Because the Night

If you like crime novels and you haven't read any Ellroy yet (what were you waiting for?)you will probably enjoy this book. If you have already read the LA Quartet or the American tabloid series then you will find this book is not in the same league: the plot is less coherent, a bit naif sometimes. In any case Ellroy will always be far ahead its rivals. And the language is almost as tough as usual.

Second novel of the Lloyd Hopkins saga, BECAUSE OF THE NIGHT has been published in 1984. Like in BLOOD ON THE MOON, James Ellroy has adopted in this book two points of view, Lloyd's and John Havilland's, the killer.Even if the twists of BECAUSE OF THE NIGHT are highly improbable, the novel still stays as intense as it was when I first read it seventeen years ago (gasp!). Ellroy was then one of the first writers to introduce serial killers in his books and was already a master in describing the psychology of his characters.What strikes me the most now is the evident relation between the mad psychiatrist Havilland and the writer Ellroy. The symptoms of Havilland's madness are very similar to the creative process of the writer. Havilland tries to recreate traumatic scenes of his childhood by directing "live" the poor souls that have fallen in his trap. How not to recognize here the endless efforts of James Ellroy in order to exorcize his mother's murder books after books ?So if you have the curiosity to go beyond the main argument of BECAUSE OF THE NIGHT, you will soon find out that this book is not only a unique opportunity given to the reader to analyze Lloyd Hopkins thanks John Havilland's psychological skill but is also a terrifying trip through James Ellroy's own obsessions.A book to rediscover.

Probably not the best Ellroy's novel, but certainly you won't have the suspicion of having lose your time. You can't give up reading

As taut as it is disturbing, Ellroy's detective Lloyd Hopkins emerges as the most fascinating fictional policeman of our time. The best of the Hopkins trilogy, also the darkest, sickest, and most twisted, but impossible to forget. I'd love to see the great James Woods reprise his role for this story, which is far superior to the book the movie "Cop" (with Woods as Hopkins) was based on. "Because the Night" is nothing short of a masterwork.

This is a pretty decent mystery, but not nearly as engaging as Ellroy's other works. If you enjoy Ellroy's writing, then by all means, read it, but if you're just getting acquainted with him and want a recommendation, then skip to the L.A. Quartet novels... Then if you find that you enjoy Ellroy's style, you can come back to this one later. As an aside, I've put up a James Ellroy message board which you can visit via Inside the Web. Please visit if you're an Ellroy fan!