The Big Nowhere

Written by James Ellroy

Narrated by Jason Culp

Los Angeles, 1950 Red crosscurrents: the Commie Scare and a string of brutal mutilation killings. Gangland intrigue and Hollywood sleaze. Three cops caught in a hellish web of ambition, perversion, and deceit. Danny Upshaw is a Sheriff's deputy stuck with a bunch of snuffs nobody cares about; they're his chance to make his name as a cop...and to sate his darkest curiosities. Mal Considine is D.A.'s Bureau brass. He's climbing on the Red Scare bandwagon to advance his career and to gain custody of his adopted son, a child he saved from the horror of postwar Europe. Buzz Meeks-bagman, ex-Narco goon, and pimp for Howard Hughes-is fighting communism for the money. All three men have purchased tickets to a nightmare. (100,000 words)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Sep 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781478906155

Reviews for The Big Nowhere

[amusedbythis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the Black Dahlia. Although The Big Nowhere certainly kept my interest, by the end, the story seemed contrived. There was minimal rationale given to understand the psychopathic nature of the murderer. The novel seemed to feed on gore that served little purpose. It went from being a thriller to be a disappointment.

[danielstj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A thrilling novel that weaves its way through plot-lines, characters, events, and discovery. I really liked this particular novel in the L.A Quartet and I feel it has a lot to offer readers. It is NOT predictable nor dull at any point and I felt fully entertained for the duration of the ride. A great novel for those enjoying suspense and detective fiction and, at this point, I would suggest the whole L.A Quartet is most likely worth diving into for those interested in that genre or writing in general. It's worth it.4 stars!

[michaelbartley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

story about the 50's red scare and a number of murders in LA. told by three different police officers point of view. dark story with a dark ending

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A sordid murder on New Year's Eve has Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Deputy Danny Upshaw tracing down leads that reveal as much about himself as the killer. Meanwhile, a grand jury probe into possible Communist activities in Hollywood studios promises a Los Angeles Police Department captaincy for Lieutenant Mal Considine and offers enough money to entice indebted former police officer Buzz Meeks in providing muscle for the job.Unlike the previous two titles I read by Ellroy, this book is told in the third person and follows three separate stories instead of one. Predictably, the three plots end up coming together at some point; I rather preferred when they interacted than when they didn't. The characters were interesting but deeply flawed; while following their stories was compelling, I doubt you'd want to meet any of them in real life. It's worth noting that Ellroy blends fact and fiction with this story, focusing on characters that he invented but having them interact with actual people from the time period (e.g., Mickey Cohen, Howard Hughes, etc.)As with his previous books, Ellroy pulls no punches when it comes to his language and representations of a misogynistic, racist 1950s police force that is corrupt and brutal. There is also a fair amount of gore described with the murders, although I feel like less so here than in The Black Dahlia, the title preceding this one on the series. Basically, it's not for the faint of heart or easily offended.The main murder mystery took some winding paths and lead to a conclusion that was both predictable and surprising, which I cannot further elucidate on without giving away spoiler details. Ellroy does, for the most part, plot things out very well and comes full circle with his storylines. With one detail in particular, I went back to the beginning and re-read some parts to see exactly what he had been up to while the reader was unawares.The last half of the book was a page turner whereas the first half had a lot to introduce with three separate POV characters and storylines, as well as a decent amount of time spent describing the rivalry between LAPD and LASD, a subplot that was somewhat germane to the story but not one I found particularly as interesting. However, it did eventually pan out in a big way. This book does end in a somewhat vague way for one of the characters and not everything is tied up neatly in a bow -- just enough to whet the reader's appetite for the next book in the series.

[geza.tatrallyay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While this is an okay detective yarn, I found the plethora of characters overwhelming and the language dated and very macho, and in today's terms, rather lacking political correctness. There is just too much going on in the book and the somewhat dated language and expressions makes you less keen on reading further.

[theampersand · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I know what to expect from James Ellroy by now, and "The Big Nowhere" is another fun excursion into L.A. period piece sleaze. I think that the Los Angeles Times is just talking up the home team when it calls Ellroy "one of the great writers of our time," but I'll admit that "The Big Nowhere" is entertaining and even rewarding in spots.You can't fault Ellroy for ambiance or research. Here, he concerns himself with the Red Scare and the lefty underground that it targeted, though Ellroy also seems to have done meticulous research on L.A.'s mid-fifties jazz scene, its union politics, and its severely closeted homosexual community, too. As usual, his prose sizzles, hitting a sweet spot between heady trash and writerly depth. While most of this novel's protagonists are still, in the best Ellroy fashion, well-rendered noir cartoons, he handles the emotional and sexual development -- and subsequent unraveling -- of one of them with real skill and sensitivity. Of course, "The Big Nowhere" has its share of problems, too. Everything's still pretty garish, literary pretensions be damned: Ellroy's villains are too evil, his tough guys too picturesquely macho, and his plot too complex to really be taken seriously. Also problematic is Ellroy's scathing portrayal of the Hollywood "reds" that were blacklisted during the McCarthy era. Some of the abuse he heaps on them is probably appropriate to the period, but there's also places where I wondered if he wasn't letting his own politics -- which have reported to be everything from ultra-right to center-left -- seep into his writing. Sometimes, reading this one feels like being trapped with your paranoid, politically reactionary uncle at Thanksgiving dinner. It's a shame, too, because, when the book sticks to jazz joints, covert "boys only" shindigs, and plain old murder, it's actually kind of fun.

[branimal · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A body is found near a local swimming hole and the brutality of the murder is frightening. Deputy Danny Upshaw is charged with finding the perp and closing the case. When it’s discovered the victim was gay, Ellroy brings the reader into the homophobic culture of 1950s Los Angeles while pushing Upshaw to his limit in his drive to tag the guilty party.

Elsewhere, both Mal Considine and Buzz Meeks become entwined in the communist red scare. Mal is using it to his advantage in an attempt to advance his fledgling career while Buzz Meeks is shaking down unions accused of spreading red propaganda.

It isn’t long until all three men are frying together in the same pan.

With The Big Nowhere, Ellroy was cooking with all the same ingredients used in The Black Dahlia: the seedy crime culture of 1950s L.A., snappy hard boiled dialogue, and compelling characters. So what was missing? It took me a while to pin it down but I think it eventually boils down to the narrative style. For whatever reason, I seem to prefer my crime fiction told in a first person narrative style. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad but I like to really get inside the head of the protagonist and uncover the case with him/her. I’m not saying that if a crime fiction author chooses the third person style he/she fails immediately; I just find it difficult to become fully immersed in the presented case.

Why does it matter so much with this novel? I think it suffers due to my own comparisons with Dahlia and just how much I enjoyed that experience. That being said, The Big Nowhere is itself a compelling story that has everything you could want in a dark, gritty gangland tale. While in my opinion it falls short of the tremendous Black Dahlia, it shares a similar tone and fans of the first novel in the L.A Quartet series should find some enjoyment in its followup.

Also posted @ Every Read Thing

[katie_h_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Even though this is one of Ellroy's highest rated novels (2nd in his L.A. Quartet), I had major problems getting into it. The plot is rich with characters and details, and it is written in the author's typical 1950's cop speak. With so many parallel stories, I had trouble understanding what was going on, and I probably should have taken notes. After finishing the book, I am still lacking a full understanding of it, though after page 200, the pieces finally DID start falling together a bit. The story is too complicated to fully describe in this short review. Danny Upshaw, Mal Considine, and Buzz Meeks are the flawed main character cops, and the subplots revolve around police corruption, serial murder, Communist witch-hunts and the underworld of homosexual prostitution. This book takes a lot of concentration, but I would still recommend it for readers looking for a dark and grisly experience, and I'll probably re-read it myself to clear up the complexities. Three and a half stars now - maybe I'll increase my rating after a second read through.

[sharv_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The standout best of Ellroy's exceptional "L.A. Quartet" series of noir novels. A disturbing counterpoint to what everyone thinks the 1950's were like.