In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I discuss Joseph Wambaugh’s seminal novel The Choirboys. I examine how Wambaugh’s police career in the LAPD, and his works of fiction and nonfiction had a profound impact on James Ellroy’s life and writing style. I also share some juicy anecdotes of the time I spent with both Wambaugh and Ellroy. I filmed this episode in beautiful Port Sunlight Village, which is one of my favourite places on earth. Find out more below, and please comment, share, subscribe etc ..read more

Namaste Mart Confidential is the debut novel of Andrew Miller. It tells the story of Adam Minor and Richie Walsh, two buddies who work at Namaste Mart, a hippie grocery store in West Hollywood. By day they contend with the celebrities, hipsters and cult members that make up about half the LA populace. By night and in their spare time, Adam and Richie supplement their income by working as unlicensed private investigators. The two friends are good at what they do, but a new case is going to test their survival skills to the limit. Joan Goldman was an action movie star of the 1980s, who now runs ..read more

In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at John D. MacDonald’s novel about adultery The Deceivers. Ellroy usually names crime novels as his biggest inspirations, but MacDonald’s domestic drama about the social mores of 1950s America had a profound affect on him. Find out why in the video below. Enjoy the episode, and please comment, share, subscribe etc ..read more

The latest episode of Highbrow Lowbrow is a comedy special. My pick is Peter Bogdanovich’s hilarious adaptation of Michael Frayn’s classic stage farce Noises Off. My podcast co-host Dan’s choice is the romantic comedy The Tall Guy. Adapted from a Richard Curtis script, Dan argues this overlooked gem features Curtis’s best ever writing. You can listen to the full episode here. It’s all going wrong in Noises OffWhen Romcoms had bite. Jeff Goldblum and Kim Thomson in The Tall Guy ..read more

In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at James Jones’s classic novel From Here to Eternity. I describe how Ellroy discovered the novel at a very young age, and its influence as literary fiction predates Ellroy’s fascination with hardboiled crime fiction. Watch through to the end for a cameo by a (Demon) Dog! Enjoy the episode, and please comment, share, subscribe etc ..read more

In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at the original bestselling Black Dahlia novel True Confessions by John Gregory Dunne. This novel was hugely influential on James Ellroy, even if some of the influences were by default. For instance, the success of True Confessions dissuaded Ellroy from tackling the Dahlia case in his debut novel. Instead, he waited until he was a more experienced writer and we are all the benificiaries of that decision. Enjoy the episode, and please comment, share, subscribe etc ..read more

In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at Mrs Paine’s Garage by Thomas Mallon. This is the first non-fiction book I have covered on Ellroy Reads. It’s a vitally important work that has had a profound affect on Ellroy’s thinking, as it converted him from a conspiratorial view of the Kennedy assassination to one that embraced the lone gunman theory. This impacts how we read Ellroy’s novels today, and how his writing continues to evolve. I’m not trying to convert anyone myself, but I ask that you leave your preconceptions of the JFK assassination at the door and give Mrs Paine’s Garage ..read more

Chicago ’63 is the gripping new novella by Terrence McCauley. If you think you have already read everything there is to read about the assassination of President Kennedy then think again. McCauley sheds new light on the infamous event by focusing on a plot to kill Kennedy in Chicago. It took place one month before Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas. The protagonist of this story is Secret Service agent Abraham Golden, a thinly-veiled version of the real-life Abraham Bolden, who was the first African-American to be assigned to the Presidential Protective Division. Golden uncovers the Chicago plot ..read more

In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads I look at The Digger’s Game by George V. Higgins. I argue that Higgins’ Boston noir dialogue-driven narratives have been a major influence on Ellroy’s writing style, and why Higgins was once the rising star of American crime fiction but never quite fulfilled his commercial potential. Enjoy the episode, and please comment, share, subscribe etc ..read more

I’ve compiled a list for Booklisti of five gripping crime novels which are personal favourites of mine. Booklisti also invited me to talk about five of my own books. Enjoy ..read more