Rating: 
Summary: Great P.I. Fiction
Review: I am not a James Ellroy fan. In fact, "Brown's Requiem" is the only novel of his that I have read, because it is the only one of his books I've found that is a straight private detective story. And as an example of the that genre, this books stands among the best. Ellroy's hero, Fritz Brown, is everything a good P.I. should be; world weary, cynical, alcoholic and carrying heavy baggage from his past. He also has plenty of good character eccentricities, like a fascination for classical music. He is also prone to make that classic P.I. mistake, to fall in love with a woman he knows he probably shouldn't fall in love with.All of this said the book takes some unexpected twists and turns. Brown ends up investigating his own client, his romantic interest turns out to have a VERY complicated past and his case turns out to be far more elaboarate than it first appears. All of this leads to a violent and satisfying climax, like any good P.I. novel should. Fans of P.I. masters such Andrew Vachss, George Pellecanos and yes, Raymond Chandler, out to be right at home with Fritz Brown.
Rating:
Summary: More than a great read
Review: I have a special place in my heart for this book. It is nowhere near the league of "L.A. Confidential" or "American Tabloid," but it is still very good. I first read this about eight or nine years ago, right around the time "L.A. Confidential was first released in hardback. It was my first experience with Ellroy, and all I wanted to do when I finished was suck in the rest of his work. This is a super hard-boiled detective story the way they should be done. It's got murder, arson, porno, loads of shady characters, you name it. The real plus to this book is the ending, which is among the most satisfying I have ever read. Raymond Chandler never did 'em like this.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent First Novel
Review: I want to start off by saying that I will not recap the book, it isn't my style, I am not good at it, and I think that is can give too much away for someone who has not read the book yet. Also, I am sure others have and why do it again?
What I will tell you is my impression and the tone of the book. This book, like all of Ellroy's books the atmosphere practically jumps off the page. Without being wordy like some authors he manages to set the scene, the emotion and the feel in just a few sentences. This book is dark, it is fiery, but more than that is shockingly emotional. It isn't overt, and it takes a second read to really feel it, but there is a subtext to the characters that most will lose in the action and the Ellroyisms. There is good action, there is snappy dialogue and there are a few twists.
I will say this as the only negative. For some reason Ellroy telegraphs the ending, and that was bothersome. I didn't mind too much because to read Ellroy is to appreciate the road not the destination. Read this book, it is worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: Gooid Book But Edition Needs Editing!!!!
Review: I was captivated by Ellroy's "noir" tone, and I liked "Brown's Requiem." My only complaint about the book involves the publisher's carelessness in editing. I was frequently distracted by typographical and grammatical errors that should have been fixed before the book went to press. Good fiction enables a reader to forget that he is reading and the mistakes in text were a frequent reminder of what went into making the book. The high price tags on even the most humble of paperbacks should more than pay for greater editorial attention.
Rating: 
Summary: Not in the same league as his "LA Quartet".
Review: I've read almost all of Ellroy's books and my recommendation for a new reader is the following sequence:
"American Tabloid",
"The Black Dahlia",
"The Big Nowhere",
"LA Confidential" (now a movie),
"White Jazz", and
possibly "Because the Night"
Rating:
Summary: A lively, engrossing story
Review: Not to use a cliche or anything, but it was a book I was not able to put down. I started reading the book at midnight, and if it weren't for my eyes, I no doubt would have read it the whole way through that night. Anyway, it is a very entertaining novel that keeps you intrigued throughout thanks to new devolpments and twists in the story. Ellroy does an excellent job of devoloping the main character, Fritz Brown as well. I have not read any of Ellroy's other books, but after reading this one, I am certainly going to try another one of his novels.
Rating:
Summary: A lively, engrossing story
Review: Not to use a cliche or anything, but it was a book I was not able to put down. I started reading the book at midnight, and if it weren't for my eyes, I no doubt would have read it the whole way through that night. Anyway, it is a very entertaining novel that keeps you intrigued throughout thanks to new devolpments and twists in the story. Ellroy does an excellent job of devoloping the main character, Fritz Brown as well. I have not read any of Ellroy's other books, but after reading this one, I am certainly going to try another one of his novels.
Rating:
Summary: A good start to a brilliant career.
Review: Only Ellroy could seamlessly weave the mystique of the golf course with a bizarre murder mystery. This first book is heavily autobiographical, using Ellroy's previous work experience as a former caddie, his love for classical music, and so forth. I thought this book was better than the two novels that followed it. And, no, you do not have to be a golfer to enjoy the novel.
Rating:
Summary: OPUS ONE
Review: Published in 1981, this novel marked the beginning of the literary career of James Ellroy. A certain number of themes one will find in later novels are already present in BROWN'S REQUIEM : the "Black Dahlia" mystery, corruption in the L.A.P.D., a fascinating serial killer or the main character searching for redemption. I liked a lot the unusual descriptions of the world of the golf's caddies or the immoderate love of Fritz Brown for classical music. For a first novel, it's clearly a winner and I recommend it to those of you who want to discover the venomous world of James Ellroy. A book for Tiger.
Rating:
Summary: Brown's Requiem
Review: This book differs from Ellroy's later work in that it pays lip service to the conventions of the private eye story. Don't kid yourself; this is not a conventional crime novel. Narrator Fritz Brown combines intellectual snobbery with a casual sort of brutality and not too latent racism. Fat Dog Baker is as finely developed a psychopath as Dudley Smith or Coleman Maskie. Brown's childhood best friend is a twisted allusion to Mycroft Holmes. The title suggests that Brown finds redemption through his experiences in the book. I think you'll find that it suggests it with a smirk. This book is a fine example of something simple done almost perfectly, a accomplishment far more difficult than it seems. IMHO this book is on a par with the LA books, and head and shoulders over "American Tabloid."
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