Hollywood Nocturnes by James Ellroy

A novella and five short stories from one of the most hard-boiled writers in American crime fiction

Nobody plays accordion like Dick Contino. His skilled fingers can find beauty in even the schmaltziest borscht belt favorites, and with his matinee-idol looks he could be a real star. Right now, though, he's slumming it as the headliner in a Grade Z teenybopper picture called Daddy-O. He's too good for this movie, and finishing it is going to take him to a very dark place.

Daddy-O and Dick Contino are both real, their stories dredged out of the past by James Ellroy, a master of historical crime fiction. In Dick Contino's Blues he takes us to B-List Hollywood in 1957-a time when movies were cheerful and dirty secrets lurked just off camera. Included along with the novella are five short stories, all in the author's inimitable tough-bitten style.

“A good introduction to one of crime fiction’s grittier masters.” - Library Journal

“Black-and-blue in tone and garishly colored in content and style.” - New York Times Book Review

“Required reading for those who take their crime fiction gritty, dark and a few degrees below boiling.” - Publishers Weekly

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