The fourth in Ellroy's L.A. Quartet ('L.A. Confidential', 'The Black Dahlia', 'The Big Nowhere', 'White Jazz'). Told from the perspective of Lt. Dave Klein, this book is the culmination of the rivalry between Edmund Exley and Dudley Smith. It's a rackets duel reminiscent of the long running intelligence duel between George Smiley and the enigmatic Karla in John LeCarre's 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' and 'Smiley's People'.

Of course, that is where the similarities end. Ellroy's prose style is sparse and staccato, very punchy. It allows the action to move quickly but requires the reader to pay close attention and do a lot of reading between the lines. It takes some getting used to but it works for hard-boiled crime fiction set in the 1950s. Ellroy is a master of the authentic language of the period.