The L.A. Quartet: The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, White Jazz; Introduction by Tom Nolan (Everyman's Library Contemporary Classics Series)

This is a rather massive tôme, though despite its girth, it is light and easily held. I am no longer a fast reader, due to eye problems, but the type and its contrast on the page is ideal.It has been years since I read Black Dahlia, and I was and am impressed at how fresh it still feels. As a native Angeleno who grew up during the Hirst-papers’ feeding frenzy over the Dahlia scandal, I was too young to be aware of the extent corruption was such a significant part of the LAPD and the LA City Council. I only vaguely remembered the Zoot Suit Murders. Ellroy’s writing brings all that and so much more back into vivit, nearly photojournalist, relief. More importantly, to me, is the discovery that this, and its following novels in the LA Quartet are not documentaries, but they are stories within stories, with plots and counterplots artfully interwoven with fact and, at least to me, with apparent fact.

L.A. Quintet refers to the four novels by James Ellroy (1948-) dealing with the LA Police Department in the late 1940sand into the 1950s. The novels are contained within the straining covers of a handsomely produced Everyman Edtion.The book contains over 1400 pages! The four novels all written in the 1980s and 90's are:The Black Dahlia-Exploration of the famous 1947 murder of Elizabeth ShortThe Big Nowhere-Gay murders and the Communist menaceLA Confidential-Explores the Nite Owl Massacre and the beating of six inmates in the jail by police offers and the scandal it brought to the police department.White Heat-A corrupt coy shares his story with readers. I found Ellroy's books to be hard reads! Constant profanity and racial slurs on ethnic minorities are palpable through the pulp fiction noirish pages. Women are treated as sex objects. Corruption in political officials and the police department is endemic. Yet I give the book five stars for Ellroy's brutal handling of the truth as it happened in that time period. Brutal murder, the zoot suit riots and cruelty run riot throughout these many many pages and quartet of novels. Ellroy is not for the squeamish but if you like hard hitting crime tales these novels will appeal to you.

A must read for fiction readers

The main plot is so convoluted and drawn out it is overshadowed by the main sub plot. The main plot contains underdeveloped characters and when the book is over, one has to wonder, "Is that it??" Otherwise a blast to read - I finished it in two days. Excellently written book with a major flaw. The movie was better.

Dashiell Hammett - Raymond Chandler - James Ellroy. If you love crime noir (and there are a lot of very, very bad knockoffs out there), this is your big three in terms of authors who will blow you away every story they write. Each of these novels were page turners from cover to cover. Great plots, great characters, loads of suspense, and a larger historical arc as you progress through the four books in this edition. You may be tempted to skip to one that interests you on the dustjacket, but best to start with The Black Dahlia and work your way through, as some of the characters move up over the course of the series or you'll hear references to past events in earlier books.Most of all you're buying this because it's an Everyman's Library edition, which I love for the style of the book on the bookshelf, the readability of the print, the durability of the hardcover, and the great additions like the foreword and the author's biography which help the place the novels into a broader context.A fantastic single volume set of novels to curl up with in your favorite chair. And when you're done check out Chandler and Hammett editions either through Everyman's Library or the Library of America for more great crime noir.

This was a gift for my father in law. He thoroughly enjoyed it!

I purchased this book in the Everyman's Library Classics Edition.The Everyman's Library Classics Edition books are, in my opinion, the best quality books available in the price-range.They are quality bound: with acid-free paper; dust jacket; and ribbon page marker.There are also a great range of authors available in this collection, and they are very reasonably priced.

A too,b of a book but perfect for long journeys

Top drawer crime writing

I could write a lot about these but I won't. At least, not now. I read "L.A. Confidential" at least 5 times in its German translation, and when I felt confident enough about my English, I read it another 5 times at least in the original. I bought this volume only because a) I love books from the Everyman Library and because I love James Ellroy's writing beyond reason. They are just great.

Im sure its great. If i got it.