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    L.A. Confidential
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    L.A. Confidential
    Unavailable
    L.A. Confidential
    Audiobook (abridged)3 hours

    L.A. Confidential

    Written by James Ellroy

    Narrated by David Strathairn

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Christmas 1951, Los Angeles: a city where the police are as corrupt as the criminals.

    Six prisoners are beaten senseless in their cells by cops crazed on alcohol. For the three L. A. P. D. detectives involved, it will expose the guilty secrets on which they have built their corrupt and violent careers.

    Editor's Note

    Scandal & corruption...

    Ellroy’s LA is a potent mix of sex, scandal, corruption, and violence. Forget about the 1997 movie—film can't capture the smoldering menace that lurks beneath Ellroy’s spartan and brutally frank prose.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 13, 2007
    ISBN9780739354568
    Unavailable
    L.A. Confidential

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    Reviews for L.A. Confidential

    4/5

    757 ratings17 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I read this book, not sure what I was getting into. All I knew about it is that this is the book that the movie of the same name is based on. Which I hadn't seen. And I liked it, really I did. But between the length of the novel, the incredibly complex story with a mystery that kept changing (is it a porn thing, or a drug thing, or a mobster thing, or prostitute thing...) I found it hard to follow. Once I got the main characters figured out, initially, I found the change of perspectives difficult to follow, they were what made this book from a mess, into a solid novel. Each of the three characters, Bud White, Jack Vincennes, and Ed Exley, are all very different characters.This book is dark, violent, and full of non PC language. Yes, its set in the 50's, when the division between races are very clear cut and a person does not cross that line or your career and character are in ruins. It is hard to read at times. Yes, its a work of fiction, but I have no doubt the sentiments in this book are true to the source.
    • 5/5
      One of the very few good "recent" noir crime novels I have read. Complex in every way to read but by shifting gears to accommodate the writing style one could go along with what was an experience, not just a story.
    • 3/5
      I'm looking forward to watch the movie, so I wanted to get done with the book first.
      Gave it 60 pages; I'm sure it's not bad and maybe it's just me at the moment, but the style keeps me trailing off of the page after every second sentence, and there are so many names and characters thrown at you, that I don't have the endurance to read it right now.
      Will move on to the movie, and keep the book, maybe for later years.
    • 5/5
      It took me a while to dip into the story because of the concise and strong spelling style which was switching from one event to the next one. Once, I became accustomed to it I wasn't able to put it away. What made me most impressed was the unimaginable corruption within the police department and the politic. The gangster had more or less free hand to deal with drugs, prostitution and blackmail and some of the police officers were playing alongside with them. There were only two police officers who tried to solve this state. They couldn't have been more opposed characters and through the most part of the story I've got the feeling that they were trying very hard to put each other obstacles in the way.The story is very gripping and praise of James Ellroy's spelling style and historical knowledge a must-read.
    • 5/5
      This is a terrific police mystery, filled with suspense and continued action. This is the best of the three I have read of Ellroy's LA Quartet.
    • 2/5
      Liked the movie. Great cast. Book consistent with it for first 100 pages or so,then whoosh. Noir, very noir. 50-100 characters, all with a streak of evil. Mickey Cohen. Or worse. Lots of phrases. Some sentences. Lots of jumps. Multi theories of whodunit. Multi suspects. Movie - key character killed in kitchen with gun by a cop. Big surprise. Book, he's killed in a shoot-out at end of book. Johnny Stampanato. Why the train holdup? Got completely lost. Didn't care. Wanted it to end. Don't remember ending. Lots of bodies. Some real life characters. 500 pages. 3 other books in the quartet. Including Black Dahlia. Won't read more. Guy = Ed, Crowe = Bud.
    • 3/5
      It might take you awhile to get used to the writing style -- very clipped pace, almost like jotted down thoughts. All of the characters in the book were well rounded, with good backstories, differing personalities, and individual flaws. The story was dark and gritty. The dialog was excellent. As a warning, it does differ quite a bit from the movie. It's a thrilling story about corruption, disillusionment, and facing your inner demons.
    • 5/5
      Set in the 1950s Los Angeles, the plot deals with a group of policemen engaged in some obscure activities. The Bloody Christmas at first and then the Nite Owl massacre are the two main events that trigger a loadfull of implications for everyone involved, from victims to suspects, and of course for every policeman of the LAPD within the scope of this two scandals.A very interesting plot for me, with a very dynamic course of actions that never ceases to create new scenarios and complications. It makes you keep turning pages, helped in part for the short duration of each chapter. If it wasn't for this, it might be a little more hard to read, as the language and the style are a bit difficult sometimes (at least for non-native speakers), with plenty of jargon, informal dialogues and, sometimes, lack of literary structure. It is, however, a very good writing approach to such a story, as it helps to set a proper environment when you read.The characters are also a good part of the book. Apart from the tenths of different characters that appear during the story, there are three main police officers (actually, almost each chapter is based on one of these) and a couple of important secondary characters that fill the story nicely. Every one of them has its own virtues and vices, and it is amusing the way they interact with each other in relation to the development of the story. Without being fully developed, their character reactions are easily understandable when you come to know their background.Another good point is the amount of times that the author summarizes the state of affairs. In a smart and unforced way, Ellroy succeeds in stating how the different investigations are developing in different moments. This has been very useful for me, as it is not easy to follow the whole story if you do not read the book straight in a couple of days (which I rarely can with any book).All in all, I've enjoyed very much this read. Corruption and criminal business being the main players, the story and its characters are very nicely drawn and make you enjoy every bit of this classic novel. The ending is kind of thought-provoking too, so more points for LA Confidential and James Ellroy. A good read for crime stories' lovers.
    • 5/5
      You need only read a few pages of this hard-boiled classic to realise how much the hard edges were buffed on plot and characters for the (excellent) film version. Ellroy's book details an even more complicated web of intrigue, presenting Los Angeles law enforcement as a shady underworld built on dirty money, cover-ups and murder. Even 'squeaky clean' wunderkind Edmund Exley wades deep into the muck, his reputation made by an enormous lie the movie's screenwriters later spared him.With all its plot twists, unforeseen revelations and shifting allegiances, L.A. Confidential ticks along at a cracking pace; its short chapters make it even harder to put down. This was my first foray into Ellroy's minutely detailed world, and I already have more books on order. Recommended reading.
    • 3/5
      My introduction to noir litterature. As a kid, I was much impressed with its "epic" ensemble-cast and several-year scope, something I had never really seen before.
    • 4/5
      This is set in 1950's L.A., but the book's theme applies to any environment where the pursuit of personal agenda becomes more important than the prompting event. We refer to this side of human nature as "politics", accepting certain behaviors as allowable under a competitive system, and the "50's" were a very competitive time. All in the name of human progress, of course.There are three interesting worlds here: the "underground" elements of ethnic neighborhoods, prostitutes and organized crime; the "hollywood" zone of illegal drugs and sexual deviance; the "big money boys" building the future dreaming of freeway systems and amusement parks. All three are shown to us by a particular officer, each with his own reason of operating within that world. Wendell White has a vendetta against wife-beaters and pimps, ends up becoming a bogeyman who follows orders and administers physical violence without question. Jack Vincennes is an advisor for a television show, trades info with gossip mags in return for headlines, and has a history of making drug busts in the jazz world to supply himself with speed. Ed Exely is the son of a major figure in construction AND policework, (including a personal connection to the building of the novel's version of Disneyland) and is concerned with attaining rank and crushing his enemies within the force.Of course, crime, particularly murder, does not stay within neighborhoods or classes. When a major crime occurs, each officer is working within their own competitive zones. Information is kept secret for different personal reasons, with the combined effect of allowing major injustices to occur while minor ones are quelled for the benefit of the media and promotions.This being a fiction, the right series of events occur to force these men to weigh the benefits of co-operation versus secrecy. Years of habitual hatred and self-protection have to give way to the pursuit of justice, and perhaps, letting go of the past that haunts them all.
    • 5/5
      Great and I did the swanky hepcat language. Movie equally good for once!
    • 5/5
      I love this book. It's so complex, with intertwining plots and subplots, and intricate backstory, and more atmosphere than it knows what to do with.LA in the 50s, where the cops are often as corrupt as the criminals they're policing. Ed Exley is a straight arrow, living in the shadow of his father and older brother, and a deceitful past; Jack Vincennes is a 'star' cop, working on a television show, pulling down celebrity busts, but with a past he can't allow to be known; Bud White is a thug, the one called in when a confession needs to be beaten out of a suspect.I won't try and describe the plot(s), because a quick summary won't do them justice; suffice it to say that you have to pay attention to what's going on, or you'll be sitting there saying 'wha?' halfway through. The plot's great - but what really makes it is a) Ellroy's writing style, clipped and terse, and at the same time amazingly descriptive, and b) the characters.They're extraordinarily well-drawn, utterly believable; the fictional characters blend seamlessly with the historical figures - Johnny Stompanato, Mickey Cohen - and the historical events that Ellroy 'borrows' mix just as smoothly.Amazingly good reading.
    • 5/5
      A thousand times more complex and amoral than the film of the same name. Not a bad movie, but an excellent novel.
    • 5/5
      A horrific crime at a late-night cafe unexpectedly brings together very different police officers whose individual burdens to bear may help as much as they hinder.Picking up where The Big Nowhere left off, L.A. Confidential looks at corruption within the LAPD during the 1950s. Once again, there are three separate protagonists (this time Ed Exley, Bud White, and Jack Vincennes) and a multitude of subplots. It takes a bit, but Ellroy does tie everything in together nicely. The first 50 pages or so were a little slow going, but after that I was completely hooked and read the majority of the 500-page novel in a single day after work.Before reading this series, I had seen the film based on this title; I thought that might prevent me from enjoying this book as much because I would already know where it was going. However, the book is much more complicated in both plot and character development, so there was plenty here, even for those who have already seen the movie.Although not quite as bad as the previous two titles, the description of the murders can be a bit gruesome at times. Further, Ellroy highlights a bygone era not with nostalgia for "the good old days," but by showing the racism and other problems. However, it is easily (and understandably) off-putting for some readers to hear the various epithets and so forth. For that reason in particular, this book won't be for everyone.
    • 4/5
      Bloody, brutal, brilliant noir epic about three cops dealing with the aftermath of a violent massacre set in corrupt 1950s Los Angeles.
    • 4/5
      A set of twists and turns through the landscape of the underworld of L.A. This is another fine novel in James Ellroy's L.A Quartet and is different enough from the movie (which I viewed previously) to entice and bring the reader along for the wild ride. The plot is unpredictable and the characters are somewhat stoic in their bearing, possessing the attributes that are generally known in crime fiction. Nevertheless, there is much to like here and I felt fully engaged for the duration of the novel.4 stars.