David Batten’s Reviews > Perfidia > Status Update

A prequel to a series of books written over 20 years ago, a bit of a retread of his routines. I wouldn't recommend as a first read for people new to Ellroy, but if you like his hard boiled style already, its more of the same.

A prequel to a series of books written over 20 years ago, a bit of a retread of his routines. I wouldn't recommend as a first read for people new to Ellroy, but if you like his hard boiled style already, its more of the same.

A prequel to a series of books written over 20 years ago, a bit of a retread of his routines. High points are getting into the early lives of some of the later characters. The arch evil officer Dudley Smith, Buzz Meeks, bag man for the mob, and the Hollywood socialist socialite, Claire De Havelin. A focus is on the rush to internment of Japanese Americans right after PH, and the money & land grab that followed.