The Big Nowhere

📘 About This Book

The D. A.'s brass, a sheriff's deputy, and a rough-and-tumble bagman are unknowingly chasing a nightmare in this thrilling novel from the author of "some of the most powerful crime novels ever written" (New York Times). 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.

📖 Summary

James Ellroy's novel The Big Nowhere, published in 2013 and spanning 483 pages, plunges readers into the dark, sun-bleached underworld of Los Angeles in 1950. Set against a backdrop of rising red crosscurrents, the narrative explores the intersecting lives of three distinct law enforcement figures caught in a hellish web of ambition, perversion, and deceit. As the city grapples with the paranoia of the Commie Scare and a string of brutal mutilation killings, the boundary between justice and corruption blurs completely. Gangland intrigue and Hollywood sleaze form the fertile ground where these nightmares grow, pulling the protagonists deeper into moral compromise. The story follows three men who are unknowingly chasing the same terrifying nightmare. Danny Upshaw is a Sheriff's deputy stuck with a series of brutal snuff killings that nobody else seems to care about. For Danny, these gruesome cases represent his golden opportunity to make a name for himself as a cop, though they also begin to sate his own darkest curiosities. Mal Considine operates as District Attorney Bureau brass. He opportunistically climbs onto the Red Scare bandwagon to advance his career, driven by a deeply personal motive: to gain custody of his adopted son, a fragile child he rescued from the horrors of postwar Europe. Meanwhile, a rough-and-tumble bagman becomes the third focal point, completing a trio of flawed men whose paths converge in unexpected and devastating ways. Throughout the 483 pages, Ellroy meticulously builds a portrait of a society tearing itself apart from the inside. The political hysteria of the era intertwines with the depravity of the entertainment industry and organized crime. The D.A.'s brass, the ambitious deputy, and the mob-tied bagman all navigate a labyrinth of lies, where every step forward brings them closer to personal destruction. The mutilation murders serve as a grim anchor for the plot, reflecting the larger systemic rot of a city built on false dreams and desperate desperation. As the characters push deeper into the investigation, they confront not only external threats but also the darkest corners of their own psyches. The Big Nowhere stands as a powerful testament to the bleak realities of mid-century American crime fiction, offering a relentless look at men trapped by their own obsessions and the unforgiving machinery of a corrupt metropolis.

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✍️ About the Author

James Ellroy

James Ellroy (b. 1948) is an American author known for dark, densely plotted crime fiction, including 'L.A. Confidential'.

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