Suicide Hill

By: James Ellroy

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

In disgrace after a badly handled arrest in New Orleans, Sergeant Lloyd Hopkins is assigned as a liaison officer to an FBI investigation of a series of diabolical and clever bank robberies. Three men have done their homework: they choose bank managers who are having affairs, kidnap their girlfriends, and force the managers to open the banks early. When the bank robbers turn violent, Hopkins finds himself with a bit of information he would rather not have - information about police corruption that reaches into the office of his sworn enemy Fred Gaffney, head of the Internal Affairs Division.

©1986 James Ellroy (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

So awesome !

And incredibly narrated! Elroy has such an individualized writing style and it's a great reprieve from the usual!

Try this title for a change of pace

I've read or listened to most of Ellroy's work but I was not aware of this series until I found it browsing Audible. The book is set in Hollywood during the Disco Era. The protagonist is a brilliant detective with a truckload of personal demons. The bad guy is a highly intelligent auto mechanic who is trying desperately to hang on to the love of his life.
This is not the "normal" noir Ellroy. The narrator does an excellent job. Give it a listen.

Insight

Great research on the subculture of L.E. Lloyd was a great character through all three books

Intense, Entertaining, & Engrossing

First I’ll say it is not for the faint of heart or those with delicate sensibilities regarding issues of sex work, pornography, the use of racial slurs, and of course extreme violence. I assume it’s done to better portray the time and place, not sure, but if like me you realize this is fiction and your just into an good story then you’re in for a treat. It draws you in easy at first then evolves into a sordid tale involving a extensive group of flawed characters that still somehow has me rooting for them even though they have done horrible things.
I listen at work while driving and had to finish the book in the house after my shift.

great crime novel

love all these old crime books and this one is no different. fast paced and keeps you interested the whole time. one of the best writers of this style, if you're into noir crime, this is a winner for sure!

real live crime

bloody, stupid and funny, foul language and absolutely not politic, this is a condensed tale of cops and robbers from the 80's, unsullied by romance or grace

Not his best...

You can tell this is one of his earlier writings. Not quite pulpy at this point. Decent but not great. The narrator didnt add to his style of writing.

shades of greatness

reads more like an ellmore lenord , this early ellroy has hints of arche typical characters which would be sharply focused in later work . The story more straight forward crime , cops and robbers . rebop and jive talk enough to keep a fan wetted and listening, if Im lyin im flyin .

A little weird but a good listen

Story line was a little complex - felt a bit like watching a David Lynch movie, sometimes difficult to follow. But entertaining and performed well.
Don’t understand why other reviews said it was too vulgar - heard much worse on the street.

LA Crime

First time author for me. The author has written lots of book about the seedy underbelly of LA, some have been made into movies. This book fits smack dab in the middle of the genre. It was a fun listen.