Rating: 
Summary: Welcome to the Big Nowhere
Review: Welcome to Los Angeles, CA, New Year's Day, 1950. The century's half-way point is marked by a grim discovery in West Hollywood: a male corpse, eyes torn out, body riddled with strange bite marks, genitals mauled. Deputy Danny Upshaw, not yet thirty, eager to prove his skill and talent as an LAPD detective, bribes a celebrity coroner so he can examine the body himself... and begins a case that will open a whole wide world of depravity, corruption, vengeance, and death. Happy New Year, and welcome to Hell.Oh, yes, this is a James Ellroy novel. I can't imagine anyone familiar with contemporary literature not knowing his name, for James Ellroy single-handedly resuscitated the mystery-noir novel in the late-80s (and continues to astonish with his work in the late '90s). With his penchant for hipster -cop prose, extreme violence and gore, complicated and lengthy novels, and dozens upon dozens of characters, Ellroy upped the ante for what mystery novels could do and be. This is not escapist fiction--you will probably never encounter a world as dark and unrelenting, or as morally repugnant, as the one depicted in his so-called L. A. Quartet, of which The Big Nowhere is second.
While not as gripping as White Jazz, nor as masterful as L. A. Confidential, Big Nowhere still manages to astound, shock, and satisfy the serious reader. With his spot-on recreation of 1950s Hollywood, Ellroy provides a unique glimpse into the evils of a period we still imagine to be fairly innocent. Ellroy spares no expense in Big Nowhere, kicking ass all over PC historical revisionism, going places with language, character and story that Chandler, Hammett, Cain, etc. would scarcely have dreamed. Along with Det. Upshaw, there is Mal Considine, a DA assistant, still tortured by the fact the woman he once loved was a Nazi whore; her son means more to him than anything. To adopt this boy, he will join forces with paranoid, violent men with hard-ons for busting Commies in Hollywood. One of the most harrowing scenes in the novel is when he and Irish LAPD Lieutenant Dudley Smith--oh, evil, evil Dudley Smith, who appears in more than one Ellroy novel--interrogate a screenwriter and, in the end, force him to name his friends as Communist conspirators. Ellroy shades scenes like this not in a phony tone of black and white, but in those hellish, inescapable greys that damn us all.
Then there's Buzz Meeks, an ex-cop who pimps underage girls to the infamous Howard Hughes, buys off judges, and does strong-arm work for Jewish mobster Mickey Cohen. Buzz is the hero of the novel, and that should give you another idea of what Ellroy's vision of conventional cops'n'robbers morality is. He'll eventually work with Considine and Smith, trying to uproot the perverted Communists at work in the movie industry--but he'll only do it for money. You'll take a tour through black jazz joints, through junkie flophouses, medical examiner labs, through murder sites sprayed with blood, sit in on a art-snuff film, rub shoulders with incestuous men, femme fatales, and meet a killer who wears animal teeth. There are ugly secrets, double-crosses, set-ups; Upshaw goes deep undercover as a Leftist hep-cat and almost gets caught in a love-nest--but he's so tormented by his own sexual identity, he can't go through with what his job requires... But by the last third of the book, things get really complex and confusing, and I found myself drifting. The explanation for everything comes in the final pages, and there is a very good climax, so stick with it. The Big Nowhere isn't Ellroy at his best, but that's still miles ahead of virtually every other crime writer out there.
Rating: 
Summary: The Big deal about THE BIG NOWHERE
Review: 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!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Crime Story
Review: "The Big Nowhere" is a gripping novel about crime and human frailty. The characterizations are very well done. James Ellroy is an excellent writer, he captures people so well it's like these characters were actually alive. Also, it is interesting when he mixes fictional and non fiction characters together, at times it tough to tell who was real. The year is 1950 and location is Los Angeles California. Ellroy's world is full of hop-heads, Jazz musicians, cops on the take, fixers, bag-men, nickel and dime crooks. The plot is too complicated to sum up in a simple paragraph. So suffice it to say that it is about detective trying to solve a "queer" murder, while having to contend with an unbelievable amount of baggage. It's also about the Los Angeles D. A.'s department trying to indict the local communist party. Additionally, it's about a hundred different things all going on at once. The three main characters struggle with communism, homosexuality, infidelity, substance abuse, greed and love. Ellroy creates characters that are believable and seem real. Ellroy's California is the back-drop of "The Big Nowhere" but the story is so well written that this book could have taken place in a space colony on Mars and it would have worked. I recommend this for crime buffs, nostalgia enthusiasts, or mystery readers.
Rating:
Summary: The Big Nowhere
Review: I read "The Black Dahlia" six months before this one, and I was suprised. All of the great stuff is here - magnificent atmosphere, brilliant characthers and good mystery. But this one is ten times harder too read. It's about 100 pages longer and has a lot more subplots and supporting characters, and the story is layed out from three diffrent perspectives. Still, if you're James Ellroy fan, you'll love it. Hopefully, more of his work will be available to find in my country
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't stay with it . . .
Review: I read "The Black Dahlia" and couldn't put it down. I tried to read this and halfway through had to give up. The three main characters (Meeks, Upshaw and Considine) were very interesting but the plot got so convoluted and confusing, I was totally lost. I think Ellory tried to put too many things together in one story and it just ends up a mess.
Rating:
Summary: A better book than A Cold Six Thousand
Review: This book was my second Ellroy book after being disappointed with "A Cold Six Thousand". This book is a murder mystery set in LA 1950. The mystery is interesting and the cross stories of the three main charactars makes them interesting and likable. None of the charactars in Six Thousand had those qualities. This isnt a feel good book though so don't look for a happy ending. If you are looking for an Ellroy book to try out this one may be it. Its a good read and is hard to put down at times.
Rating:
Summary: Diogenes: don't bother with LA
Review: There are no heroes. Men may do good, but they aren't "good-guys". Riveting in its style, The Big Nowhere will leave you breathless, running at full steam until the last page. I find this difficult to recommend to anyone under the age of 30 whose native language is not American English. Ellroy writes as if he were in the 1950s: this is not any story which could be put in 1950 as easily as 2050. This story is the 1950s. The style and the content are beautifully anachronistic. The plot is intricate and convoluted. You tell yourself: this must all be connected... musn't it? Murder and mayhem clutch again at the heart of the City of Angels: labor unions, Communists and Hollywood. Young aspiring LA County detective Upshaw, who thrives on the newly emerging science of forensics, is the only person interested in investigating a bizzare murder. DA Elis Lowe, is capitalizing on persecuting Communism in order to win greater political power. LAPD Lt Considine signs on to the quest for Commies to win public acclaim to try to gain custody of his son. LAPD Lt. Smith is out for number one. Omnipresent in the background is the union dissent, movie making, mob violence, drug trafficking, and violence. James Ellroy's writing is so potently real, it will leave you realizing why such cotton-candy fluff as "Leave It to Beaver" was so popular 50 years ago, as a necessary escape from the reality surrounding LA and Hollywood.
Rating:
Summary: Big Nowhere
Review: The 2nd novel in Ellroy's L.A. Quartet( The Black Dahlia is the first, L.A. Confidential-third, and White Jazz the conclusion). This one is more complicated than The Black Dahlia, written in the same manner as L.A. Confidential - many subplots and characters woven into the main story. The characters and story are unforgettable like all of Ellroy's novels. It moves you through 50's L.A.: through communism, politics, ganglands, Hollywood, and the police force. Ellroy's style of writing is tough and hard boiled, the best in crime fiction today. No one compares. He ranks among Hammett/Chandler/MacDonald (the masters and creators of the genre) as one of the greatest writers ever...
Rating:
Summary: Come drink from my cup of love.
Review: I really liked this crime novel. It's my 2nd Ellroy novel...the 1st being L.A. Confidential. Like that book this is a story about 1950's Los Angeles and about a set of very human LAPD officers. One is a repressed homosexual investigating a series of grisly attacks on gays, another is an overweight hatchet man for Howard Hughes, and the third is an officer burying himself in his work to avoid the problems in his family life. Circling this story is the 1950's Red Scare and the corruption in various parts of the LAPD. I liked seeing Dudley Smith in this story...those who have read L.A. Confidential will recognize him. Ellroy has a unique writing style & uses a lot of language that was commonplace in the 50's but is rather politically incorrect now...this adds to the realism. If you like crime/detective novels then give this one a try.
Rating:
Summary: It left me saying WOW!
Review: 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!
|
