This Storm

This Storm immerses readers in 1942 Los Angeles during the tense aftermath of Pearl Harbor. The sprawling noir narrative follows LAPD officers, criminals, and civilians as they navigate a city gripped by war paranoia, racial tensions, and corruption. The plot centers on multiple interconnected investigations: two murdered police officers, a decades-old gold heist, and a suspicious fire. Key characters include real-life LAPD officer Elmer Jackson, the morally ambiguous Dudley Smith, forensic chemist Hideo Ashida, and Kay Lake, whose diary entries provide crucial perspective on events. The novel continues themes from Ellroy's previous work Perfidia, painting a stark portrait of wartime Los Angeles through police procedural, political intrigue, and historical drama. Its style combines rapid-fire dialogue, period details, and intersecting storylines that capture the atmosphere of 1940s California. Beneath the noir crime elements, This Storm examines how war and social upheaval expose the darkest impulses in both individuals and institutions. The novel explores themes of loyalty, corruption, and the thin line between justice and vengeance in times of crisis.

Readers found This Storm dense and complex, with many reporting difficulty following the multiple plotlines and large cast of characters. Several note it requires careful attention and prior familiarity with Ellroy's style. Readers praised: - The detailed historical atmosphere of 1942 Los Angeles - The integration of real events with fiction - The staccato, noir writing style - Complex character development Common criticisms: - Excessive subplots that don't connect - Too many characters to track - Dense, challenging prose that can feel exhausting - Length (600+ pages) with slow pacing Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (300+ ratings) "Like trying to drink from a fire hose," noted one Amazon reviewer. A Goodreads reader described it as "information overload that requires a flowchart to follow." Several reviews suggested reading Ellroy's earlier works first to better appreciate the style and recurring characters.

The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy The story weaves police corruption, murder, and political machinations in 1950s Los Angeles with three damaged lawmen pursuing a killer through the city's underbelly.

L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy Three LAPD officers investigate a series of murders in 1950s Hollywood while confronting department corruption, organized crime, and their own personal demons.

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley A World War II veteran turned private investigator searches for a mysterious woman in 1948 Los Angeles, uncovering racial tensions and political conspiracies.

Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett A Continental Op detective arrives in a Montana mining town to find systematic corruption and proceeds to pit criminal factions against each other.

The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow A DEA agent pursues a Mexican drug kingpin across decades and borders while wrestling with personal vendettas and institutional corruption.

🔍 Los Angeles saw unprecedented rainfall in early 1942, with 36 inches in just 45 days - creating the stormy backdrop that inspired the book's title. ⚔️ During WWII, Los Angeles experienced a real "Battle of Los Angeles" in 1942, where anti-aircraft guns fired at supposed Japanese aircraft (later proved to be false alarms) - an event referenced in the novel. ✍️ James Ellroy wrote this book without using a computer, preferring to handwrite his manuscripts in notebooks using a black felt-tip pen. 🏛️ The novel is part of Ellroy's "Second L.A. Quartet," following his acclaimed original L.A. Quartet series which included "The Black Dahlia" and "L.A. Confidential." 🎭 Ellroy based several characters on real LAPD officers and criminals from the 1940s, including the notorious gangster Bugsy Siegel, who appears as a minor character in the story.