In the third and final Lloyd Hopkins novel, our hero senses the LA police department (especially his departmental enemy, Captain Fred Gaffaney, head of Internal Affairs) is pushing him toward early retirement for his reckless ways. Duane Rice, newly freed from prison from a grand theft auto sentence, has both overheard and concocted a plan to blackmail a couple of bankers by holding their mistresses for ransom, and hires the brothers Bobby and Joe Garcia to help him. Hopkins gets lent to the FBI to help crack the bank robbery/kidnappings, which inevitably leads him to a mortal confrontation with Gaffaney. Another gripping early novel by Ellroy whose ending is perhaps a little too pat to avoid straining credulity. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of story - Dry-cynical Time/era of story: Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 20 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 0 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30 % Crime Thriller Yes Crime plotlets: General Crime (including known murderer) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - power How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting United States Yes The US: - California City? Yes City: - Los Angeles - Dirty, dangerous (like New York) - dangerous Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey descriptions deaths/dead bodies Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - vague references - descript. of breasts Unusual forms of death - run over - perforation--bullets - perforation--swords/knives Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |