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| Plot Summary of White Jazz |
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"WHITE JAZZ is a book written by James Ellroy in 1992. The novel concludes the L.A. QUARTET.
Dave Klein remembers. He was a lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department during the fifties. He was the witness of the efforts of Welles Noonan, a politician who wanted to clean up the Southern part of Los Angeles, territory of Mickey Cohen, the jazz joints, the black people and the Kafesjian, an armenian family dealing with drugs but protected by the police. He was also an active and manipulated character of the rivalry between Dudley Smith, the most corrupted cop of L.A. and Ed Exley, the chief of the inspectors of the Los Angeles Police Department.
When there is a burglary in the Kafesjian house, Dave Klein is assigned to the job by Ed Exley. He enters the intimacy of this family and soon understands that this is not a common burglary. Who was the man watching every night Lucille Kafesjian wandering naked in her room with her windows open ? His quest will drive him in the jazz clubs of South L.A. where he'll discover the heroes of the be-bop, the heroes of the white jazz. After some investigations, he identifies the Peeping Tom as Richie Herrick, a young musician who's just escaped from prison. Klein finds out that Herrick's parents were well-known to the Kafesjian from the thirties on. But the mother has just committed suicide and Herrick's father and two sisters are savagely murdered before Klein can talk to them. Is the murderer the same person who committed the Kafesjian burglary? Another mystery to solve for Klein who must also deal with Sam Giancanna, the new boss of the Organization. Giancanna possesses proofs that Klein committed a murder some years before and, for his silence, asks Dave to arrange the suicide of a key FBI witness Dave has to protect before he testifies for Welles Noonan in his crusade against the corruption in the boxing business.
Meanwhile, Dudley Smith tries to find out who's responsible for the stealing of valuable furs and Dave's partner, George Stemmons, completely drug addicted and mad, disappears into the streets of South L.A., racketting the black drug dealers and, hence, provoking the Kafesjian family.
A new terrific saga in the L.A. of the fifties. Great Ellroy.
"
Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of White Jazz |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1930's-1950's
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 50%
Special suspect?
- relative
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards lover
Crime Thriller
Yes
Who's the terrorist enemy here?
- evil subgroup in own govt
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- drug dealers
- stolen goods organization
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental:
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
- emotionally unstable
How much violence does he/she use?
- a significant amount
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
The antagonists are:
- evil politicians
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
City?
Yes
City:
- Los Angeles
- dangerous
- rude people
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- very gorey references to deaths/dead bodies and torture
How many deaths?
- 8 or more
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- licking
- actual description of sex
- descript. of male nudity
- homosexuals doing their thing
Unusual forms of death
- decapitated
- perforation--bullets
- perforation--swords/knives
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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