White Jazz: A Novel
by James Ellroy

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Book Reviews of White Jazz: A Novel

Book Review: Stream of consciousness at its finest
Summary: 5 Stars

Our hero or anti-hero, David Klein, is a crooked yet very intelligent, Lieutenant in the L.A.P.D.. He is also a bought and paid for, yet a reluctant strong-arm, for the mob. He has a law degree, some psychological problems too mainly centering on his beautiful sister who he is attracted to but as the story evolves, things change and you begin to root for him.

The story is tense and violent, Our hero has been thrown out as "bait" between the Feds, the L.A.P.D., corrupt politicians, and of course the mob with all of the above trying to keep their secrets safe. Subsequently the tension just builds and builds and you wonder how the hero is going to pull it off. The ending is believable and very 1950's.

The narrative alone is worth the read. In most detective fiction the narrative is written in first person but White jazz takes this a step further. It is written as if everything is happening instantaneously. At times during the actions scenes the narrative is stream of consciousness and as chaotic as the scenes themselves. During intense dialog sequences the lead character, David Klien, deconstructs the meanings and significances of the dialog as they are happening so you hear his thoughts and words almost concurrently.

Though the narrative maybe hard for some, I feel this book is a real contribution to the detective genre and literature itself.

Summary of White Jazz: A Novel

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