L.A. Confidential

Tough to get into at first the prose is straight up and quite emotionless, but the further you get in, the more you get drawn in to the web of L.A underworld and crooked detectives. All of the main characters hold their own with the protagonist now really being revealed until towards the end, great read.

Sensitivity warnings for anyone interested. The racism and homophobia were probably suitable for the LA 50's underworld but it was pretty intense for a 2023 reading.

The conclusion was, perhaps, not as tightly satisfying as the film. But the depth and complexity of the intrigue in the novel were so much more satisfying.

The writing style took a second to get into but then it flowed at a clipped, deliberate pace that made a thrilling page-turner. I will say I prefer Ellroy's previous and less machine-gun style prose.

I've always liked LA Confidential the movie. The book has all the elements in them that are portrayed in the movie but the movie is much better organized and a more straightforward story - for better or worse, depending on what you like. The book tends to ramble and assemble a narrative and then pull it apart - which is one of the key features of the movie as well. Its just a little too much of a good thing for me in the book. I think the screenwriter did a superb job in getting the essence of the novel's approach. This novel is probably the best that I've read from James Ellroy. Rambling and at times incoherent but the story surges forward to a great - and quite different - ending than the movie.