I began reading this book around mid-December but given the chaotic nature of my life at the time, I found it nearly impossible to focus.  Seeing as Ellroy’s American Tabloid is a novel that commands your attention, a wandering mind will do you no favors.  So when things settled down, I picked it back up,…

A body is found near a local swimming hole and the brutality of the murder is frightening.  Deputy Danny Upshaw is charged with finding the perp and closing the case.  When it’s discovered the victim was gay, Ellroy brings the reader into the homophobic culture of 1950s Los Angeles while pushing Upshaw to his limit…

The body of Elizabeth Short is found mutilated and the LAPD are tasked with nabbing the culprit.  Superstar partners Dwight Bleichert and Lee Blanchard try to piece together Short’s missing days but with the media in a frenzy surrounding the brutal murder, making headway proves difficult.  If that’s not enough, wading through the political waters…