Reviews

A Bright and Guilty Place: Murder, Corruption, and L.A.'s Scandalous Coming of Age by Richard Rayner

asr2b's review

5.0

A fascinating read for anyone who knows LA now.

mgeryk's review

4.0

Rayner draws a compelling and evocative portrait of Los Angeles in the '20s and '30s using the diametrically opposed stories of two men who illustrate the contradictions of the age. A good motivation for me to read some Chandler.

alanfederman's review

3.0

An interesting read for fans of Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy - it's a history of LA in the 20s and 30s focusing mostly on the corrupt politics of the time. Various stars (Charlie Chaplin, Clara Bow) make cameos. I never realized that at the time LA was as corrupt as NY or Chicago.

lexorcist's review

3.0

It took me a while to get into this one, but by about the third or fourth chapter I was definitely captivated. I bought this books years ago after finishing "L.A. Noir". Having never visited Los Angeles before, and never even going to California, I was surprised at how wrapped-up I got in its history. It's got such a deep, colorful, oftentimes shady history that will definitely pull you in regardless of your proximity to the city. Half the time it feels like you're reading a script for a movie being filmed in its shimmery, famous Hollywood hub, and yet these are all real. Definitely fascinating, and definitely a topic I'd love to read even more about.