Ellroy's ninth novel, set in 1950s Los Angeles, kicks off with
a shoot-out between a rogue ex-cop and a band of gangsters fronted
by a crooked police lieutenant. Close on the heels of this scene
comes a jarring Christmas Day precinct house riot, in which drunk
and rampaging cops viciously beat up a group of jailed Mexican
hoodlums. But, as readers will quickly learn, these sudden sprees
of violence, laced with evidence of police corruption, are only
teasers for the grisly events and pathos that follow this intricate
police procedural. Picking up where The Black Dahlia and The Big
Nowhere left off, the book tracks the intertwining paths of the
three flawed and ambitious cops who emerge from the "Bloody
Christmas" affair. Dope peddling, prostitution, and other risky
business are revealed as the tightly wound plot untangles.
Ellroy's disdain for Hollywood tinsel is evident at every turn;
even the most noble of the characters here are relentlessly sleazy.
But their grueling, sometimes maniacal schemes make a compelling
read for the stout of heart.

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