The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy
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Book Reviews of The Big Nowhere
Book Review: It left me saying WOW!
Summary: 5 Stars
It starts with a brutal new years murder; 1950. Sheriffs Deputy Danny Upshaw grabs the chance to head the investigation and is a keen, intelligent officer climbing the ranks.Mal Considine is a lieutenant who has been asked to take part in a special investigation of communist infiltration in the movie industry with promise of promotion and glory. He is teamed with the charasmatic, evil Dudley Smith.
Buzz Meeks is Howard Hughes' right hand man, bag man and ruffian who organises his "personal" affairs.
As the plot unfolds, more brutal slayings occur as the three mens lives become inexplicably connected; racing the book towards its tumultuous, bloody end.
Ellroys tenacious, griping and brutal style immediately holds your attention as you realise that each man has something to hide and everything to lose. There is a lot to take in, but that adds to the realistic feel of the characters and the timeframe of the book.
Buzz Meeks, for me, holds legend status as you end the novel not quite comprehending the enormity and unexpectedness of its conclusion.
This book sets the pace for the remainder of the Dudley Smith trio (LA Confidential and White Jazz the other two) and left me eager for more more MORE Ellroy! It comes close to topping American Tabloid. I highly recomend it!
Book Review: The Big deal about THE BIG NOWHERE
Summary: 5 Stars
I was hooked on JE after I read WHITE JAZZ and BLACK DAHLIA--and because I am such a huge fan of the movie L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, but those were merely appetizers to the monumental achievement which is THE BIG NOWHERE. Where to begin? He's famous for his multi-layered plots and characters drawn in varying shades of gray and black, and boy does he deliver with amazing flair. You'll have to swim in the murky waters of the book to enjoy the almost dizzying threads that weave the plot together, but no other work of contemporary literature distills how evil permeates the souls of those who have both good and bad intentions at heart. This is a true Heart of Darkness. The characters Danny Upshaw, Mal Considine, and Buzz Meeks travel a morally compromised world where reaching for even a small ray of hope leaves you burned. Yes this book holds the weight of a tragedy, but is so darn enjoyable because he writes in prose that zips by like an electric current. Maybe not for the timid, and weak of heart---but if you like your characters hard-boiled yet not cliched, and your stories dazzlingly complex yet simple--this is the book for you!!Book Review: Best Book of the Year!
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, for me at least (I heard of Ellroy from the movie LA Confidential - this book, I think, is from '89). I was utterly engrossed. I don't usually like mysteries or cop stories, but Ellroy is such a good writer that I easily kept up with the dozens of characters and half-dozen interwoven plots. No character is simple - even the good guys aren't really good guys (I suppose that is a cliche in this genre, but the main characters - Upshaw, Meeks and Mal - are like actual coplicated messy obsessive human beings with an epic gloss). Oh, I'm not being very articulate today - I really enjoyed the book. I could point out a few obvious flaws (scroll down for an astute reader review mentioning a parallel to the ending of Psycho). Just wanted to up the star-rating a little bit... if you would be just shocked! and horrified! by a book that deals with cop corruption, herion, mulitation, murder, guns, etc. then of course don't read The Big Nowhere. To the rest of us: even those who don't like this genre will enjoy the book. You don't know what's going to happen next and you can't wait to find out.Book Review: Gives the phrase 'hard boiled crime fiction' a new meaning
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow. Five hundred pages of this stuff leaves you reeling. As somebody who's never read James Ellroy before, I picked up The Big Nowhere and was immediately captivated by it. The language Ellroy uses is sharp and fast, with sentences punched out so quickly and concisely that each paragraph is dense with info. The characters are extremely well drawn and are especially interesting because they have personal motivations for entering into and becoming involved in certain cases. The chapters involving Danny Upshaw stand out as the best.The plot is labyrinthe. Suffice to say, it's about three cops who become immersed in police corruption, serial murder, Communist witch-hunts and the underworld of homosexual prostitution. The violence is brutal and Ellroy pulls no punches in his descriptions - the entire novel hits you like a freight train. It winds its way to an excellent conclusion and never seems forced or contrived. All the pieces of the puzzle finally fit together nicely.
After reading this I immediately moved on to the next one in the Dudley Smith series, 'LA Confidential'.
Book Review: Masterpiece of mood, murder, politics, and corruption
Summary: 5 Stars
While "The Black Dahlia" was more straightforward in terms of genre and storytelling, "The Big Nowhere" is far more complex and ambitious. The second of Ellroy's 'LA Quartet,' (The first was "The Black Dahlia," parts 3 and 4 are "LA Confidential" and "American Tabloid") "The Big Nowhere" is not only a recreation of the anti-communism crusade, but it also an examination of political and police corruption as well as a (seemingly) unrelated brutal murder mystery. Ellroy effortlessly mixes these elements. There are several stories happening simultaneously, and they are all equally gripping. Brutal in its detail, brilliant in its balance, "The Big Nowhere" is an oasis for anyone who enjoys hardboiled, pitch black noir. Ellroy is easily the boldest and bravest of today's noir authors. His 1950s Los Angeles rings as vividly in your head as any of the characters. In Ellroy's universe, nobody is above corruption. The same could probably be said about our own.