Zoot-Suit Murders

I was attracted by the cover quote on this book by the famous Los Angeles Times book critic Robert Kirsch(he reviewed for over 25 years). Kirsch claimed that, "ZOOT-SUIT MURDERS matches the best of the war novels and may be the best of the home-front novels of World War II." Having read virtually every book about Los Angeles set in this period, and having many releatives who lived through this time, some were service men, others were Zoot-Suiters, I agree completely. Here's why: Sanchez is not pandering to any predictable ethnic notions, he tells a complex story about a time in our history when to be different was to be suspect of being un-American, he goes beyond types and has his characters acting with believable motivations, from corrupt politicians to young Mexican-American kids caught in the racist hysteria of the time. The title itself is greatly ironic, for it points up the fact that the Zoot-Suiters murdered no one, they themselves were murdered by the yellow press of the time. Bravo to Sanchez for getting it right.

This is a thoroughly engaging and fascinating novel about prejudice and intrigue on the home front during World War II. While not as incredibly as intense--or heart-rending--as Rabbit Boss, his previous novel, this is a gripping story with fascinating characters and puts wartime jingoism and xenophobia into an intensely personal light. This is a writer who pulls no punches and can be utterly unsentimental. He has an exceptional command of detail and pulls the reader along into a complex but believable web of intrigue. Sanchez always avoids cliches (I wish I could!) and avoids a polemic, making his point in an engaging and thrilling story line.