James Ellroy

[Coffin Nail]

I'm about to add him as another crime author I need to take a look at.

 

Any thoughts? Good books to start off with?? Are they meant to be read in order or are they stand alone novels?

 

Thanks.

 

Coffin x

[Karsa Orlong]

I think James Ellroy is fantastic. Be warned: his writing style is brutal - be prepared for it to smack you around the head and leave you a bit dazed. As he's progressed he's started to use very short sentences and seems to choose each word for maximum effect. He uses a lot of slang and street-talk and his characters are always painted in shades of grey. He's brilliant at taking real-life events and working his stories around them.

 

I started with L.A. Confidential. I'd never read any Ellroy before seeing the film, so it seemed the obvious place to start. It's actually the third book in his L.A. Quartet, but I don't think it made any difference to me when I read it, so if you're looking for a safe place to start - and especially if you liked the film - that's probably it. If you're a completist, though, go for The Black Dahlia.

 

If you're feeling brave, go for the Underworld USA trilogy. This one does have to be read in order, so start with American Tabloid (which is probably my favourite crime novel I've read to date), then The Cold Six Thousand, then Blood's A Rover (which I've yet to read).

 

Hope you enjoy whichever you choose

[Zumii]

I've never tried any of James Ellroy's books, but from your description Karsa they sound like something I would enjoy. *Adds them to the 'To Buy' list*

[Karsa Orlong]

Great, hope you find something to your liking

 

I should, perhaps, also have mentioned that American Tabloid is set in the late 50's/early 60's, with the rise to power of the Kennedys as a backdrop, and the subsequent two books continue the story up to the early 70s and the Nixon years - so, if that era interests you, they are a must

[alison10]

These seem interesting, I keep seeing his books but I have never tried them. Must add them to my list.