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A review by gregbrown
Blood's a Rover by James Ellroy
5.0
Astounding achievement, and a much-needed course-correction from the suffocating racism and aimlessness of the second entry, THE COLD SIX THOUSAND. Not quite as staccato as the first two entries, Ellroy still has his pleasurably dense style here but in a way that, to me, read more enjoyably.
Helping matters are several strong plot through-lines: for the first two Ellroy could let looming assassinations carry the action through to the end, but for this one it's a big, superbly-constructed mystery that does the job. Helping and hindering the reader are the most varied set of characters in the series, including the most fleshed-out women so far.
It doesn't quite have AMERICAN TABLOID's vibe of grappling with capital-H History writ large, but I think BLOOD'S a stronger book on the whole. And while SIX THOUSAND was kind of a misfire, the other two are some of my favorite novels I've ever read, and Ellroy long overdue for critical elevation.
Helping matters are several strong plot through-lines: for the first two Ellroy could let looming assassinations carry the action through to the end, but for this one it's a big, superbly-constructed mystery that does the job. Helping and hindering the reader are the most varied set of characters in the series, including the most fleshed-out women so far.
It doesn't quite have AMERICAN TABLOID's vibe of grappling with capital-H History writ large, but I think BLOOD'S a stronger book on the whole. And while SIX THOUSAND was kind of a misfire, the other two are some of my favorite novels I've ever read, and Ellroy long overdue for critical elevation.