news

“After combing through the photo archives of the police museum, Ellroy discovered that 1953 featured the most unusual and striking imagery of the extensive collection and was inspired to write 25,000 words of text that illuminate L.A.’s underbelly and the controversial law enforcement practices of the time.”

“I interviewed James Ellroy, the great American noir novelist, at LA’s venerable Pacific Dining Car in April 2001. We were there to discuss his latest book, The Cold Six Thousand, but wound up tackling a myriad of subjects over our three hour lunch. Ellroy sported a snappy fedora that I said would have looked great on Meyer Lansky. He barked a laugh and removed it, displaying his bald pate. When he looked at my full head of 33 year-old hair, his eyes narrowed: ‘That thing on your head real or a rug?' ‘Real,' I replied. Ellroy exhaled for what seemed like a full minute, then murmured: ‘Cocksucker.' We were off and running.”

The Guardian has some great photos from LAPD ‘53 along with commentary.

For a taste of Ellroy’s collaboration with the Los Angeles Police Museum on LAPD ‘53, visit this image gallery at CNN.

A must-see video as Ellroy opens up to Encore’s Mariam Saab about starting over three decades into his literary career, the blurred lines between reality and fiction and the real love of his life.

Read about it at the TheEdgars.com or read the press release from the Mystery Writers of America.

Ian Johnston sits down with James Ellroy, veteran and pioneer of contemporary crime fiction, non-fiction and the blurring of those lines—the Demon Dog of American literature—to talk about the glossed-over injustice of Japanese-American internment in World War II, expanding Los Angeles across an entire world, and his new novel, Perfidia.