In disgrace after a badly handled arrest in New Orleans, Sergeant Lloyd Hopkins is assigned as a liaison officer to an FBI investigation into a series of diabolical and clever bank robberies. Three men have done their homework: they choose bank managers who are having affairs, kidnap their girlfriends, and force the managers to open the banks early. When the bank robbers turn violent, Hopkins finds himself with a bit of information he would rather not have—information about police corruption that reaches into the office of his sworn enemy Fred Gaffney, head of the Internal Affairs Division.
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"Of the two Lloyd Hopkins books I read, this is by far the best. This is also probably his best early novel. The story plots along for the first half and then goes totally insane. The end is bittersweet in a way Ellroy's books rarely are. " — Joseph (4 out of 5 stars)
"Of the two Lloyd Hopkins books I read, this is by far the best. This is also probably his best early novel. The story plots along for the first half and then goes totally insane. The end is bittersweet in a way Ellroy's books rarely are. "
“One of the great American writers of our time.”
“His spare noir style…hits like a cleaver but…is honed like a scalpel.”
“Nobody in this generation matches the breadth and depth of James Ellroy’s way with noir.”
“Literate, suspenseful, honest…His pages crackle with maniac energy…Ellroy captures the vocabulary, the rituals, the smells and rhythms and colors of real people living on the edge…Nobody since Chandler has evoked so perfectly the seamy side of LA.”
“The book hurtles along with almost equal gore and slapstick, L.A.’s sleazy sides are brilliantly drawn…Ellroy can’t write a dull line.”
“Undeniable edge and punch”
" One of the more 'readable' stories from James Ellroy. Less police talk, more intrigue. "
" Lots of action with little difference between the "good guys" and the "bad guys". Unfortunately a lot of foul language and violence also. I had a hard time really caring about any of the characters. But it was a quick read. "
" Another audiobook I "read." The only James Ellroy book that I've read that took place in the 80's. The 80's were a really grimy time that really works well as a setting for him. It's a really plain narrative structure compared to other books by him. Also, excellent narration in the audiobook. "
" A definite miss for Elroy. Confuses his 50's slang in this late 80's setting and makes the book soun as if it is having an identity crisis. Comes across as a more hard-edged Elmore Leonard, but that really isn't saying much. "
" Not sure that I finished this one "
" Found there to be too much rape, etc so I had to put it down. I'll try it again but you have to be in the mood for that kind of violence. "
" For hardcore Ellroy fans only. There isn't an ounce of the genius you see later in his memoirs, LA Quartet novels or his Underworld Trilogy. It's very generic. "
" Another fast tough crime novel from JAmes Ellroy. Unlike his more famous books, this one is set in the present day. But the updating of the scenery doesn't get in the way of his muscular prose. James Ellroy kicks mighty big butt! "
" Of the two Lloyd Hopkins books I read, this is by far the best. This is also probably his best early novel. The story plots along for the first half and then goes totally insane. The end is bittersweet in a way Ellroy's books rarely are. "
" Ellroy before he became a phenom. Tightly drawn characters battling for some crude sense of justice and sanity in a world where the world turns a deaf ear to depravity as long as it's on the side of the Law. "
" Great to go back and read some older Ellroy, in a different time period than many of his (great) books. "
" I loved White Jazz, but found Suicide Hill disappointing in comparison. "
" Chapters on Loyd Hopkins are good, after the introduction of Rice his chapters become teadious, Unconventional but overly long, giving the reader to much information, We know all and watch Loyd try to figure it out. "
James Ellroy was born in Los Angeles in 1948. His LA Quartet novels—The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, and White Jazz—were international bestsellers. American Tabloid was Time’s Novel of the Year for 1995, and his memoir My Dark Places was a Time Best Book of the Year and a New York Times Notable Book for 1996. He lives on the California coast.
L. J. Ganser is a multiple Audie Award–winning narrator with over six hundred titles recorded to date. Prized for versatility, his work ranges from preschool books to crime noir thrillers, from astronomical adventures in both science and science fiction, to Arctic Circle high school basketball stories. He lives in New York City with his family and dog, Mars.
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