Recently I received a gift of the book “L.A. Confidential” by James Elroy and thought it might be worth a going-over.
While I was disappointed the book does not really follow the storyline of the movie (or vice-versa), we know this happens with about every movie made from a book.
I’m not going to try to give you a synopsis or even a summary, I’d rather leave that up to you, Dear Reader.
By the time I was halfway through the story, I was already looking forward to the end of the book to find out who the culprits really were. At the same time, I was dreading finishing it because I was enjoying it so much. This storyline has more curves than a burlesque chorus line. Covering a seven year period, it’s somewhat of an easy read, full of the wheeling and dealing, and sometimes the immorality we think of when we speak of L.A. The author gives a very cynical look at what big city police departments might have looked like in years past; brutality (both just and unjust), lack of cooperation between divisions, and even squads of those who are just downright corrupt. You can’t get more noir than that. We have seen and heard too much of both fiction and fact not to believe the law in Los Angeles was not just.
Anyway, the movie is possibly my all-time favorite. Everything about it is well done. I even got to share the movie with daughter, who enjoyed the plot twists and roller coaster ride it brings you on. The book is also a James Elroy classic; tough, gritty, and maybe even a little bit sad. I think the book has even become one of my favorite noir-era classics as well. Give it a shot. There are long winter nights ahead for many of us and great novels can offer a small reprieve for a bit. We can’t hang around the agency all day every day drinking hooch, saving dames, and sapping crooks.
Scott Amundson is a long-time participant in, and member of, the Snub Noir snub shooters’ project. He is an avid reader, amateur historian, hunter, firearms enthusiast and a well-loved bane to intemperate femme fatales.
