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192nd out of 343 books
—
109 voters
True Confessions: A Novel
In 1940s Los Angeles, an unidentified murder victim is found bisected in a shadowy lot. A catchy nickname is given her in jest—"The Virgin Tramp"—and suddenly a "nice little homicide that would have drifted off the front pages in a couple of days" becomes a storm center. Two brothers, Tom and Des Spellacy, are at the heart of this powerful novel of Irish-Catholic life in S...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
December 21st 2005
by Da Capo Press
(first published 1977)
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It's postwar El Lay in the 1940s, and the body of a wannabe actress and working girl is dumped into a vacant lot after she's been savagely mutilated and cut into pieces. A racist cop/ex-palooka investigates the sensational murder while wrestling with his own twisted hangups. Sound familiar? But "True Confessions" actually predates "The Black Dahlia," and, according to George Pelecanos' introduction, James Ellroy freely acknowledges his debt to John Gregory Dunne and this novel. The books complem...more
The real-life Black Dahlia murder has been the basis for thousands of pages of speculation, and the inspiration for several novels, including this one. The book opens with a section called "Now" (roughly 1975), in which we meet the two protagonists, Irish-Catholic brothers Tommy and Des Spellacy, as the former drives to a rundown church in the California desert to meet the latter. It becomes clear that Des used to be a bigwig in the Los Angeles Archdiocese before something happened 28 years ago...more
I chose this book primarily because the author, John Dunne, was Joan Didion's husband of 40 years & because it's considered a classic of contemporary literature, with a goodread readers' 4 star rating. After 60 pages of ignoring foul language & depressingly brutal crime scenes, I could take no more & stopped reading. Dunne's refusal to adhere to correct grammar, sensible punctuation, and his anachonistic style (all acknowledged in his forward)do add shock value, but coupled with the...more
This novel was the definition of the phrase "slow burn" ....it was definitely a bit slow in the beginning--mainly trying to get all the lingo down. I have read plenty of detective novels but it was getting the slang and the police lingo etc in the time period described. The back story of the book is loosely based on the Black Dahlia murder and is a favorite of James Ellroy so both of these things influenced me to read this one. I have to say, once it got going it was very good. A really nice com...more
I just finished True Confessions--the book a friend of mine (a retired economics professor) "made" me read. Four and a half hours on public transportation yesterday got me through the last half of the book. I finished off the final few pages this morning. And I'm relieved that I'm done. True Confessions is a meandering mess of existential navel gazing. Maybe if I was a Catholic, I'd care more about the heavy handed themes of guilt and sin and adultery, but the author's style makes it all half-ba...more
Once again I was lured to this novel by the movie based upon it, starring Roberts DeNiro and Duvall. The novel is deeper and less dramatic (no great surprise there) and I found it thoroughly involving on several levels. The murder mystery itself-- set in vintage Los Angeles and based rather loosely on the "Black Dahlia" murder case-- almost takes a back seat to the familial and ecclesiastic relationships being explored and the final solution to the crime is a bit more mundane and realistic; for...more
This book was made into an excellent movie with Robert Duvall and Robert DeNiro. It takes place during the 1940's at the height of the Catholic church's power and influence in this country. There is also a very personal story line involving the interaction and conflict between the two brothers - one a priest and one a police detective. Although gruesome at times, the book is very well written.
Okay, I admit it. True Confessions is trash. It's full of undeleted expletives, scatologically descriptive words, ethnological slurs, and dully wicked characters. I'm not even sure how the police detective came to the solution of the foul murder. Yet all in all the book was so well done that I read it straight through and came to admire its very grittiness.
The seamy underside of the Catholic diocese of Los Angeles, just after World War Two. Two Irish brothers, one a cop and one a priest, deal with the scandal precipitated by a young woman's murder. If you're not cynical about the interface between the Church and secular politics, you will be after you read this.
Definitely a classic of the hard-boiled variety, based on the famous Black Dahlia murder in 1940s LA. The language is harsh and violent and the characters aren't very likable but the comparison of the scandal-plagued, wildly corrupt LA police department with the innerworkings and politics of the city's Catholic churches is very interesting. Turns out - they're not so different.
Sep 21, 2007
Bryan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
James Ellroy fans
Shelves:
ny-public-library
Keeping up on my crime fiction by literary authors with John Gregory Dunne's take on the Black Dahlia murder. It is clear that he is making an attempt to elevate the crime novel as a form, and to shock with the gritty depiction of the corruption in the LAPD and Los Angeles Diocese. The book fails in many respects, trying too hard with the shock tactics and falling flat in the ending (not unlike Ellroy's Black Dahlia). But the characters are great, there are amazing riffs, and it so clearly influ...more
An interesting murder mystery with many twists and turns. Set in LA during the 40s. Includes the politics involved in the era with the Church, the police, and rackets of all sorts.
An overlooked genius. John Gregory Dunne's characterization of Hollywood in the 1940's presages James Ellroy's without the hyperbole.
Terrific mystery (don't be put off by the title) later made into a pretty good movie with Robert de Niro.
I appreciate this book for what it is: a very good book written in a style that I do not like.
Excellent.
A masterpiece of crime fiction.
Jan 10, 2008
billy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
angelinos, catholics, guys who wana feel like men
True Confessions made me wanna get my hands dirty in the bowels of a city. Since I wasn't about to sign up for the police academy, I did the next best thing: I started searching for an apartment in the nitty-grittiest spot I could think of in downtown Portland (Voodoo Donuts).
John Gregory Dunne's take on a Black Dahlia-style murder ("The Virgin Tramp") pre-dates the whole James Ellroy shtick by a good ten years. I liked the way Dunne combined the police and the clergy with all the politicking, careerism and hidden dirty laundry both worlds entail. I thought this was smart crime book.
Alas, not my favorite John G. Dunne, but worth the read if only for the phrase "the uterine mysteries."
By far the best L.A. murder mystery I have ever read. Every word was a treat.
Mar 07, 2008
Julia
added it
I couldn't get into this book. I tried, but to no avail.
True Confessions by John Gregory Dunne (1978)
Anna Quindlen recommendation
May 22, 2013
Reata
marked it as to-read
May 22, 2013
Jareb
marked it as to-read
May 16, 2013
Tom Gorski
marked it as to-read
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John Gregory Dunne was an American novelist, screenwriter and literary critic.
He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and was a younger brother of author Dominick Dunne. He suffered from a severe stutter and took up writing to express himself. Eventually he learned to speak normally by observing others. He graduated from Princeton University in 1954 and worked as a journalist for Time magazine. He m...more
More about John Gregory Dunne...
He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and was a younger brother of author Dominick Dunne. He suffered from a severe stutter and took up writing to express himself. Eventually he learned to speak normally by observing others. He graduated from Princeton University in 1954 and worked as a journalist for Time magazine. He m...more
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May 18, 2013 02:08pm