Destination: Morgue!: L.A. Tales

I'm an Ellroy fan of long standing and was thoroughly entertained by Destination Morgue. Never shy about four letter words, or scenes that might make a lesser writer cringe, James Ellroy is that rare one-of-a-kind talent that outshines all others in his chosen genre. This book may not be for everyone. But those who revel in hardcore writing that doesn't pull punches will love it.

Before purchasing my own copy of this, I went to the library and checked it out. Some of the reviews below mine, made me question if this was any good. It is more than that...this is great. James Ellroy is more about great plots and settings, his writing continues to evolve to a level that will not be surpassed. Ellroy is as unique as Chandler, Hammett or Spillaine. You can try to copy him but there is no other. Some negatives people point out are his prose. Punctual, to the point and brief. If your vocabulary is not up to snuff, you may find yourself (as I do...even as a graduate student) checking the meaning of some words (or figuring out if they are slang), but his style takes you deeper into the story with fewer words. Tonight I watched a repeat on HBO of a boxing match that Ellroy rights about in this book. I received more experience of the match from this author than I did watching the bout on television! Yes, he does take us to some previously visited history but always takes the reader through a new alley. If you've read en0ough of him, you know about his mother's murder, and his young life and one time wasted life...but revisiting those facts are done in the autobiographical stories to help take the reader down a NEW path. It has been a few years since I've picked up an Ellroy book, but everytime I do, it is like taking that first sip of cold water on a scortchingly hot day. It is soooooo gooood. If you like his works, go for this, I think you'll enjoy it. For the uninitiated you might try Black Dahlia first or you can jump in feet first to the author's world with this!

I'm surprised at the number of negative reviews for this collection. Focusing on those three "wild ass," "outré" novellas (Ellroy's description) -- yes, the alliteration and racial epithets are waaayyy over the top. But this is *your favourite author* letting loose! Dig how he ties each modern day story to a famous 50s killer, and how the real-life murder of Stephanie Gorman (chronicled in "Stephanie" ) informs fictional cop Rhino Rick Jenson. Add to this the mostly excellent non-fiction pieces and you'll be sated until the final book in the Underworld USA trilogy.

Standard preface: long-time Ellroy Fan here. Read it all, much of it twice or more. The L.A. Quartet ruled my world. The first two installments of the Underworld U.S.A. less so -- I completely dug Tabloid, but got tired of the alliterative Hemingway-wannabe nonsense of Cold 6K about two-thirds through. That said: I dig this book. I read most of the GQ journalista pieces as they were published, and liked them lots then, and like them now. Kool Kulture Kwiz, as he would put it these days. Still -- ugh, a mess to absorb at one sitting, in one book, for the afficianado and novice alike. Put this book on top of your toilet, and read the first section at various grunt-breaks. As for "Rick Loves Donna." C'mon, guys. You detractors you. This is great stuff. Yes, it's that annoying Hush-Hush style that is grating on all of our collective nerves by now... but as the text reveals, there is a rhyme to the reason, and in toto, it amounts to the first significant body of Ellroy Lit to deal with contemporary America. LAPD circa 2004. Post Tupac & 911 corruption and obsession. Autobio mixed with reactionary love-lust and nearly post-mod re-writing of L.A. history, a la serial miscreants and messed-up cops. Is it his best stuff? Gee whiz no! But an entertaining smash-up of Ellroy-isms pertaining to post 911 U.S. of A? Believe it, brother.

An interesting mix of fiction and true crime. Jamers Ellroy normally writes for GQ magazine, and this book is a mixture of articles/fiction that he has written for them combined with some original material - about half each. His writing style is a bit unsual, a cross between prose and some kind of avant guard poetry. The sentences make sense, even if they are not traditional - well most of the time. The mixture of non-fiction part of the book is about his growing up in L.A. and about various true crime situations. These include some unsolved murders, the Robert Blake story and more.