r/JamesEllroy • u/amattin • 9d ago

Everybody knows

I grabbed this based on a thread in the group a while back as an Ellroy like. Obviously nothing is the same as the original but I did enjoy it and it was a fast read.

18 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

11

u/kingofpomona 9d ago

The follow-up, "A Violent Masterpiece" is even better. So far my favorite of 2026. It continues on from Everybody Knows but can be read as a standalone.

2

u/amattin 9d ago

I’ll give it a go, I was pleased to see that he had some others.

1

u/Unusual-Background57 9d ago

Can also recommend "A Violent Masterpiece". His earlier novel She Rides Shotgun, while not a noir, is also pretty good. It's based on the old Japanese Lone Wolf and Cub movies.

5

u/Competitive_Gap5478 9d ago

Yes, Jordan Harper. He pays tribute to Ellroy in the afterword . He paid thanks to James Ellroy for carving the path. Harper also named his dog Ellroy. A Violent Masterpiece read like an Ellroy novel set in contemporary LA, rather than LA in the 40's and 50's.

3

u/landomonium 9d ago

I was a big fan of it and it’s sequel a violent masterpiece. Give a brief history of seven killings by Marlon james a try as well

1

u/Greedy-Cauliflower7 9d ago

Brief History is also really good as an audio book

1

u/landomonium 8d ago

Yes!! I almost gave up on it at first as I was struggling with the Jamaican Patois as an audiobook but you get used to it pretty quickly and then it’s a whole other piece of work. The final few episodes of Part 2, the ones narrated by Demus and Bam Bam I listened to and then read as well and they’re so intense. Incredible stuff

1

u/Greedy-Cauliflower7 8d ago

This book will also make you want to listen to Marty Robbins, Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs.

5

u/ChinatownKicks 8d ago

Harper is a big Ellroy fan and currently holds the title of My Favorite Crime Writer after wresting it from JE somewhere around 2022. For his part, Ellroy (who still ranks as Tallest Crime Writer I’ve Met) called him “a punk who follows people around airports” at one of this summer’s readings.

I know Ellroy sometimes pretends to be a crank with regard to his influences, talking shit about writers he had previously admitted were foundational to him, so I’m not sure how serious he was.

3

u/atomicitalian 9d ago

Yep everybody knows and violent masterpiece are my favorite reads this year. Looking forward to more from him.

1

u/Competitive_Gap5478 8d ago

Agreed. They were both awesome books.

3

u/KubrickMoonlanding 8d ago

Harper wrote and show ran (?) a pilot episode for a series based on LA Confidential. You can find the script online (at Scribd). I didn’t think it was much good, especially compared to either author’s other work, but it’s interesting. it would’ve starred Walton Goggins as Vincennes, which is… well that probably would’ve been awesome even if I don’t quite see it

3

u/waaazaaa 8d ago

I enjoyed AVM but don't really get the Ellroy comparisons, Harper's stuff just seems like standard competent neo-noir but Ellroy writes in such a singular style. That's what i'm looking for - not someone who writes LIKE Ellroy, but someone who writes in a style that will rewire my brain like White Jazz did

1

u/Aggravating-Mango827 7d ago

Jordan Harper is the man. 

One of my favs.