Brown's Requiem

The book was so violent and disgusting I couldn’t finish it. I’ll not read any of his other books because of this.

Hits like a freight train with his earlier "bang bang" style that still moves well before his more recent scratchy, staccato style that's become virtually unreadable. Think of this as right on the edge stopping just short of a work like Bukowski's hard boiled "Pulp" ... absolutely one of the very best hard boiled detective stories.

I am not a James Ellroy fan. In fact, "Brown's Requiem" is the only novel of his that I have read, because it is the only one of his books I've found that is a straight private detective story. And as an example of the that genre, this books stands among the best. Ellroy's hero, Fritz Brown, is everything a good P.I. should be; world weary, cynical, alcoholic and carrying heavy baggage from his past. He also has plenty of good character eccentricities, like a fascination for classical music. He is also prone to make that classic P.I. mistake, to fall in love with a woman he knows he probably shouldn't fall in love with.All of this said the book takes some unexpected twists and turns. Brown ends up investigating his own client, his romantic interest turns out to have a VERY complicated past and his case turns out to be far more elaboarate than it first appears. All of this leads to a violent and satisfying climax, like any good P.I. novel should. Fans of P.I. masters such Andrew Vachss, George Pellecanos and yes, Raymond Chandler, out to be right at home with Fritz Brown.

Getting into Ellroy? Why not start at the beginning? Watch his style develop. I think folks get disappointed when they read this and other earlier works after they read "the hits" like "L.A. Confidential" and "American Tabloid." But hey, had he come out of the gates with "American Tabloid" he'd probably be done by now. Fortunately for us, Ellroy started off slow. "Brown's Requiem" is a much more straightforward hard-boiled novel. But just like his later work, it rocks, it rolls, it leaves you on the side of the road hitchiking back to town. As I read this book, I couldn't help thinking of it as an updated "The Big Sleep." It has that sad, broken, 3 am undertone to it. If you dig that tough, L.A. stuff, you'll dig this. Note: The story does involve caddies and golf (which I know nothing about) but it doesn't matter. The golf element is merely a backdrop. The book is also about murder, arson and Mexican porn and, regardless of what my friends will tell you, I know nothing about these subjects either and still enjoyed the Hell out this book. Put it this way: You won't be reading any excerpts from "Brown's Requiem" in "Chicken Soup for the Golfer's Soul."

This book differs from Ellroy's later work in that it pays lip service to the conventions of the private eye story. Don't kid yourself; this is not a conventional crime novel. Narrator Fritz Brown combines intellectual snobbery with a casual sort of brutality and not too latent racism. Fat Dog Baker is as finely developed a psychopath as Dudley Smith or Coleman Maskie. Brown's childhood best friend is a twisted allusion to Mycroft Holmes. The title suggests that Brown finds redemption through his experiences in the book. I think you'll find that it suggests it with a smirk. This book is a fine example of something simple done almost perfectly, a accomplishment far more difficult than it seems. IMHO this book is on a par with the LA books, and head and shoulders over "American Tabloid."

I have a special place in my heart for this book. It is nowhere near the league of "L.A. Confidential" or "American Tabloid," but it is still very good. I first read this about eight or nine years ago, right around the time "L.A. Confidential was first released in hardback. It was my first experience with Ellroy, and all I wanted to do when I finished was suck in the rest of his work. This is a super hard-boiled detective story the way they should be done. It's got murder, arson, porno, loads of shady characters, you name it. The real plus to this book is the ending, which is among the most satisfying I have ever read. Raymond Chandler never did 'em like this.