riveting.
Jul 08, 2018avocadotree rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Epic noir fiction with many twists. The boxing stuff at the start only sets the stage for the partnership to come. The big part of the book is a police man obsessed with a murder victim. All killer no filler.
Feb 21, 2018
Still unsolved, the mutilated body of a Holllywood starlet was found in a Los Angeles vacant lot in 1947.
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Jul 29, 2017PearlyBaker rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
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May 19, 2016dpwilkens rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A great, sprawling epic noir story, and evidently a very personal one for the author. It has four or five good endings, though, and the author just keeps rolling on through them. A very dark story, in which no one, including the…
Dec 19, 2015
Did not finished the book because there were too many references to boxing - heavy weight / light weight and it interfered with the main story. Sincerely, the book put me to sleep.
Feb 04, 2015
a book I couldn't put down: excellent!
Jan 04, 2015CL_BookClub rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A crime based novel inspired by true events takes place in L.A. with a male protagonist trying to search for the truth surrounding a murder. It gave the book club an opportunity to read something a little different. This type of book was…
Feb 28, 2014jimg2000 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Colorful LA police story on two ex-boxer cops and how the city's infamous brutal black Dahlia case turned their contented lives upside down.
Sep 01, 2013K_ROK rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
The thing I liked most about this book is that it had characters that were really difficult to like, however you still get invested in them because of the story. Most books have at least one character that you like and get attached to, but…
Jun 29, 2013anniepc rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
James Ellroy is too hard to read. I am normally a fast reader but he slows me way down, so I didnt have time to finish it. Considering the subject matter one would think that he'd be more of a sympathetic writer, but he's a newspaper…
Mar 17, 2013Cecilturtle rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A creepy tale with a weird cast of characters, I had a hard time identifying with any of the characters. While the plot was vivid and the twists compelling, I found the moral darkness and turpitude made this book a difficult read. Whether…
Sep 28, 2011
in a word - trash.
Dec 22, 2010Rhonda J. Roy rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Hollywood noir novel set in late '40s. Lots of clues salted all the way through the book that come together in the last third of the book. Meticulous detail and very layered. Written with a '40s voice.