BACK KITCHEN USA VIEW BY stunning ELLROY

James Ellroy is a radical author. The various comments about his UNDERWORLD USA show how this can be love or hate. I understand that a lot of online had read that one: fatal error! No sufficiency in my words, but to understand and appreciate Ellroy, it is strongly advised to read the novels in chronological order. First to appreciate the style, which develops, makes sense, especially for understanding the characters, which are found throughout his work. The quartet of Los Angeles is a sum, an essential work of black American novel. Four cobblestones of rare violence, absolute darkness, which follow, covering 20 years of the "secret" US history. James Ellroy was then shackled with three other novels, starting from the same principle: AMERICAN TABLOID and AMERICAN DEATH TRIP, and this one. Each novel begins where the previous one ends, almost to the minute. Telling his country, looking through the keyhole of the bathroom ... One view as another ... And Ellroy unpacks everything, dirty tricks, plots, scenes of elections, the stranglehold of the godfathers of the mafia, dope trafficking or weapons orchestrated by the CIA, supervised by the FBI with the complicity of the LAPD, misuse of anti-trust laws to facilitate the establishment of casinos, hotels, on money laundering, the instrumentalization unions ...

In this volume, we approach closer to the Nixon election, the Cuban regime destabilization attempts, via the Dominican Republic, and attempts to discredit the movements associated with the Black Panthers. And once again, Ellroy mixes fiction and reality. Nixon (bearded), Hoover (the old aunt), Hughes (Drac) are actual figures, but also all the mafia godfathers (Giancana ...), and Sal Mineo, or Don Crutchfield who really existed (and without probably many more I do not know). To this Ellroy grafted his imaginary characters, and truer than life, which was really fun to find, always complex, rich, ambiguous. Special mention to Celia, Joan, Scarlet Empress, elusive and mysterious.

UNDERWORLD USA does not stop at the mention of a period (1968-1972), it's also a brilliant detective story, which begins with a bloody heist, red thread of the plot. And various investigations relating thereto. Because at Ellroy, everyone tries to understand. We read reports, we search folders, files, without stops, thousands of pages, photos, documents. And then there are the mills, tapping, micro stashed trapped phones. Always scrape, check, compare, until exhaustion. Each takes a thousand precautions, spies, protects, vagabond. The player is clueless? Not exactly. It participates, weaves links, also looking. Ellroy orchestra masterfully twists, connections appear, the puzzle falls into place. Ellroy does not hesitate to sacrifice his characters once thought ever-present, or immortal. The steamroller is on, the train goes at full speed and it is advisable to keep to stay upright!

Besides its sprawling plots, and its entire characters, the literary style of Ellroy takes part in the success of his novels. In recent years, this style became more telegraphic, reduced to a few words in sentences, onomatopoeia. AMERICAN DEATH TRIP showed in my opinion the limits of such an exercise, if picked up the reader did not know who was speaking, that was that was. UNDERWORLD USA revives a fluid stream, more readable. But it will still quickly. No time, no unnecessary description, foot to the floor. Rarely has an author been able to translate a few words wetness of a hotel room, the pain of receiving a bastos, euphoria provided by a amphet taken, the desire of the body, physical fatigue, weariness of his characters who are floundering in a smelly world they have created themselves, talk about the nightmares, fantasies, delusions of all kinds (the trip Voodoo). He knows orchestrate coups de théâtre, maintain pressure, pushing his creatures up to their limits, putting them face their contradictions. As usual, he mixes the main story, the diary entries, extracts of confidential classified FBI documents, transcripts of telephone conversations. So many viewpoints collide, and participate in this atmosphere of suspicion, paranoia, emergency.

And the reader should not take offense at the insults that bloom each page on a particular community. Nigga, bamboulas, tantouze, coconut ... Everyone takes for his guard. Or not this reflects the views of the author is irrelevant. It reflects perfectly a time, tensions and tightness of a society full (r) evolution. When types lynched a Black KKK, they did not ask permission before him. Ellroy only restore the climate of violence, hatred, ideological clashes.

In summary.
1) If you do not know James Ellroy, read his first novels, especially the quartet of Los Angeles, in order: THE BLACK DALHIA, THE GRAND NOWHERE, LA CONFIDENTIAL, WHITE JAZZ. Attention challenging reading.
2) If you already know Ellroy, resume his trilogy from AMERICAN TABLOID.
3) Other ... no need to convince you to eat this final (?) Episode.