A review by bookhawk
American Tabloid by James Ellroy

3.0

American Tabloid is a fast paced historical fiction ride involving rogue FBI agents, the mafia, the CIA, Howard Hughes and the Kennedy family. The ingenuity of the premise and the way Ellroy weaved the pieces of American history from 1958 to 1963 into a lurid tale of violence, seduction, exploitation and angles was remarkable. The writing style was so hard hitting and quick that it sometimes created a bit of a disjointed feel. The book started a little slow in part due to the many characters being introduced but came on strong in the second half. This was a very high 3 star book (3.9) with a five star premise I recommend for readers who like old hard boiled detective style books and lots of double crosses. American Tabloid was a book on Esquire's List of 75 Books Every Man Should Read.