Clandestine

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling crime story that makes it too easy for itself...
Review: A great story is mudded by a long series of improbable turns in the storyline: the hero finds everyone he's looking for without much of an effort. A few characters' backstories are unbelievable. Other characters are awfully obnoxious (e.g. Dudley).

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Summary: This book is as good as any noir you'll ever read
Review: After getting hooked on Elroy by watching and then reading LA Confidential, I progressed to the rest of the LA Trilogy. On thier completion I found myself somewhat bemused as to which novel to read next. However, in spite of the old addage, something in the cover of Clandestine called to me. I was not to disappointed. The reader is thrown straight into the seedy world of the Fifties LAPD, and into the mind of an arrogant, officer with designs on quick promotion no matter who gets in the way. His determination for advancement is only equalled by his callous disregard for women. Once again we are confronted by the nemesis, in the shpe of Dudley Smith, who having seen it all, is watchful for our devious hero. The book quickly deels with his quick rise to fame, only to fall from grace even quicker. His time out the force is both mentally and soulfully destroying, and in this time of despair his only hope is to repair his broken marraige and to solve his great case to his own satisfaction, as much to appese his own conscience as to see justice done. The hero's desires are refered to as the "wonder", but the great mystrey left unsolved after this riveting story is how James Elroy can create time and again such vivid pictures through his words.

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Summary: Revel in the joys of Dudley Smith's interogation technique.
Review: Any one who has read James Ellroy's so called L.A quartet (like my chiropractor or my friend Damien or this producer I know or this freak taxi driver I once met) is probably chafing at the bit to go back to the stomping ground of the men who were looking for Black Dahlia, Buzz Meeks and any one in the gang that ever accepted a kick back from Howard Hughes or Mickey "the kike". This like 'Dick Contino's Blues' is a secret extra gang member and deserves it's place on the shelf near BLACK DAHLIA, THE BIG NOWHERE, LA CONFIDENTIAL,AND WHITE JAZZ. Those of you who have read and survived the quartet will be happy to find a good cop bad cop book which resurrects cuddly Dudley Smith from his White Jazz early retirement. Keep writing please Mr Elroy- When I read your books I realise that in my life I have had too much of one thing - sleep. KR

Rating:
Summary: Not Ellroy's best, but worthwhile if you like his style.
Review: CLANDESTINE is a great precursor to the "L.A. Quartet" novels - not really in their league, but a worthwhile read if you enjoy Ellroy's style. It's not quite the start-to-finish adrenaline rush that L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is, but it's similar in its cynicism and its dark portrayal of Los Angeles. I'd recommend reading MY DARK PLACES (Ellroy's autobiographical account of his mother's murder) first. Ellroy's autobiography sheds light on his inspiration for CLANDESTINE - which is basically a fictionalized account of his mother's death. It's kind of interesting for any reader who wants to try to get inside Ellroy's head.

Rating:
Summary: Different for Ellroy, but still a good read...
Review: I am in agreeance with the previous reviewer who stated that this book is relatively 'nice' compared with Ellroy's other books. The plot moves along nicely and only falters in its flashback segment to offer some explanation of why 'IT' all happened. A good book that is well worth a read... If you enjoyed other Ellroy novels then you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Different for Ellroy, but still a good read...
Review: I am in agreeance with the previous reviewer who stated that this book is relatively 'nice' compared with Ellroy's other books. The plot moves along nicely and only falters in its flashback segment to offer some explanation of why 'IT' all happened. A good book that is well worth a read... If you enjoyed other Ellroy novels then you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites....
Review: I read this book after reading "Dahlia", "Confidential", "Big Nowhere" and "Tabloid". And now, I'm almost finished with "Crime Wave" and it all makes sense. "Clandestine," if not his first, is definitely an early work and essential. All of the elements that Ellroy knew (at that time in his life) of his mother's death is in this book. READ THIS BOOK!

Rating:
Summary: It will all make sense after you read this
Review: I read this book after reading "Dahlia", "Confidential", "Big Nowhere" and "Tabloid". And now, I'm almost finished with "Crime Wave" and it all makes sense. "Clandestine," if not his first, is definitely an early work and essential. All of the elements that Ellroy knew (at that time in his life) of his mother's death is in this book. READ THIS BOOK!

Rating:
Summary: Surprising redemption story
Review: I was expecting more brutality, as is Ellroy's baliwick. And don't get me wrong, Clandestine has its moments. But the main character is not actual dogfilth for a change - sure, he's a womanizer and a golf hustler, but at least he isn't a semi-pyschotic brute like Ellroy's other memorable characters like Dudley Smith, Bud White or even Lloyd Hopkins. He is, in fact, appalled by the violence around him. The main character can't even bring himself to play the LAPD politics game, which blows up in his face. At places, it boils down to a simple story of a man seeking redemption for past sins. And I liked it. Not Ellroy's strongest stuff, but still very good, and worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Do you know what's wrong with that reader's voice ?
Review: Most of the James Ellroy's cops are mean, tough, cunning, crooked, dirty low lives. So the Reader's voice that was chosen to be as the 1st person in the book, starting all the sentences with an "I", playing himself as the dirty cop, that should be sound like a cop, a tough, mean, foxy guy with a tough, cold, heartless voice. To my deepest regret with a funny feeling, the voice of Mr. Jermy Gage is a total joke. His voice is so thin, so narrow, so shallow and so scholastically wrong. His voice is not a cop's voice in the least but a voice with pipe and eye glasses, a voice coming from the mouth of 150 pounds body weight, in short, a chicken's voice. I just couldn't keep listening to that funny voice which was definitely not a believable cop's voice. After trying so hard listened to that voice for 25 minutes, I just turned the recorder off and picked up the real book and just let my own inner voice to become that "I", that dirty, mean, tough, cunning cop, and survived page after page. Don't try to make the same fault as I did, it'd ruin your free and more realistic imagination.