Rating: 
Summary: The Cold Six Thousand
Review: Ellroy's latest kick is taking a slice of history and twisting it to his satisfactions; the man has a brilliant imagination. In the Cold Six he blends the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the JFK Assassination, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam and Howard Hughes takeover of Las Vegas.What makes Ellroy's books so interesting are his characters. You may not like all of them but they leave enough of an impression that you will have strong opinions about them. Every one of his characters battle personal demons that dictate their actions. They are not static figures, changing throughout, you never get the feeling that you know exactly what side of the fence they are playing and even if you do, their actions can be very unsettling. Once you get used to Ellroy's stacatto style, he uses as few words as possible, you should get caught up in a frenetic pace where it becomes very difficult to put the book down. In many ways similar to his last, "American Tabloid", "A Cold Six Thousand" still has enough new angles to keep the reader guessing where he is going next. I was very satisfied with Ellroy's latest effort and cannot wait for his next one.
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Summary: Amazing follow-up to American Tabloid.
Review: If you read and were enthralled by American Tabloid as I was, you'll love The Cold Six Thousand. Ellroy has an amazing ability to make you feel as though you are eavesdropping on America history. While we know this is a work of fiction, it's impossible to believe it might not just be the way it happened. From the cover up of the JFK assassination, to the Hughes takeover of Vegas, the troop build up in Vietnam, Hoover's machinations against Dr. King through the King and RFK assassinations and more, the US in the '60's is laid bare. Ellroy deservedly gets credit for his unique writing style, but I'm also impressed by the tremendous amount of research he does. This help makes his real life characters, whether Carlos Marcello, Sal Mineo or Sonny Liston, ring true. Reading the Cold Six Thousand is setting out on a long journey (672 Pages) but what a great trip!
Rating: 
Summary: This Book Vibes Great
Review: Ellroy wrote. Ellroy whooped. He gave us The Cold Six Thousand. Said Thousand was tres big. Said Thousand was epic. Said Thousand was violent. The characters are dark. The characters are unsympathic. Ellroy is a geunis. Ellroy write 670 pages in a short hand style. Said style got old. Marc whooped. He rebel yelled. He picked up his copy of L.A Confidential. Marc started reading. Great book, but the style was really hard to read.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I loved this book. For those people who have seen Fight Club and Hello Dolly, you will find that the book is a combination of the two. On one hand you have two men fist-fighting throughout the book and the other, a big-nosed woman whom the two men are fighting over.
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Summary: eagerly awaited sequel delivers
Review: I have read most of Ellroy's books, but was most fascinated by "American Tabloid". Needless to say, I anxiously awaited the sequel to see what mischief the characters left alive got themselves into. It was almost a given that Pete and Ward would be involved somehow in some serious action. I was not disappointed with the path the characters took in "The Cold Six Thousand". Once I became accustomed to the writing style, I was fascinated by the blending of fact and fiction in what is a very plausible explanation of the major traumatic events of the sixties. I really hated to see the book end. Even though the principle characters are not people you invite to your Christmas party, they are nevertheless memorable, and to some degree in their lifestyle, honorable. Although ruthless and deadly, I found Pete, Ward and Wayne somewhat likeable, especially compared to the supposed "honorable" characters. Ellroy is a great writer, and the "Tabloid" and "Six Thousand" duo is a superb portrayal of the darker side of life in the USA in the 50s and 60s. I wish I could look forward to yet another sequel, but I think the ending in "Six Thousand" wraps things up nicely. I can only hope that Mr. Ellroy has more great stories he will share with us.
Rating: 
Summary: What A Waste Of Money!
Review: I can't get out of the first chapter! The dialog is boring and insults my intellegences. I don't think there is one complete sentence in the whole book! I hereby offer to give my book away absolutely free.
Rating: 
Summary: Dante had Virgil; but is Ellroy a capable guide ?
Review: The only justification for this book is to take the reader through a tour of hell. For the characters in this book, hell is all about them. And as we read this amphetamine-drenched tale, we are also led through the netherworld. When Dante traveled through Hell, he had Virgil, an enlightened unbeliever, a noble pagan, as his guide. Dante was lead through hell to learn a lesson not just to gape at the horrific sights. We, however, have only James Ellroy as our guide. I sometimes get the feeling in 'The Cold Six Thousand' that Ellroy is simply interested in showing us the garish sights -- the Klan, the Mob, unfettered racism, torture, speed, extortion, betrayal, crooked cops & CIA agents, speed, J. Edgar Hoover, Howard Hughes, suicide, murder, sleaze, scalpings, speed, etc. Maybe we could argue that Ellroy wants to show us the true face of Evil that pervades our culture. I must admit that I read the book in several days. The pervasiveness of Evil fascinated me. But I don't know if I came through this trip with one glimmer of hope or enlightenment. Perhaps what Ellroy wants us to learn is that we are intrigued and attracted to power, greed, and violence just like his characters are. If that's the case, then I tip my hat to him for revealing this distressing fact about myself.
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Summary: If Ellroy wants to be a "stylist" let us judge him as such
Review: There's more to *writing* than fancy phrases and complex sentences, but when you write a book in the way this book is written (it's on par with "See Jane run") you're obviously trying to make a point and you obviously think of yourself as a great WRITER who can get away with it (or something...) I love writing that is simple, but not simplistic. I can read Hemingway over and over and yet over again. Powerful writing like that makes me believe in language like some people believe in miracles. But this .... So let us judge him as a stylist: It sucks. It doesn't work. It's so repetitive and monotonous that it resembles the mythic Chinese Water Torture or that branch hitting your window all night long, or the faucet dripping day and night. It brings about insanity. And for what purpose? To prove he can keep it up for nearly 650 pages? Gods knows I didn't finish the book, I'd rather read Dr. Seuss -- heck, I'd rather beat my head against the wall, for that matter. This book is a crime against English literature. Okay, my tirade is done. If this books turns on any readers, then they must be getting something out it that eluded me.
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Summary: Chapter 79
Review: Early Ellroy was good. LA Quartet was great. Recent books overblown. New book sets new low. Real world charachters are cliches. Main characters are props. Women characters beyond props. People die. Contrivances flourish. Conspiracy theories propogate. Hate dialogue numbs reader. Reader wants more. Reader will try again. Better luck next time.
Rating: 
Summary: I am sad to say this book is boring
Review: I am a HUGE Ellroy fan. Seen him read many times, and have read everything that he's ever written, most of them I've read twice. I paid extra to have this book rushed to me, and I am so disappointed. His rapid fire prose has been cut to such ridiculous levels that it's not enjoyable. A typical sentence "Pete flipped on the light. Pete grabbed the door. Pete swung it open. Pete walked out." That sucks!, and it's irritating to read. I love Ellroy's writing style, but this entire story feels "phoned in". The characters are deflated: the new characters seem to be given almost no personality, and the story inches along rather slowly.I was looking forward to reading until 4 am, his books are impossible to put down, but this one was so boring that I actually took down American Tabloid and started re-reading that.
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