This Storm: A Novel is a 2019 historical fiction and crime fiction by American author James Ellroy. It is the second novel in Ellroy's "Second L.A. Quartet", in reference to the first "L.A. Quartet", and following the novel Perfidia. Ellroy dedicated the novel "To HELEN KNODE." The epigraph is "Blood alone moves the wheels of history. -Benito "Il Duce" Mussolini". It was released May 30, 2019, in the United Kingdom, and June 4, 2019 in the United States.
 U. S. first edition cover | |
| Author | James Ellroy |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Jacket design by Chip Kidd, Glenn O'Neill (U. K. Edition) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Second L.A. Quartet |
| Genre | Crime fiction, noir, historical fiction, historical romance |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf, William Heinemann Ltd/Cornerstone |
Publication date | May 30, 2019 (United Kingdom), June 4, 2019 (United States) |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback), audio CD, audio download, Kindle, audiobook, and paperback Large Print (June 18, 2019) |
| Pages | 608 pp (first edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-0-307-95700-9 (U.S. first edition, hardcover), ISBN 978-0-434-02058-4 (United Kingdom edition, hardcover), ISBN 9780525521730 (ebook), ISBN 9781524711511 (open market) |
| OCLC | 1103324432 |
| 813'/.54—dc23 | |
| LC Class | PS3555.L6274 T47 2019 |
| Preceded by | Perfidia |
Plot edit
This Storm is set in Los Angeles and Mexico, starting with Kay Lake's remembrance of her past, and a bootleg radio transmission in Tijuana, Mexico by Father Charles Coughlin on December 30, 1941. Set after the events of Perfidia, the story follows the murder of two LAPD officers, an investigation into a gold heist, and an act of murderous arson. It follows the real life Elmer Jackson, as well as Dudley Smith, Joan Conville, and Hideo Ashida. Later, Kay Lake's diary entries are followed. Like Perfidia, Ellroy provided a dramatis personæ.
Reception edit
It was on the Los Angeles Times Best Seller List on June 23, 2019 for Hardcover Fiction at number 4 for two weeks.[1] It has been reviewed by Marilyn Stasio of The New York Times, who said that Ellroy is "back, and his Los Angeles is darker than ever".[2] The Guardian's review read: "It's been five years since the last novel from the self-described 'Demon Dog' of American letters, but it’s worth the wait. Like all good jazzmen, Ellroy works very hard indeed to make his music flow so easily."[3]
See also edit
Notes and references edit
- ^ "June 23, 2019 - Bestsellers - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- ^ Stasio, Marilyn (June 5, 2019). "James Ellroy Is Back, and His Los Angeles Is Darker Than Ever". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- ^ McKinty, Adrian (June 27, 2020). "This Storm by James Ellroy review – a second prequel to the LA Quartet". The Guardian. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
External links edit
- "James Ellroy". Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- "This Storm - Bestsellers - Los Angeles Times". Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- "June 30, 2019 - Bestsellers - Los Angeles Times". Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- [1] access date July 3, 2019
- [2] access date July 3, 2019
- McKinty, Adrian (May 30, 2019). "This Storm by James Ellroy review – a second prequel to the LA Quartet". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- Cummins, Anthony (June 16, 2019). "This Storm by James Ellroy review – Nazis, orgies and Orson Welles". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- Collis, Clark (June 2, 2019). "James Ellroy on his new novel This Storm and why Citizen Kane is a 's---ty' film". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- Politics and Prose (June 20, 2019). "James Ellroy, "This Storm"". YouTube. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- The Poisoned Pen Bookstore (June 21, 2019). "James Ellroy discusses THIS STORM". YouTube. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- Sutherland, John (May 24, 2019). "This Storm by James Ellroy review — corrupt cops and Hollywood dirt". The Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- Lee, Steve (June 17, 2019). "Author Q & A: James Ellroy". Big Issue North. Retrieved 10 July 2019.