I knew where Ellroy stood on the matter from the snap. The first line of his apology for this book told me what I was in for. "America was never innocent. We popped our cherry on the boat over and looked back with no regrets." What follows is nearly 600 pages of scrapping the scum off the shoes of the American story, told in the staccato hammer throws of a Tommy Gun writer. Ellroy is indeed the master of the short sentence, and there is no finer display of his talent than in this book.
Ellory knows how to embrace bad men for a fleeting second, to make them glimmer with a dram of purpose larger than their own appetites. But the moment flashes by, and they return like demented dogs to their own vomit. There are no decent characters in this story (except maybe RFK. I'll get to him), none you would bring home to meet your Mama for Sunday night dinner. JFK is a decadent sexaholic, J.E. Hoover is an American Machiavelli whose only interest is to stay in power, the main characters, Bondurant is an ex-cop who is now nothing more than pimp to power, Littel is an idealistic FBI agent who turns to the dark side once his illusions of a just world are destroyed. And Boyd Kemper, what to say about a man who is so well connected with all the seats of power of the underhanded and the underworld--he works at times for the CIA, FBI, Justice Department, the Kennedy's, and rubs shoulders with the Outfit--all for a cause. For his own purposes, he craves the patina of royalty he sees in the Kennedys. Underneath, he's nothing but a talented wannabe who plays all sides in the power games, keeping secrets, trading secrets for favors, working for justice in one city while destroying it another. A more duplicitous character does not exist in all literature outside of the Borgia popes. And these are the heroes of Ellroy's story.
I gave this book five stars for a couple of reasons, one is not for his vision of America as a cesspool of dirty tricks in the name of sex, power, and money. What Ellory does accomplish is connect the dots of an era and make sense of it--if you want to believe that sense--but it is believable in his telling. There are many victims in this story, not least of which are the American people. But RFK is the single primary victim of this story, more so than the naive Cuban exiles who were cut down on the beaches of the Bay of Pigs. They were nothing but pawns in Dulles's private war on world leaders he didn't like.
In this book you will read of the marriage of criminals and cops to foment a revolution that made no sense, that the people didn't even appear to want. That's the crux of the matter, isn't it? What was the purpose of this invasion of Cuba sponsored by the CIA and underwritten by the Outfit's dope pedaling to blacks and Cubans? It was nothing more than an effort to restore the criminals to their casinos camouflaged by a blinding hatred of commies puffing on big stoggies just 90 miles off our shore. Fidel is blowing smoke in our faces, and the powers that be cannot abide his arrogance. It was a fiasco mission from the get go with little hope of success unless they can manipulate the new president into doing something foolish. Which he doesn't do, sealing his fate.
So now we come at last to RFK. He's a Kennedy, so he's not immune to a dirty trick or two, but he has been bitten by the bug of justice. He believes that Jimmy Hoffa is the worst criminal in America and has to be brought down. He believes the mafia exists and must be expunged. He believes hoodlums have to be brought to account, but he can't find the evidence to prove his point. Until one day it shows up.
That scene reminded me of when Oedipus learned the truth. The truth he had fought against all of his life, the curse that had dogged him, that he had killed his father and married his mother. He cried and then did other things, none of which I will bring up here. The man in our story sheds a tear. He has decency. He has a moment of regret that he is a Kennedy--maybe. I don't know. How can one regret such things? From here it is all conjecture.
This is all I'm going to say. I need to go take a shower now and wash away the remnants of this tragedy. What I will not do is retreat into reading Amish Romances. I don't hold to Ellory's theory of American turned rotten. There is no doubt the rotten, but there are also good men and women who have built the legacy of the America most of us live in. That's all I'm going to say--for now.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently bought together
$16.10
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15
In Stock
+
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may ship from close to you
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2020
Top reviews from other countries
Steve Johnson
Outstanding. Intense. Evocative. Uncompromising.
Reviewed in Australia on July 12, 2023