The spanish version of the title "El Gran Desierto (The Big Desert)" doesn't really have much to do with the novel. 99% of the plot happens in the city, and the Big Nowhere refers to the empty spaces trying to figure out why psychopaths do the things they do, or the silence between a big jazz soliloquy. Maybe the translators didn't read the thing. Anyhow, this book is about three cops in 50s´ Los Angeles, a captain Mal Considine who sees an oportunity to become a big shot in the bureau by going against communist infiltration in Hollywood while dealing with a divorce lawsuit (which his going up the ladder in his job will help), taking with him an ex cop problem solver for Howard Hughes and a mob guy "Buzz" Meeks while taking the girl of the mob guy, and Danny Upshaw a brilliant young detective who is also investigating a series of psychosexual crimes with queer undertones. The plot thickens the moment the two investigations start crossing one another. Every criminal witness and "good guy" is interesting, from their motives to their psychological underpinnings. Ellroy is absolutely brutal with his characters, he doesn't let them take a breath throughout the whole novel. And with clear muscly and 50s´ LA idiomatic prose the pace is relentless.

Cliché shouters, sloganeers, fashion-conscious pseudoidealists. Locusts attacking social causes with the wrong information and bogus solutions, their one legit gripe - the Sleepy Lagoon case - almost blown through guilt by association: fellow travelers soliciting actual Party members for picketing and leaflet distribution, nearly discrediting everything the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee said and did. Hollywood writers and actors and hangers-on spouting cheap trauma, Pinko platitudes and guilt over raking in big money during the Depression, then penancing the bucks out to spurious leftist causes

Sounds familiar? ( )

And thus ends the saga of the oldest book on my to-be-read pile. It has been in it for 35 years. Way back when James Ellroy did a signing in the bookstore, and I bought a hardback copy to read later. Little did I know that would be 35 years. It was just okay for me and I guess that was part of the problem. Every time I picked it up to read it didn't grab me like The Black Dahlia and L.A. Confidential did. This time I made myself finish and I am glad I did but man, it was a long journey. ( )

James Ellroy is the only crime fiction writer that I've found to live up to the high quality of writing standard that Dashiell Hammett & [b:Raymond Chandler|2052|The Big Sleep|Raymond Chandler|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AGA624Z5L._SL75_.jpg|1222673] set 50 yrs earlier. I didn't learn about him until July, 2007 & I then proceeded to read every bk of his I cd find in quick succession. Admittedly, the brutality of his obssessions was too much for me eventually - I'm glad I'm not him. ( )

A thrilling novel that weaves its way through plot-lines, characters, events, and discovery. I really liked this particular novel in the L.A Quartet and I feel it has a lot to offer readers. It is NOT predictable nor dull at any point and I felt fully entertained for the duration of the ride. A great novel for those enjoying suspense and detective fiction and, at this point, I would suggest the whole L.A Quartet is most likely worth diving into for those interested in that genre or writing in general. It's worth it.

4 stars! ( )

A sordid murder on New Year's Eve has Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Deputy Danny Upshaw tracing down leads that reveal as much about himself as the killer. Meanwhile, a grand jury probe into possible Communist activities in Hollywood studios promises a Los Angeles Police Department captaincy for Lieutenant Mal Considine and offers enough money to entice indebted former police officer Buzz Meeks in providing muscle for the job.

Unlike the previous two titles I read by Ellroy, this book is told in the third person and follows three separate stories instead of one. Predictably, the three plots end up coming together at some point; I rather preferred when they interacted than when they didn't. The characters were interesting but deeply flawed; while following their stories was compelling, I doubt you'd want to meet any of them in real life. It's worth noting that Ellroy blends fact and fiction with this story, focusing on characters that he invented but having them interact with actual people from the time period (e.g., Mickey Cohen, Howard Hughes, etc.)

As with his previous books, Ellroy pulls no punches when it comes to his language and representations of a misogynistic, racist 1950s police force that is corrupt and brutal. There is also a fair amount of gore described with the murders, although I feel like less so here than in The Black Dahlia, the title preceding this one on the series. Basically, it's not for the faint of heart or easily offended.

The main murder mystery took some winding paths and lead to a conclusion that was both predictable and surprising, which I cannot further elucidate on without giving away spoiler details. Ellroy does, for the most part, plot things out very well and comes full circle with his storylines. With one detail in particular, I went back to the beginning and re-read some parts to see exactly what he had been up to while the reader was unawares.

The last half of the book was a page turner whereas the first half had a lot to introduce with three separate POV characters and storylines, as well as a decent amount of time spent describing the rivalry between LAPD and LASD, a subplot that was somewhat germane to the story but not one I found particularly as interesting. However, it did eventually pan out in a big way. This book does end in a somewhat vague way for one of the characters and not everything is tied up neatly in a bow -- just enough to whet the reader's appetite for the next book in the series. ( )