What do you think?
Rate this book
Crime Wave: Reportage and Fiction from the Underside of L.A.
Los Angeles. In no other city do sex, celebrity, money, and crime exert such an irresistible magnetic field. And no writer has mapped that field with greater savagery and savvy than James Ellroy. With this fever-hot collection of reportage and short fiction, he returns to his native habitat and portrays it as a smog-shrouded netherworld where"every third person is a peeper, prowler, pederast, or pimp."
From the scandal sheets of the 1950s to this morning's police blotter, Ellroy reopens true crimes and restores human dimensions to their victims. Sublimely, he resurrects the rag Hush-Hush magazine. And in a baroquely plotted novella of slaughter and corruption he enlists the forgotten luminaries of a lost Hollywood. Shocking, mesmerizing, and written in prose as wounding as an ice pick, Crime Wave is Ellroy at his best.
From the scandal sheets of the 1950s to this morning's police blotter, Ellroy reopens true crimes and restores human dimensions to their victims. Sublimely, he resurrects the rag Hush-Hush magazine. And in a baroquely plotted novella of slaughter and corruption he enlists the forgotten luminaries of a lost Hollywood. Shocking, mesmerizing, and written in prose as wounding as an ice pick, Crime Wave is Ellroy at his best.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
James Ellroy
154 books4,404 followersLee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a telegrammatic prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black Dahlia (1987) and L.A. Confidential (1990).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
Want to Read
July 4, 2019This hardcover is signed by James Ellroy.
March 3, 2018
I was curious what James Ellroy's non fiction would look like outside a novel setting and, well... he passed the test with flying colors as usual.
The first two essays are particularly powerful as they zero-in on a crime, just like Ellroy's novels and slowly introduce the authorial perception and reveal the degree of obsession and focus the grandmaster takes to the task whenever he sits behind the keyboard. His pieces are stark, almost voyeuristic in their attention to detail and communicate the violence of murder as much as its transcendent nature.
I thought the novellas were a little weak for Ellroy's usual material, especially Gretchell where he indulges in alliteration for way, way too long. I love when Ellroy alliterates, but when it's on every line for eighty pages it starts to get a little overboard.
Anyway, this is another strong entry in James Ellroy's cannon. People who love his work like I do will enjoy the heck out of it.
The first two essays are particularly powerful as they zero-in on a crime, just like Ellroy's novels and slowly introduce the authorial perception and reveal the degree of obsession and focus the grandmaster takes to the task whenever he sits behind the keyboard. His pieces are stark, almost voyeuristic in their attention to detail and communicate the violence of murder as much as its transcendent nature.
I thought the novellas were a little weak for Ellroy's usual material, especially Gretchell where he indulges in alliteration for way, way too long. I love when Ellroy alliterates, but when it's on every line for eighty pages it starts to get a little overboard.
Anyway, this is another strong entry in James Ellroy's cannon. People who love his work like I do will enjoy the heck out of it.
June 25, 2016
James Ellroy could write his name for fifty pages and he'd get five stars from me. He is the epitome of hard boiled noir, detective fiction and brutal, unflinching honesty. This collection of essays is no different, covering everything from his own mother's murder to the trial of OJ Simpson.
June 10, 2022
Muy irregular.
December 20, 2010
"Why," one might ask, "does she keep reading crime fiction if she doesn't like the genre?" The simple answer would be that Bette keeps loaning it to me. The real truth is that I'm an addict. I read because it's a compulsion. I'll even read if I'm not enjoying it.
I did not, however, manage to read the three fiction pieces in this collection. I just couldn't force myself to get through them. The alliteration and short sentences drove me mad. I had previously read what I thought were parodies of noir crime fiction, but now I'm beginning to think they weren't parodies so much as homages. The writing was almost comical.
The nonfiction pieces were only marginally better, in my opinion. The frequent references to his mother's murder and his sordid past, and his foul language, turned me off both the writing and Ellroy himself. He comes across as a deeply wounded sicko.
I will now give myself a break from reading autobiographical stuff from men who have overcome addictions and cuss a lot.
I did not, however, manage to read the three fiction pieces in this collection. I just couldn't force myself to get through them. The alliteration and short sentences drove me mad. I had previously read what I thought were parodies of noir crime fiction, but now I'm beginning to think they weren't parodies so much as homages. The writing was almost comical.
The nonfiction pieces were only marginally better, in my opinion. The frequent references to his mother's murder and his sordid past, and his foul language, turned me off both the writing and Ellroy himself. He comes across as a deeply wounded sicko.
I will now give myself a break from reading autobiographical stuff from men who have overcome addictions and cuss a lot.
April 21, 2009
Crime Wave is mostly James Ellroy's articles for GQ magazine, with a couple of short stories thrown in. As usual, the non-fiction centers directly on true crime, with Ellroy's persona-and-work-defining focus on murdered women. (The essay that would eventually become My Dark Places is in here, for example.)
The article that grabbed my attention the most was Ellroy's piece about O.J. and Nicole Simpson, which was written before the psychoretard antics of the trial really got under full swing; clearly Ellroy thinks that O.J. committed the crime but is careful to avoid any direct accusation, and he takes the essay in an interesting psychological direction that I've never seen before, despite the oceans of ink spilled on this topic. Best line EVER: "Clearly, O.J. is not the smartest motherfucker to walk the earth."
Any Ellroy fan will get a big kick out of this, and it's certainly got me amped for Blood's A Rover, which is out in September.
The article that grabbed my attention the most was Ellroy's piece about O.J. and Nicole Simpson, which was written before the psychoretard antics of the trial really got under full swing; clearly Ellroy thinks that O.J. committed the crime but is careful to avoid any direct accusation, and he takes the essay in an interesting psychological direction that I've never seen before, despite the oceans of ink spilled on this topic. Best line EVER: "Clearly, O.J. is not the smartest motherfucker to walk the earth."
Any Ellroy fan will get a big kick out of this, and it's certainly got me amped for Blood's A Rover, which is out in September.
March 26, 2010
I couldn't finish it. Once the sleazy reporter took over, I lost all interest. I tried to skip ahead (a huge no-no for me) but I realized that I was forcing myself to read this one. Too bad.
July 16, 2013
I find James Ellroy's non-fiction at least on the same level as his literary output. Since this book contains a 50/50 mixture of both, I'd call it the best introduction to his work that I've read so far.
The reporting on crime and corruption across Southern California shows an obvious blending between the writing styles of journalism and literature in the tradition of Hunter Thompson and Tom Wolfe. At the same time, however, Ellroy has a sensibility and a voice that can be mistaken for nobody else's. It's way more intimately personal than either, standing in the shadow of the still-unsolved murder of Ellroy's mother during his childhood and his subsequent descent into juvenile delinquency which is covered in depth by one article. At the same time, his writing is thoroughly steeped in world-weary moral reflexion over an unjust world where there often are no easy answers - a perspective that comes from not quite the same place as Thompson's furious indignation.
The same blending of sensationalist journalism and high literature can be seen in the short stories. Tabloid-employed muckrakers feature as main characters in most of them, along with real historical personalities in roles that make it difficult for readers to look at them the same way again. The high point is probably "Tijuana Mon Amour", which casts Frank Sinatra of all people as a villainous mastermind straight out a James Bond story and somehow pulls it off. The hyperfragmented and colourfully vulgar writing style might have obvious roots in the hardboiled prose of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler taken to an avantgardistic extreme, but it also calls to mind the most lurid journalism of the time which cannot be just a coincidence. Add to all that the sheer depths of decadence probed and you get a hyperactive kaleidoscopic journey through Western civilization's falling apart at the seams that echoes Louis-Ferdinand Céline at his most delirious had he been born 50 years later on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean.
The reporting on crime and corruption across Southern California shows an obvious blending between the writing styles of journalism and literature in the tradition of Hunter Thompson and Tom Wolfe. At the same time, however, Ellroy has a sensibility and a voice that can be mistaken for nobody else's. It's way more intimately personal than either, standing in the shadow of the still-unsolved murder of Ellroy's mother during his childhood and his subsequent descent into juvenile delinquency which is covered in depth by one article. At the same time, his writing is thoroughly steeped in world-weary moral reflexion over an unjust world where there often are no easy answers - a perspective that comes from not quite the same place as Thompson's furious indignation.
The same blending of sensationalist journalism and high literature can be seen in the short stories. Tabloid-employed muckrakers feature as main characters in most of them, along with real historical personalities in roles that make it difficult for readers to look at them the same way again. The high point is probably "Tijuana Mon Amour", which casts Frank Sinatra of all people as a villainous mastermind straight out a James Bond story and somehow pulls it off. The hyperfragmented and colourfully vulgar writing style might have obvious roots in the hardboiled prose of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler taken to an avantgardistic extreme, but it also calls to mind the most lurid journalism of the time which cannot be just a coincidence. Add to all that the sheer depths of decadence probed and you get a hyperactive kaleidoscopic journey through Western civilization's falling apart at the seams that echoes Louis-Ferdinand Céline at his most delirious had he been born 50 years later on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Read
May 1, 2022It was very interesting to read the different stories, I really liked the style because for me it was refreshing.
September 18, 2021
Wildly uneven, even for Ellroy, who is both wild and uneven. On average, let's call it 2.49 stars.
The fiction is mostly painful, especially the long "Hush Hush" piece written in the annoying alliteration Ellroy uses for his scandal-sheet reports. The other three tales are shorter and not as awful, but still something to be endured rather than enjoyed. One star for the collection.
The non-fiction in the book includes accounts of how homicide investigators work and the author's personal introspection and reminiscences about his youth, including one surprising piece about his junior-high experience and reunions with classmates nearly 40 years later. Throughout the non-fiction we learn more about why 1950s L.A. is Ellroy's eternal muse. The non-fiction earns at least an average of 3.5 stars.
Although I was tempted to chuck the entire book while mired in the early fictional pieces, I'm glad I stayed to the end for the non-fiction. Still, this book isn't a keeper.
The fiction is mostly painful, especially the long "Hush Hush" piece written in the annoying alliteration Ellroy uses for his scandal-sheet reports. The other three tales are shorter and not as awful, but still something to be endured rather than enjoyed. One star for the collection.
The non-fiction in the book includes accounts of how homicide investigators work and the author's personal introspection and reminiscences about his youth, including one surprising piece about his junior-high experience and reunions with classmates nearly 40 years later. Throughout the non-fiction we learn more about why 1950s L.A. is Ellroy's eternal muse. The non-fiction earns at least an average of 3.5 stars.
Although I was tempted to chuck the entire book while mired in the early fictional pieces, I'm glad I stayed to the end for the non-fiction. Still, this book isn't a keeper.
December 16, 2021
Δεν ξέρω....Τα αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα του είδους του Τζέημς Ελλρόυ, σαν τα "Εγκλήματα κατα συρροήν" ξεκινούν με ένα σημαντικό προβάδισμα αναφορικά με τα γούστα ενός μέσου αναγνώστη: υπάρχουν πάμπολλες ταινίες με (πολλούς) φόνους, (πολλά) ναρκωτικά, (πολύ) σεξ, (πολλή) μαγκιά. Και τις έχουμε δει. Έτσι κατά κάποιο τρόπο οι ιστορίες είναι συναρπαστικές (αφού περιέχουν τα παραπάνω) και οικείες.
Διαβάζεται ευχάριστα γιατί ακολουθείται η μαγική συνταγή: αίμα-σπέρμα και προσθέτω κι εγώ στο κλισέ το χρήμα.
Το συγκεκριμένο δεν είναι μυθιστόρημα. Είναι κάτι ανάμεσα σε μυθιστορήματα και ρεπορτάζ για ανεξιχνίαστους φόνους και δράση τύπων του λαμπερού υποκόσμου (μέσα και οι μπάτσοι) του Λος Άντζελες. Είναι βεβαίως καλογραμμένο, με πολλά έξυπνα σημεία. Μπλέκει άσημους με διάσημους (κι αυτό ελκυστικό).
Διαβάζεται ευχάριστα γιατί ακολουθείται η μαγική συνταγή: αίμα-σπέρμα και προσθέτω κι εγώ στο κλισέ το χρήμα.
Το συγκεκριμένο δεν είναι μυθιστόρημα. Είναι κάτι ανάμεσα σε μυθιστορήματα και ρεπορτάζ για ανεξιχνίαστους φόνους και δράση τύπων του λαμπερού υποκόσμου (μέσα και οι μπάτσοι) του Λος Άντζελες. Είναι βεβαίως καλογραμμένο, με πολλά έξυπνα σημεία. Μπλέκει άσημους με διάσημους (κι αυτό ελκυστικό).
August 4, 2010
A mixture of reportage and fiction, Ellroy's "Crime Wave" takes the reader once again into the unseemly side of his Los Angeles. The true crime stories sparkle, and there is an early telling of his mother's murder which later became "My Dark Places," but the fictionalized stories of private I's and gossip mag reporters felt kind of forced to me with their insistence on inputting the narrators into historical Hollywood events. Ellroy remains at his best when talking about himself and the demons that haunt him.
My recommendation is to go for "My Dark Places" instead. Only true Ellroy addicts need pick this one up.
My recommendation is to go for "My Dark Places" instead. Only true Ellroy addicts need pick this one up.
June 16, 2013
The body dump stuff is a re hash if you've read My Dark Places. The reporting at the end is good, but the real goodies are the Danny Getchel/ Dick Contino stories. 'Hollywood Shakedown' is, to me, even better than 'Dick Contino's Blues.' A solid read.
October 30, 2018
No es un libro largo, pero los relatos se hacen pesados por la forma de narrar tan "telegráfica".
May 19, 2025
Ugh…..I wanted to like it, I really did, but it DRAAAAGGGGED for me, and I don’t know why. Typically I like hardboiled detective drama shit but this felt more like a strange stream of consciousness collection of short stories and memoir(?) I just didn’t get it. Maybe I just don’t like L.A., ultimately. I’ve never cared much for it.
It does make you think about the origins of public fascination with True Crime and the overlap with, like, muckraking journalism? But I think that’s a stretch. I may give it another try sometime later, maybe I’m just not in the mood.
It does make you think about the origins of public fascination with True Crime and the overlap with, like, muckraking journalism? But I think that’s a stretch. I may give it another try sometime later, maybe I’m just not in the mood.
June 19, 2010
Ellroy's mother was murdered when he was 10. The crime remains unsolved. This has influenced him ever since. He's obsessed w/ murdered & mutilated & tortured women, he's obsessed w/ brutal crimes set in a (usually) 1950s context.
This is a bk of 4 novella-length sections of True Crime / Crime Fiction that was previously published in GQ (Gentlemen's Quarterly). Part One's called "Unsolved" & his mother merits contextualizing mention.
Part Two features his recurring character, "Danny" Getchell, the 'brains' behind a scandal sheet fictionally called "Hush-Hush" based on the factual "Confidential". Getchell, like so many Ellroy characters, is insufferably repulsive - ruining the lives of everyone he touches - resulting in suicides & murders - all justified by his greed fueled by the homophobia & anti-communism of his day. What distinguishes Getchell is that he gives Ellroy an excuse to write in a dramatically different style: alliterative purple prose that's so heavy-handed that it too becomes insufferably repulsive. But w/ Getchell, perhaps more than anywhere else, Ellroy has 'black humor' & poetic justice galore.
Another recurring character is Dick Contino, an actual accordionist that Ellroy arranged to meet when Contino was 63 & asked for permission from to use as a character in his fiction. Ellroy likes Contino so he's arguably a hero or anti-hero. But, SHEESH!, wd I want to be used as a character in an Ellroy novel? No way! Contino is put thru a series of brutal adventures, like all Ellroy characters, where he murders people. By Ellroy's own admission he, Ellroy, is an exploiter - & this is certainly clear here: Contino is exploited & largely debased to an extreme.
The 4th part is back to True Crime - 1st w/ O.J.Simpson (written before the outcome of Simpson's criminal trial). He cautiously (after all, this was printed in a mainstream magazine) deduces/assumes Simpson's guilt & pillories him. I agree. Simpson, for me, is another extremely repulsive character. There are 3 other bits in this section including a reminiscence about his junior high school yrs & a reunion many yrs later. I found it all of interest.
Ellroy's an excellent crime writer. His mom's murder & his own down & out life as a drug abuser & petty offender informs his bks to profoundly depraved depths. But 'if I were him' I'd want to move on, I'd want to finally feel some resolution, some closure. I'd want to recognize & express that life isn't all brutality & torture & treachery & murder & debasement. He's certainly made enuf money by now. What cd a man of his intelligence & talent do if he WERE to move on? I hope we find out eventually.
This is a bk of 4 novella-length sections of True Crime / Crime Fiction that was previously published in GQ (Gentlemen's Quarterly). Part One's called "Unsolved" & his mother merits contextualizing mention.
Part Two features his recurring character, "Danny" Getchell, the 'brains' behind a scandal sheet fictionally called "Hush-Hush" based on the factual "Confidential". Getchell, like so many Ellroy characters, is insufferably repulsive - ruining the lives of everyone he touches - resulting in suicides & murders - all justified by his greed fueled by the homophobia & anti-communism of his day. What distinguishes Getchell is that he gives Ellroy an excuse to write in a dramatically different style: alliterative purple prose that's so heavy-handed that it too becomes insufferably repulsive. But w/ Getchell, perhaps more than anywhere else, Ellroy has 'black humor' & poetic justice galore.
Another recurring character is Dick Contino, an actual accordionist that Ellroy arranged to meet when Contino was 63 & asked for permission from to use as a character in his fiction. Ellroy likes Contino so he's arguably a hero or anti-hero. But, SHEESH!, wd I want to be used as a character in an Ellroy novel? No way! Contino is put thru a series of brutal adventures, like all Ellroy characters, where he murders people. By Ellroy's own admission he, Ellroy, is an exploiter - & this is certainly clear here: Contino is exploited & largely debased to an extreme.
The 4th part is back to True Crime - 1st w/ O.J.Simpson (written before the outcome of Simpson's criminal trial). He cautiously (after all, this was printed in a mainstream magazine) deduces/assumes Simpson's guilt & pillories him. I agree. Simpson, for me, is another extremely repulsive character. There are 3 other bits in this section including a reminiscence about his junior high school yrs & a reunion many yrs later. I found it all of interest.
Ellroy's an excellent crime writer. His mom's murder & his own down & out life as a drug abuser & petty offender informs his bks to profoundly depraved depths. But 'if I were him' I'd want to move on, I'd want to finally feel some resolution, some closure. I'd want to recognize & express that life isn't all brutality & torture & treachery & murder & debasement. He's certainly made enuf money by now. What cd a man of his intelligence & talent do if he WERE to move on? I hope we find out eventually.
January 10, 2015
CRIME WAVE is the second Ellroy title to collect his short fiction. It starts strong with the inimitable Danny Getchell dumpster diving and dirt dishing in “Hush-Hush”. You can never go wrong with Getchell and this story offers an interesting insight into what makes the character tick while always delivering the alliterative assault his prose promises. “The lewd little Lucifer leered on a lusciously loomed lavender rug.” You can never get enough of that. “Tijuana, Mon Amour” features a crime fiction standard: the heist story. But, as it’s Ellroy, it’s not your traditional take on the heist. A fur scam unfolds with everybody scamming everybody else while border-hopping with a highly intoxicated and fictionalized Sammy Davis, Jr. It’s greatly entertaining, but one of those stories that can be best explained by shrugging your shoulders, shaking your head and muttering “Ellroy”. The last of the three novellas in this collection is “Hollywood Shakedown” featuring Dick Contino, a real cat rendered as Ellroy fiction. Contino is a compelling and sympathetic character, and “Hollywood Shakedown” picks up with the character after “Dick Contino’s Blues”.
January 21, 2010
This is an oddity in the James Ellroy catalogue: it contains a mixture of novellas, set in context by Ellroy, memories of his mother's murder and his childhood, and some articles he wrote for GQ.
As a mixture it didn't really hang together well for me, but the comments surrounding the novellas were interesting. The critique of the OJ Simpson trial also held my interest, knowing how the trial actually turned out.
As an introduction to Ellroy, I wouldn't recommend this, but if you're a fan, he provides some greater context and insight into his influences and formative years.
My Dark Places details much better his feelings and thoughts on his mother's murder, but this book shows his overall feel and approach to "cold cases".
As a throw away almost, at the end of the book, he gives his take on the big screen adaptation of LA Confidential, another glimpse into his take on life and his work.
As a mixture it didn't really hang together well for me, but the comments surrounding the novellas were interesting. The critique of the OJ Simpson trial also held my interest, knowing how the trial actually turned out.
As an introduction to Ellroy, I wouldn't recommend this, but if you're a fan, he provides some greater context and insight into his influences and formative years.
My Dark Places details much better his feelings and thoughts on his mother's murder, but this book shows his overall feel and approach to "cold cases".
As a throw away almost, at the end of the book, he gives his take on the big screen adaptation of LA Confidential, another glimpse into his take on life and his work.
August 13, 2014
O james ellroy είναι ένας διαφορετικός συγγραφέας αστυνομικών μυθιστορημάτων. Τα διαφοροποιητικά του στοιχεία σε σχέση με τους άλλους συγγραφείς είναι:
1. η έρευνα που κάνει στα αρχεία της αστυνομίας πριν γράψει μία ιστορία. Για αυτό οι ιστορίες του έχουν ένα πραγματικό υπόβαθρο και μία μυθιστορηματική πλοκή
2. είναι βιωματικές. Στο εν λόγω βιβλίο μία από τις ιστορίες αφορά την δολοφονία της μητέρας του.
3. οι διασημότητες. Στο βιβλίο αυτό κεντρικοί ήρωες αποτελούν γνωστές και λιγότερο γνωστές προσωπικότητες του LA στα 50's και 60's, 80's (Σινάτρα, Ρόκ Χάτσον, Σάμμυ Ντέιβις, Ο. Τζ. Σίμπσον, Λάνα Τάρνερ, Σταμπονατο, Ντικ Κοντίνο κ.α. - μπορεί κάποιος να ανατρέχει στην wikipedia και να βρίσκει στοιχεία για όλους διαβάζοντας παράλληλα το βιβλίο.)
Θα έλεγα ότι είναι περισσότερο έρευνα, αναδημοσίευση ιστοριών και λίγο μυθιστοριογραφία. Σε κάθε περίπτωση είναι επιδραστικός συγγραφέας γεγονός που το επιβεβαιώνουν και οι ταινίες (LA Confidential, Black Dalia) με βάση βιβλία του.
1. η έρευνα που κάνει στα αρχεία της αστυνομίας πριν γράψει μία ιστορία. Για αυτό οι ιστορίες του έχουν ένα πραγματικό υπόβαθρο και μία μυθιστορηματική πλοκή
2. είναι βιωματικές. Στο εν λόγω βιβλίο μία από τις ιστορίες αφορά την δολοφονία της μητέρας του.
3. οι διασημότητες. Στο βιβλίο αυτό κεντρικοί ήρωες αποτελούν γνωστές και λιγότερο γνωστές προσωπικότητες του LA στα 50's και 60's, 80's (Σινάτρα, Ρόκ Χάτσον, Σάμμυ Ντέιβις, Ο. Τζ. Σίμπσον, Λάνα Τάρνερ, Σταμπονατο, Ντικ Κοντίνο κ.α. - μπορεί κάποιος να ανατρέχει στην wikipedia και να βρίσκει στοιχεία για όλους διαβάζοντας παράλληλα το βιβλίο.)
Θα έλεγα ότι είναι περισσότερο έρευνα, αναδημοσίευση ιστοριών και λίγο μυθιστοριογραφία. Σε κάθε περίπτωση είναι επιδραστικός συγγραφέας γεγονός που το επιβεβαιώνουν και οι ταινίες (LA Confidential, Black Dalia) με βάση βιβλία του.
September 16, 2019
Another interesting work by this contemporary crime/fiction writer. Here Mr Ellroy collects short stories published in GQ magazine during the 1990's ranging from murder investigations of relatively cold cases, including his mom's unsolved murder in 1958, to raucous tales of Los Angeles mayhem in jazz music, doping, Hollywood intrigue and much more. The tales vary in style with some exploding with Ellroy's staccato narrative and others languid in tempo but punctuated with colorful word pictures and dreamy memories of his teen years. A way different assortment as would be expected in a short story collection but still biting and interesting for what it says about our American media (in bygone LA but could be expanded to our modern day "if it bleeds it leads" main stream media). His works roll along but he is best when expounding on detective work, homicide details and sleuthing. Any fan of James Ellroy should at least include this in his books that are read and cogitated upon.
January 22, 2022
for how much I skipped around in this, it could count as a “did not finish.” there is a whole middle section written from the perspective of danny getchell, a fictional late homophobic tabloid editor (who died from AIDS lol okay ellroy), in near-full alliterative phrasing (“Ben noshed my napkin note and blew me a big bicarbonate kiss”) which was perhaps the most annoying thing I have ever tried to put up with in my life. ellroy retreads and retreads and retreads to a point where you’re standing at the core of the earth, his brain stem. and it is grey and dull and psychotic. that’s not news about ellroy though. he is able to capture some intensity that actually works (I loved “glamour jungle”) but otherwise, dunno how anyone got this published for him. excited to read the og quartet tho
January 16, 2013
A good collection, and a passable introduction to Ellroy for the uninitiated. The best introduction to Ellroy is his novel The Black Dahlia. A mix of fiction and non-fiction pieces that originally appeared in GQ magazine. I absolutely did not like the story "Tijuana, Mon Amour", an over-the-top tale that reads as if Ellroy was intentionally trying to be as offensive as possible. You can't take it seriously. No illustrations. Destination: Morgue is a better Ellroy collection than this one.
September 13, 2016
My son passed this gem of a book to me - thank you .
The book is a collection of short stories published in GQ magazine during the 1990's . It covers LA through the 1950's , tales of Sinatra , Lana Turner and Rock Hudson to name only a few. An article on the OJ Simpson case is worth the price of the book alone.
James Elroy is the author of some powerful US crime novels - this book gives you an insight into why he became such a man.
The book is a collection of short stories published in GQ magazine during the 1990's . It covers LA through the 1950's , tales of Sinatra , Lana Turner and Rock Hudson to name only a few. An article on the OJ Simpson case is worth the price of the book alone.
James Elroy is the author of some powerful US crime novels - this book gives you an insight into why he became such a man.
April 9, 2007
This one took longer than I expected it to, but it was most enjoyable.
There are few who write noir in today's age, and even fewer who write as well as James Ellroy.
I recommend that you read this one story at a time and set it down.
The Danny Getchell themes drive my brain nuts, and they're in the book back to back.
There are few who write noir in today's age, and even fewer who write as well as James Ellroy.
I recommend that you read this one story at a time and set it down.
The Danny Getchell themes drive my brain nuts, and they're in the book back to back.
June 16, 2012
I think that Ellroy is best when he is writing in long form, but this collection still has some great articles and short stories. His "Getchell" stories become a little tiresome with the tabloid-headline voice that his narrator uses. The non-fiction in greatly excedes the fiction- he even has an analysis of the OJ Simpson trial spectacle.
November 30, 2007
I got this signed by Ellroy way back when. He called me "red" (on account of my hair, one would guess) and then proceeded to tell me that he had it on good authority that Dan Quayle and (former California governor) Pete Wilson were both gay. Wonder who his source was.
February 28, 2008
I love all Ellroy books, but this one was a great surprise. Great stories and a great take on the OJ trial.
July 18, 2008
I like it. I like James Ellroy, and it's fun to read some of his shorter things.
April 8, 2010
Nobody does it like this guy. Some of the reportage stands out more than the others, but the Dick Contino piece & the Hush-Hush stories strike gold.
January 23, 2013
Some of these essays are total knockouts - one ends with a line that hits like a left hook: "She didn't get the chance to outgrow her silly fucking dreams."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews