To Live and Die in L.A.

by Gerald Petievich

From the author of To Die in Beverly Hills comes a harrowing tale of the dark underside of America’s West Coast metropolis. Two U.S. Treasury agents, partners and antagonists, are drawn into a matrix of violence and corruption, southern California-style, that becomes a journey through a sunlit hell – at the end of which they become experts on the thin line between what it takes to live – and die – in L.A. “Petievich’s background as a Treasury agent himself intensifies the reality of this superthriller.” – Publishers Weekly To Live and Die in L.A., the book that inspired the major motion picture.

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Media Tie In, Mystery Thriller, Mystery

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1984

About the author

Gerald Petievich belongs to that tiny group of writers who came to crime fiction from careers in law enforcement. He has been an Army counterspy and a U.S. Secret Service agent, using his real life experiences to achieve verisimilitude in his fiction. His novels are known to come as close as any in the mystery- and-thriller genre to a genuine realism. Three of his novels have been produced as major motion pictures.

Gerald grew up in a police family. His father and brother were both members of the Los Angeles Police Department. He attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey and later served in Germany as a US Army Counterintelligence Special Agent. As Chief of the Counterespionage Section, Field Office Nuremberg, he received commendations for his work during the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.

In 1970 he joined the United States Secret Service where as a Special Agent he spent fifteen years engaged in duties relating to the protection of the President and the enforcement of Federal counterfeiting laws. It was during a long-term Secret Service assignment in Paris, France that Petievich discovered the works of Per Wahloo & Maj Sjowall, Graham Greene and John le Carre, and decided to become a writer. Later, while serving in Los Angeles as the US Secret Service representative to the Department of Justice Organized Crime Strike Force, Gerald's schedule consisted of rising at 4 AM to write before going to his government office.

In 1985, Gerald left the Secret Service to pursue his writing career full-time.

Reviews

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

[Will Errickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely worth a read but didn’t blow me away like the movie did. Good dialogue and scenarios but lacks a certain identity and intensity. Still a worthwhile addition to your crime library.

[Vaelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy 5 stars!

Recommended to any crime fiction fan.

Planning on watching the movie soon.

[Ben Boulden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice procedural featuring a trio of Secret Service agents working a notorious counterfeiter. The investigative detail is realistic. The story is interesting. The characters are sharp but could have been developed a tad more for a fuller impact.

[Mal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in 3 days and would have read it faster had not every female character been totally implausible to the point I couldn’t bring myself to read their descriptions or dialogue. Great little procedural romp that I would recommend if one could just magically replace all the females with better written characters or just skip over them. It was the 80s, I know, but still hard to stomach.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this one up. As I said before, a solid L.A. crime novel. Good, believable dialogue, but lacking the stylistic panache of Elmore Leonard or the grit of James Ellroy. That aside, this was a super good read, highly recommended to anyone who is a fan of the crime genre. My only real gripe is that the end comes so abruptly that, about ten pages from the end I started wondering if my copy was missing pages. You're still neck deep in a funny money caper, trying to figure out how or if the bad guy will go down, and then the whole novel literally reaches resolution (a bit too tidily, even with the obligatory bad-cop gets his comeuppance) within about 8 pages and is done as crisply as a briefcase latch snapping to. But it's still a four star read.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

For an action-packed crime thriller featuring lots of interesting "occupational hazard" details and authentic dialogue, you can't find much better than this. Who better than an ex-Fed to write a book about crooked versus honest Feds? The plot is an improvement over the more noir-esque, violent yet solid William Friedkin film adaptation, so the two representations stand on their own. Petievich provides some very bold characterizations and humor, and the double-cross at the end is pure human behavior. The book doesn't pander, and the plot machinations are completely believable and suspenseful.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

4*

[Raimo Wirkkala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petievich is all taut-narrative and snappy dialogue. Fans of the stylish William Friedkin-directed film (like me) will find many elements of the film herein with much of the dialogue lifted verbatim from the book, and rightly so. The description of various settings and places in LA are spare, but one gets the feeling that when he locates a bowling alley in a specific area of the city, it is there for real.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better pulp fiction novels I can ever remember reading. The author was an actual secret service agent and wrote a pretty good story here. He published several other novels as well. The author also wrote the screenplay for the movie version of this novel. I have always enjoyed that movie since the first time that I had seen it, but now after reading the book I can say that the studio kind of screwed this guy over, while the movie is nice in it's own rite, the twists at the end of this novel are far more intriguing, original, noble and humerous then the twists you get at the end of the movie. This book is long out of print so if you have an opprutunity to obtain a used copy of this book, enjoy it and pass it on to someone else you suspect would appreciate it.

[Grump · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a pro counterfeiter named Rick Masters and he's in trouble. His courier got busted and is gonna sing. The feds are on to his main dealer Max Waxman. The names are the best. Treasury agents Chance and Vukovich cut a bunch of corners to try and take him down. Chance does a lot of fucking. Like three ladies in one day. Rick Masters does some creative dippin' too so that's fun. While Chance and Vukovich are pushing it to the limit, an old guy named Hart is hunting Masters in a by the book fashion. There's tits and butts and dicks and guns and slavs.

It's frickin' sick.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thriller about Treasury agents on the trail of successful counterfeiter with a history of beating them in court. Fast-paced, and the author is a former treasury agent himself, so he knows his stuff. It was made into a movie in 1985, which prompted me to track down a copy of the book to read. Some significant details are different than the movie, and although I like the movie, the book is even better and has a more satisfying resolution.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd book, in a way, which was made into a movie directed by William Friedkin (which I've never seen). It's quite breezy and readable, amoral as well. The character's don't always seem particularly motivated, which gives the book an existential tinge. Without spoiling the end, I will simply say that the ending doesn't live up to the build-up, which is another odd effect.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

tautly written thriller. Of particular interest is Petievich's details about counterfeiting, as he was an anti-counterfeiting agent for the Treasury Department.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read, makes me want to watch the movie again. If you can believe it, Chance (the William Peterson character in the movie) is even more of a douche bag in the book.

[Rob Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gerald Petievich's "To Live and Die in L.A." is a gripping crime thriller that offers a raw and authentic look into the high-stakes world of Secret Service agents and counterfeiters in Los Angeles. Drawing from his experience as a former Secret Service agent, Petievich crafts a narrative that blends procedural authenticity with intense psychological tension.

The novel centers on Richard Chance, a federal agent whose relentless pursuit of master counterfeiter Rick Masters pushes him beyond ethical boundaries. Petievich masterfully portrays the thin line between law enforcement and lawlessness, creating a compelling study of how the drive to catch criminals can lead to corruption. His intimate knowledge of Secret Service operations lends the narrative a documentary-like realism, with detailed descriptions of counterfeiting techniques and investigation procedures providing fascinating insights into this specialized world of crime and law enforcement.

Los Angeles emerges as a character in its own right, with Petievich capturing its contradictions - the glittering surface and the gritty underbelly, the promise of redemption and the reality of corruption. The city's sprawling geography and diverse neighborhoods provide a rich canvas for the story's exploration of moral ambiguity. The novel's pacing is masterful, with sequences of intense action balanced against quieter moments of character development. The car chases and confrontations are particularly well-executed, generating genuine tension while remaining grounded in plausibility.

What sets this novel apart is its unflinching examination of the psychological toll of law enforcement work. Through Chance's increasingly reckless behavior and his partner's growing unease, Petievich explores how the pressure to maintain law and order can lead to a corruption of purpose, raising questions about the true cost of justice. The author's economical prose style creates a sense of urgency that pulls the reader through the story.

The novel gained further recognition when it was adapted into a critically acclaimed film directed by William Friedkin in 1985. The movie, co-written by Petievich himself, stayed true to the book's gritty realism and complex themes, further cementing its status as a classic of the crime genre. "To Live and Die in L.A." stands as a testament to Petievich's skill in crafting a thrilling, authentic, and morally complex tale that continues to resonate with readers and viewers alike. Its exploration of the blurred lines between good and evil in law enforcement remains as relevant today as when it was first published.

[Mikel Pfeiffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I vaguely remember the movie To Live and Die in LA but someone recommended I read the book many years ago so I bought the paperback and there it had been sitting unread until this week. To Live.. was a good pick as a later Noir November read. The book does not have a much time spent with counterfeiter, Rick Masters, but spreads its time among many characters. Treasury agents, Chance and Vukovich are hot on Masters' trail as they dig themselves in a hole of illegal activity in the process. Meanwhile, Hart, near retirement, goes the legal way after Masters with hard work and a few good tips. Along the way there's lots of fun action with unsavory characters. The ending brings it altogether but there's a bit of a letdown with a lack of pizazz I was hoping for. I think the movie might have had a bigger bang at the end. All in all, I really enjoyed reading my time with it. I wasn't as entertained as Iam with Elmore Leonard but I hardly ever am. I'll watch the movie again soon and maybe pick up another book by Petievich.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this maybe in 2000 or so but my way into this was the movie. Unlike The Firm, this isn’t a worse version of the movie but a fascinating diversion from it. Whichever order you look at both, there will be some nice little surprises and different roads traveled. Onto itself, this is a fun read and only loses heat at the very end. Personally, this book marks my new record for most books read in a single year. So, this will always have a special place in my heart.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The movie is so good that the book absolutely pales in comparison

[Steven Voorhees · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real & atmosphere page turner.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Milton

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different and realistic.

The movie is slightly different? Supposedly this was based off real life L.A. types in the Age of Coke. Funny what looks like a happy ending.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun crime story with a great ending. I would have preferred more character development but everything else was excellent.

[Max Balestra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This early-eighties noir, also a cult movie, has a generational taste. The battle seems to be not only between the U.S. Treasury agents and the clever and ruthless counterfeiter Rick Masters, but also between the investigative styles of the veteran agent Jim Hart, who wants to catch Masters using patience and diligence, and the two young hot shots Vukovich and Chance, who are ready to cut corners and take any sort of risk.

The novel has also the unexpected bonus of depicting a different LA from the ones we are used to now, a still vastly blue collar one.

[Dave Mccormick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the William Freidkin film based from the novel, so I decided to give it a try. In many ways the movie is faithful to the book - especially in terms to the character names and most of the locations - and many of the events. I don't think the that characters were fleshed out enough. It's a quick read, but I was a bit disappointed. The film is much better - something that may be a first for me.

[Robert Haines · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked reading this book but the ending just sort of petered out for me. The world Petievich creates is not too dissimilar from a James Ellroy novel in that it showcases likable characters doing bad things. However, I was expecting more from the ending as it seemed that the events of the book was leading to a more climatic conclusion.

[Anne Billson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to compare this with William Friedkin's film of the same name. Sticks more or less to the same story and characters, but with a few major changes so that the screenplay focuses more on Chance and his partner. A good, brisk cop thriller by someone who knows the milieu.

[Gregg Voss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Total 80s story. For a kid who grew up in that era, I enjoyed it from that standpoint. I didn’t think it was written particularly well, though. I have never seen the Willem Dafoe film, but this book did motivate me to want to see it.

[Dean Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So they basically spend 98% of the book building tension and then it just kind of ends! I almost respect it if I wasn’t so pissed off.

Second read and I enjoyed it much more. Very funny how the film ignores half of the plot and just goes purely on vibes.

[Allie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the movie, and enjoyed the book a bit more. The ending seemed, yes, a bit anti-climatic, but still it was a good romp.