White Jazz

White Jazz (2001) by James Ellroy is the fourth book in the L.A. Quartet and is yet another entertaining crime thriller set in the underbelly of L.A. The protagonist of this book is the brutal, bent, intelligent Lieutenant David Klein of the corrupt LAPD Vice department. Despite all his failings (contract kills, corruption, etc.), the reader finds oneself rooting for the anti-hero who paints himself into a corner. There are plenty of reference to other books with characters like Ed Exley, Dudley Smith and the Night Owl Cafe incident, but this book could be read as a stand alone without having read previous books. That being said I think it congeals better read in succession. The style in this book is more staccato and sparse than before and is often confusing at points. However, it all comes together in the end. Ellroy's nightmare revision of the past is perverse, corrupt, brutal and bloody. And that could also be said of all the other books as well I suppose. It is  a compelling conclusion to an inspired series.