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The Loneliest Places
" The Loneliest Places isn't just a terrific debut, it's authentic L.A. noir... In the tradition of Nathaniel West and James M. Cain, Keith Edward Vaughn reminds us that the brighter the sunlight, the darker the shadows." - Joseph Schneider, critically-acclaimed author of the Detective Tully Jarsdel mysteries
"A gritty, assured mystery debut, right up to its satisfying final notes." - Kirkus Reviews
Years since inheriting his famous father's private investigation agency, Ellis Dunaway is a man out of time. He is also out of money, clients, and control of his drug habit. A simple favor for his coke dealer—finding out what happened to the guy he let stay in his Malibu rental house—sets off a series of increasingly violent encounters as the missing man turns out to be connected to one of L.A.'s most powerful families and a brutal cartel called the Black Fist. Traversing the city in his father’s classic Porsche—from yacht clubs to shopping malls to soundstages—the case gets progressively complicated and personal, demanding that Ellis confront his failures as a boyfriend, a one-time screenwriter, a detective, and a son. When he discovers that his father was investigating the Black Fist before his sudden, suspicious death, everything changes. Or, worse yet, nothing changes, and history repeats itself.
"A gritty, assured mystery debut, right up to its satisfying final notes." - Kirkus Reviews
Years since inheriting his famous father's private investigation agency, Ellis Dunaway is a man out of time. He is also out of money, clients, and control of his drug habit. A simple favor for his coke dealer—finding out what happened to the guy he let stay in his Malibu rental house—sets off a series of increasingly violent encounters as the missing man turns out to be connected to one of L.A.'s most powerful families and a brutal cartel called the Black Fist. Traversing the city in his father’s classic Porsche—from yacht clubs to shopping malls to soundstages—the case gets progressively complicated and personal, demanding that Ellis confront his failures as a boyfriend, a one-time screenwriter, a detective, and a son. When he discovers that his father was investigating the Black Fist before his sudden, suspicious death, everything changes. Or, worse yet, nothing changes, and history repeats itself.
289 pages, Paperback
First published August 18, 2023
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13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 17, 2023
With The Loneliest Places, Keith Edward Vaughn displays a deep love and knowledge of L.A.-crime-fiction history and a hope for the future of neo-noir. (Is this neo-neo-noir?)
The plot is appropriately shaggy-dog intricate: the search for a missing man throws down-at-his-heels private detective Ellis Dunaway headlong into a confrontation with a shadowy cartel and his own unresolved past. Plot is important of course, but this book is also a character study (in the best possible way). More than anything else, this book is about Ellis Dunaway, a nuanced, sympathetic character suffering from arrested development and addictions that keep him stuck in the nineties. Drugs and an (almost obsessive) appreciation for pop culture provide Ellis with solace and keep him from facing his worsening emotional and material circumstances. When the case turns violent and personal, we root for him to gain the necessary self-awareness and insight to stay alive, but wonder if he will.
The Loneliest Places is a journey through the palaces and slums of contemporary Los Angeles, peopled with a diverse, sometimes damaged, sometimes noble cast of supporting characters. Some of the characters he meets and situations Ellis finds himself in remind me of a somewhat less zany, more depressive Carl Hiaasen, or the films of Wes Anderson with their carefully drawn ensemble casts. In fact sometimes the supporting characters in the book are real scene stealers! Vaughn uses his uncommonly precise ear for dialogue to propel much of the action. All of the characters have unique voices, and we know them as soon as they start to speak. By turns, The Loneliest Places is hilarious, heart-rending, brutal, and hallucinatory.
I really loved this book. I give it my highest recommendation!
The plot is appropriately shaggy-dog intricate: the search for a missing man throws down-at-his-heels private detective Ellis Dunaway headlong into a confrontation with a shadowy cartel and his own unresolved past. Plot is important of course, but this book is also a character study (in the best possible way). More than anything else, this book is about Ellis Dunaway, a nuanced, sympathetic character suffering from arrested development and addictions that keep him stuck in the nineties. Drugs and an (almost obsessive) appreciation for pop culture provide Ellis with solace and keep him from facing his worsening emotional and material circumstances. When the case turns violent and personal, we root for him to gain the necessary self-awareness and insight to stay alive, but wonder if he will.
The Loneliest Places is a journey through the palaces and slums of contemporary Los Angeles, peopled with a diverse, sometimes damaged, sometimes noble cast of supporting characters. Some of the characters he meets and situations Ellis finds himself in remind me of a somewhat less zany, more depressive Carl Hiaasen, or the films of Wes Anderson with their carefully drawn ensemble casts. In fact sometimes the supporting characters in the book are real scene stealers! Vaughn uses his uncommonly precise ear for dialogue to propel much of the action. All of the characters have unique voices, and we know them as soon as they start to speak. By turns, The Loneliest Places is hilarious, heart-rending, brutal, and hallucinatory.
I really loved this book. I give it my highest recommendation!
August 21, 2023
Can a private investigator’s worst nightmare also be his salvation?
In Keith Edward Vaughn’s debut novel, second-generation PI Ellis Dunaway lives in the shadow of his late father, a former LAPD detective with a rock-solid reputation. But on Ellis’ watch, the shrinking firm’s cases wrap too soon and for too little money. As the book begins, he can only afford to keep his lone employee – a struggling single Mom working two jobs – for just one more month.
A new journey begins as club owner Terry Montero asks Ellis to check up on a friend named Douglas. On his way, he learns from Los Angeles Sheriff’s Detective Courtland Hollender that Terry sells drugs for a cartel called the Black Fist – and that his father was looking into the organization prior to his death. In addition to drugs, the Black First also trades in guns, babies and body parts. Later, at Douglas’ rental, he finds a loaded pistol and cocaine, dirty dishes, pills and signs of sporadic occupancy. The trail soon leads to a series of lethal encounters that could be the end of Ellis – or an opportunity for redemption.
In Ellis, Vaughn has modeled his hero in the tradition of down-and-out LA noir detectives. Ellis doesn’t use the term “shabby dignity” to refer to himself, but it aptly describes his own situation. He has heart, guts and good instincts, but he’s also a loner with money problems and a marijuana habit that may get him kicked out of his apartment. Ellis’ idea of a good night is getting home, getting drunk and working on his screenplay. In his darker moments, he views himself as a martyr who sacrificed his writing career and girlfriend to try to save his father’s business.
LA-obsessives will adore Vaughn’s service to the city and its history throughout the book. That’s especially true of entertainment culture, as Vaughn name-drops everything from fascinating Beach Boys lore to Three’s Company skits. As for music, the book’s audio references will make a terrific Spotify playlist. Vaughn mostly drops locally-grown icons like Guns n Roses and Motley Crue, but he also knows when to break outside of the mold, as he does with Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up – which, used in two very different contexts, becomes surprisingly emotional.
An atmospheric, suspenseful and wistful work of LA Noir. Recommended for fans of Lisa Gray and Michael Connelly.
In Keith Edward Vaughn’s debut novel, second-generation PI Ellis Dunaway lives in the shadow of his late father, a former LAPD detective with a rock-solid reputation. But on Ellis’ watch, the shrinking firm’s cases wrap too soon and for too little money. As the book begins, he can only afford to keep his lone employee – a struggling single Mom working two jobs – for just one more month.
A new journey begins as club owner Terry Montero asks Ellis to check up on a friend named Douglas. On his way, he learns from Los Angeles Sheriff’s Detective Courtland Hollender that Terry sells drugs for a cartel called the Black Fist – and that his father was looking into the organization prior to his death. In addition to drugs, the Black First also trades in guns, babies and body parts. Later, at Douglas’ rental, he finds a loaded pistol and cocaine, dirty dishes, pills and signs of sporadic occupancy. The trail soon leads to a series of lethal encounters that could be the end of Ellis – or an opportunity for redemption.
In Ellis, Vaughn has modeled his hero in the tradition of down-and-out LA noir detectives. Ellis doesn’t use the term “shabby dignity” to refer to himself, but it aptly describes his own situation. He has heart, guts and good instincts, but he’s also a loner with money problems and a marijuana habit that may get him kicked out of his apartment. Ellis’ idea of a good night is getting home, getting drunk and working on his screenplay. In his darker moments, he views himself as a martyr who sacrificed his writing career and girlfriend to try to save his father’s business.
LA-obsessives will adore Vaughn’s service to the city and its history throughout the book. That’s especially true of entertainment culture, as Vaughn name-drops everything from fascinating Beach Boys lore to Three’s Company skits. As for music, the book’s audio references will make a terrific Spotify playlist. Vaughn mostly drops locally-grown icons like Guns n Roses and Motley Crue, but he also knows when to break outside of the mold, as he does with Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up – which, used in two very different contexts, becomes surprisingly emotional.
An atmospheric, suspenseful and wistful work of LA Noir. Recommended for fans of Lisa Gray and Michael Connelly.
July 24, 2023
In The Loneliest Places, Keith Edward Vaughn delivers a captivating debut that navigates the grittier side of Los Angeles through the eyes of Ellis Dunaway, a man of enormous desires - especially when it pertains to his drug habits. Dunaway's vocation as a private investigator incessantly plunges him deeper into society's darker corners, exacerbating his feelings of solitude and purposelessness. His continuous struggle to align his lifestyle with the expectations of his late father serves as an intimate backdrop to his story. Dunaway's world is thrown into chaos when he crosses paths with the Black Fist, a sophisticated crime syndicate. With his life in turmoil, he must decipher a complex mystery while confronting his personal shortcomings.
Keith Edward Vaughn showcases his distinctive literary prowess in this gripping noir novel teeming with morally ambiguous characters straddling both sides of the law. Ellis Dunaway emerges as the perfect protagonist to guide us through the unseen, darker recesses of Los Angeles, offering a stark contrast to the city's regular tourist highlights.
I can't help but draw comparisons with iconic noir movies such as "LA Confidential" and "Chinatown." Much like Jake Gittes from the latter, Dunaway is a proficient detective whose worst adversary is often his own self, a fact that constantly puts him in precarious situations. Dunaway's journey is not only thrilling but also deeply empathetic, as readers find themselves rooting for him while understanding that his emotional immaturity is his most formidable foe.
Vaughn's narrative style is largely driven by dialogue, with judicious use of descriptive details to portray the characters and locations that make up this bleak rendition of the City of Angels. His intimate knowledge of this terrain is evident, yet he selectively unveils only fragments, effectively amplifying the sense of intrigue.
The Loneliest Places is a mesmerizing exploration of one man's journey through the underworld of a city and his own inner demons, marking Keith Edward Vaughn as a notable new talent in the literary world.
Keith Edward Vaughn showcases his distinctive literary prowess in this gripping noir novel teeming with morally ambiguous characters straddling both sides of the law. Ellis Dunaway emerges as the perfect protagonist to guide us through the unseen, darker recesses of Los Angeles, offering a stark contrast to the city's regular tourist highlights.
I can't help but draw comparisons with iconic noir movies such as "LA Confidential" and "Chinatown." Much like Jake Gittes from the latter, Dunaway is a proficient detective whose worst adversary is often his own self, a fact that constantly puts him in precarious situations. Dunaway's journey is not only thrilling but also deeply empathetic, as readers find themselves rooting for him while understanding that his emotional immaturity is his most formidable foe.
Vaughn's narrative style is largely driven by dialogue, with judicious use of descriptive details to portray the characters and locations that make up this bleak rendition of the City of Angels. His intimate knowledge of this terrain is evident, yet he selectively unveils only fragments, effectively amplifying the sense of intrigue.
The Loneliest Places is a mesmerizing exploration of one man's journey through the underworld of a city and his own inner demons, marking Keith Edward Vaughn as a notable new talent in the literary world.
August 27, 2023
The author painted the scene with dialogue. He gave you all the other senses with history of L. A. and the music playing. It was a great experience not just a great read.
November 21, 2025
If Bret Easton Ellis wrote The Californians
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews