If you thought the film was dark, try this – a hundred times more shocking and visceral, with some added child murder, mutilation, torture and so on. A group of LAPD officers get embroiled in the dark underbelly of the city following a shooting in a late-night coffee shop. In luminous, violent prose, James Ellroy twists the plot strands of the three policemen leads, and skillfully juggles their encounters with prostitutes, broken women, corrupt child stars, abusers, and worse.
You should read it: if you need an antidote to cosy crime; if you thought the film was a little too tame for you; if you want to see how to handle multiple plot strands, long timelines, and a shifting viewpoint that leaves no one free from the shadow of corruption.
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