I went for Black Dahlia because I had been so disappointed
with Suicide Hill
and wanted to try one of Ellroy's best. Suicide Hill, which
came out about
the same time as Willeford's Kiss Your Ass Goodbye (Miami
Blues) is very
similar in theme to the Willeford book. They both start out
telling two
separate stories, one of the ultra-violent criminal, the
other of the cop
trying to rise above his own troubles to do good. In the end,
the two men's
stories come together. To me, Ellroy's novel seemed routine
and
comic-bookish. I had to work hard to get through it, and I
like comic
books. As one friend put it, Hopkins seemed too "precious."
On the other
hand, Willeford's book is an outstanding and believable
"slice of two
lives." If Ellroy has repudiated his earlier work, well so
much the better
-- if it's like Suicide Hill. (Although, I hear Brown's
Requiem is
terrific.)
Black Dahlia, which is copyright only a year after Suicide
Hill, was a
completely different experience for me. This book seemed much
more
authentic. It's noir and unrelenting noir -- a noir without
the black humor
I've come to expect in such authors as Jim Thompson and
Charles Williams.
There are at least a dozen well-drawn characters who live in
a hell called
LA, each with their own personal demon to torture them.
Periodically, the
story appears to end. It looks like folks may at least
maintain their level
of suffering, if not find some happiness. Then, the demon
cracks the whip
again and they find new means to effect their
self-destruction. There's
only one character who somehow seems except from the horror,
but I won't
name that one for fear of spoiling it for the one or two of
you who haven't
read the book.
Thanks to Black Dahlia, I'll be reading another Ellroy
novel.
Best,
Greg
greg@swans.org
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