L. A. Noir Part 2 Of 2

Lloyd Hopkins #1-3 omnibus

by James Ellroy, Michael Prichard (Read by)

James Ellroy explored modern-day L.A. in a trilogy featuring his anti-hero cop, Det. Sgt. Lloyd Hopkins. Now in one volume, here are the three original novels. Blood on the Moon. Twenty random killings of women remain unconnected in police files. But Det. Sgt. Lloyd Hopkins sees a pattern. In a shattering climax, cold, icy intelligence and white-heated madness are pitted against each other... Because the Night. Jacob Herzog, hero cop, has disappeared. A multiple murder committed with a pre-Civil War revolver remains unsolved. Are the two cases linked? As Det. Sgt. Lloyd Hopkins pieces the puzzle together, he uncovers a startling trail of arcane secrets and madness - all leading to one psychotic mastermind. Suicide Hill. Duane Rice kidnaps a bank manager's girlfriend and an orgy of violence erupts. Leading the manhunt, Det. Sgt. Lloyd Hopkins stumbles on a horrifying conspiracy of corruption and betrayal - among his own colleagues...

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Noir, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, American

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Lee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a telegrammatic prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black Dahlia (1987) and L.A. Confidential (1990).

Reviews

[Darwin8u · Rating 3 out of 5]

L.A. Noir is essentially the Lloyd Hopkins trilogy. Here are my reviews for the three novels:



1. Blood on the Moon - read 7/19/2018
2. Because the Night - read 7/22/2018
3. Suicide Hill - read 7/25/2018

[Patrick O'Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Ellroy's L.A. Noir combines three of his earlier books: Blood on the Moon, Because the Night, and Suicide Hill. First published in the early '80's, Ellroy's Los Angeles Nior trilogy is a macabre homage to ultra violent LA cops, and insanity of the times. His protagonist, Sergeant Lloyd Hopkins, is out of his fucking gourd. He's a racist, womanizing, homophobe, cold blooded killer and adulterous father of three daughters. But there's a beauty in the juxtaposition of repulsion and collaboration the reader feels for Hopkins. You hate him, yet you grudgingly admire his freedom to do whatever the hell he wants. He is the kind of cop the tabloids love to canonize, and the equally corrupt politicians blame for all of society's problems. For the LAPD, pre Rampart Scandal and Rodney King, Hopkins' type of police "work" was business as usual. Ellroy's exploitation of this, along with the interdepartmental conflicts of the ultra-right wing über religious cops vs. the bone crunching rank and file is beautifully offset by the entire police force's need to destroy the criminal perps – which are portrayed as such scum of the earth the reader doesn't mind their inevitable demise. The city of Los Angeles, the streets of Hollywood, and the prevailing deterioration of urban society of the 1980's all play integral parts of the plot and Ellroy exploits the shit out of them.

Although I don't consider these three books to be Ellory's best, I did find it interesting to read his earlier work in comparison to his later more successful novels, and to take note of where and how he honed his craft. I can see where his clipped official "dialogue" started to take form. Along with his unbelievably violent images, his hip street lingo, and use of police stats – material which became the basis for such work as American Tabloid – a book I feel is one of his best – and of course the successful L.A. Confidential. Yet, if you can't put aside the repulsiveness of Ellroy's love affair with all things grotesquely macho and conservatively right-wing, then don't read this book – it will just piss you off. Which I am sure Ellroy would be happy to know that it did.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great crime.
Just straight-up and true, gritty, honest and brutally-brilliant crime fiction.
Ellroy's Lloyd Hopkins Detective trilogy does it again.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeing that James Ellroy had a new book coming out, I checked back to see what novels of his I had read and found that I missed the three older novels now combined in LA Noir. So I read them.
Ellroy has his phantoms ,his dark ghosts haunting him and it shows in the novels he wrote. In THE BLACK DAHLIA, HOLLYWOOD CONFIDENTIAL and many others, his obsessions with violence, corruption, sex and sexual violence are apparent. His works are not for everyone, that is sure, but if you have a strong stomach, the books are searing, corrosive and devoid of self-forgiveness of any sin.
These three early novels are true to that.
The first, BLOOD ON THE MOON introduces Lloyd Hopkins, LAPD ROBBERY/homicide detective. He is an undeterablle cop, a killer, cold, brutal and deeply in love with his family. Conflicted? Oh, yeah. This novel sets the stage for the next two.BECAUSE THE NIGHT was my least appreciated because it seemed disjointed, not controlled, but then again, Lloyd Hopkins' life and death lust is out of control. The last novel in the trilogy, SUICIDE HILL is astoundingly gripping.
I doubt if anyone does a better job of describing Hollywood weirdos, lowlife, grifters and psychos than Ellroy. Nevertheless, the book is one that wore out this reader so that I am heading for something lighter for the next book, like a nice English Victorian toff amateur detective. Just kidding
Ellroy and his Hollywood are real.

[Simona Moschini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man mano che si approfondisce la conoscenza del sergente Hopkins, affiora e poi si solidifica la certezza di un forse inconscio ma scontatissimo superomismo nietzschiano che i protagonisti maschili di altri romanzi importanti di Ellroy non avevano.
Dio, com'è intelligente! Dio, quanto fiuto! Dio, che fascino virile, malinconico, solitario! Dio, com'è incompreso! (tutto questo lo sappiamo direttamente dal narratore e dal pensiero di chi lo incontra, soprattutto quanto Hopkins sia intelligente: ci viene ripetuto fino alla nausea, per cui qualche sospetto viene).
Alla fine ti sembra quasi che sia il giustiziere della notte, solo contro tutti (non solo l'assassino del momento, ma anche il corpo di polizia, la città corrotta) e meno male che tutte le donne che incontra gli cadono immancabilmente ai piedi...
Due palle, insomma.

[BurgendyA · Rating 5 out of 5]

L.A. Noir by James Ellroy are 3 stories of the Hopkins trilogy in one in this book.Blood on the Moon, Because the Night, & Suicide Hill. These crime stories takes place at LA and Lloyd Hopkins is a LAPD sergeant who solves twisted bizarre murder cases. Some of them are gruesome & disturbing but not way too disturbing. Lloyd is a tuff, smart, wild, and an impulsive sex addict. But he no matter what he always gets the job done at no matter what is the cost. I enjoyed this raw book alot. It's my second book of Ellroy that I've read. These 3 mystery crime thriller were excellent and page turning.

I give top stars and would recommend anyone to read it. =)~

[John Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lloyd Hopkins trilogy is a must-read for anyone into detective fiction. That’s all that needs to be said.

[Darshik · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved them! it will razzle-dazzle you unlike old fashioned noir (chandler/hammett). first one is okay, you can read it, but wouldn't interest much. later both are just great. they're more about the journey and not the ending. they may not be as good as LA quartet, but sure as hell entertaining! expect superficial though.

[Mark Hollands · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. I'm a fan of Elroy's later books and had never read his earlier stuff. It's interesting to see how he grew into his craft. This trilogy is good but not of the quality that Elroy fans would expect if they'd read later novels, such as L.A. Confidential. But don't let that deter you reading these.

[Tonybe787 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tome comprises three righteous novels, blood on the moon, because the night, and suicide hill, each more bracing and violent than the last. One can sense ellroy hurtling toward his masterpiece L.A. quartet in these bloody crime novels.

[Davide · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucido ed agghiacciante. C'è violenza fredda, smisurata, dolente e crudele. Ma che maestria nello scrivere, che vitalità nei personaggi tratteggiati da Ellroy, che passione. Da non perdere per gli appassionati del "noir" più puro.

[V.k. Reiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This writer never displeases, always satisfies.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kim Daly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The trilogy decreases in quality with every book.

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

LA & Noir reads like an oxymoron, but if anyone can make LA dark & sinister, then it's James Ellroy who along with Don Winslow are the absolute Grand Masters of crime fiction.

[Greg Infanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as American Tabloid, but had me pretty riveted. The world-building in unmatched.

[JM Ferrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling. Complex personalities in a very intense plot.
A book that transport you to a not far past

[Houstonion · Rating 3 out of 5]

a really good and cohesive story which ends exactly where it needs to, really drags at points and book 2 is Ellroy's worst book I've read by a mile but overall worth a read

[Prashanth Bhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

actually after watching shield and reading lonesome dove. this slang is pretty good read.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed the books overall but the main character isnt great. possibly due to being set in early 80s the dialogue doesnt seem genuine. I've read other books by Ellroy that were much better overall such as the American trilogy which is great.

[Andy Raptis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is how the story goes. I'm on the plane to Hong Kong and I got to decide whether I'm gonna read Dan Simmon's Hyperion or James Ellroy's Blood on the Moon. In the past I've read Simmons' horror stuff which I liked, and given the good reviews on Simmon's sci-fi, I was willing to give it a shot.
I started to read but it didn't work for me. I'm not in my early twenties any longer. I switched to Blood on the Moon and that was it. Within the next few days I had finished all three book of the Lloyd Hopkins trilogy and I had begun American Tabloid.
Blood on the Moon is a violent cop versus serial killer novel which Ellroy wrote after reading Red Dragon. Personally I think Blood on the Moon is a more exciting read than the Thomas Harris novel.
Blood on the Moon is vicious, totally incorrect, with great characters, and it moves at a great pace. Pity the film adaption was so crap. Apart from the main story, Ellroy does a great job with the secondary characters and subplots, especially the relationship between the main character and his daughter. Those who are familiar with the life of Ellroy will notice the biographical elements that have crept in the story, something that happens quite often in Ellroy's books.
For the second book Ellroy wisely changes style. This time its about mind-control, snuff films, and dangerous shrinks. There was also something of a Charles Manson vibe running throughout the story.
For the third story James Ellroy offers something different. This time its about a robbery that goes wrong, and the bloodbath that ensues. You can feel some sympathy for the main guy who wants to start a new life with honest intentions. Unfortunately things go horribly wrong.
The Hopkins family drama runs throughout the trilogy is quite engaging and set up the template for shows like Shield and Breaking Bad. This trilogy would be a perfect show for HBO as long as they would remain faithful to the spirit of the book. I hope it happens one day although it may be difficult for today's audiences to stomach such a large number of racial slurs.

[Tony Gleeson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume collects three of Ellroy's earlier novels, "Blood on the Moon," "Because the Night," and "Suicide Hill," all featuring the damaged but obsessively brilliant Los Angeles detective Lloyd Hopkins. The writing is not as knife-sharp as in Ellroy's later books but the characters are just as bent, the crimes just as vile, and the depictions of the streets and locations of Los Angeles are just as vivid and exact. The author comments in the brief preface that he doesn't care if the reader likes the character, only the books. That's a good description of my own feeling about Ellroy. There's nobody to like or sympathize with in these novels, but the books are compelling and powerful.

[Claire]

This trilogy of cop tales set in the LA of the early 1980's is easily as readable as Ellroy's other (even more noir-ish) novels, but is ultimately strangely unsatisfying. These stories are cleverly plotted as ever, but they seem to lack the obsessional layers of detail that characterise Ellroy's later novels. Although resembling many of Ellroy's other maverick renegade cop characters, Lloyd Hopkins does not seem as real or as rounded, making him less likeable and his behaviour less forgivable. These are not the great man's best novels by a long chalk, and this is probably a volume for the hardcore Ellroy fans/completists only.

[Remi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loving these history books, especially ones about famous criminals of the past. While LA Noir covered a lot of ground already covered by Gangster Squad, it felt more in-depth and focused more on the police than the criminals, which I enjoyed. With Gangster Squad, I was peering into the lives of criminal celebrities whereas with Noir I got to learn about the people who tried (and succeeded in most cases) to put them away. Ellroy really does his homework and I appreciated that he managed to provide an opinion where he had one but also tried his best to be objective when he was on the outside looking in. Good book. Definitely recommend it if you love noir films and cops and robbers.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Ellroy is one of my favorite authors. His dark crime stories and rapid, terse writing really resonate with me. LA Noir is a trilogy of Ellroy's first novels. They center around LA police detective Lloyd Hopkins, a great cop with a troubled past and family life. In each book Hopkins solves grisly murders using less than by the book practices. I didn't enjoy these books as much as Ellroy's later novels, most especially LA Confidential and The Black Dahlia. However, they were good crime novels and worth a read.

[Mark]

All three of the Lloyd Hopkins novels under one cover? They made a movie based on the character called "COP" and Hopkins was played by James Woods who did a fine job-but to truly understand Ellroy's cold sense of how fighting monsters turns you into one you have to read all three books. These books were stepping stones that enabled him to craft the ruthless prose that he later used to such great effect in "White Jazz" and "Blood's A Rover"

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a packaged collection of three early James Ellroy novels featuring Lloyd Hopkins, a morally compromised LA detective, written in the early-mid 1980's. If you're not familiar with Ellroy's work, I wouldn't recommend starting here as these novels, while fairly good, have some major flaws and are not on the same par of his later LA Confidential-era books. But for Ellroy fans this is a good, affordable way to see his evolution as a writer.

[RunRachelRun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. I picked this up because I enjoyed "L.A. Confidential" as a movie all those years ago. This was an incredibly read although horrifically violent pretty much all the way through. I hear echoes of Ellroy in a lot of other authors' renegade cop books/series... I won't name them because I don't want to call them on the carpet.

[Graham Heywood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lloyd Hopkins is a true Ellroy creation. Part killer, part psychopath, part upstanding citizen and cop. He keeps you on your toes throughout. I was never quite sure what Lloyd would do next. Three books in one and I have to say they get progressively better and Lloyd gets more and more out of control throughout. I love this character. Stories, as usual, are violent, seedy, thrilling!