This Storm

Know this before going in: James Ellroy’s “This Storm” is the second book of a trilogy, which is in itself the latest trilogy in a series of Ellroy books that span years and define his writing career, think “L.A. Confidential” and “The Black Dahlia.”

Know this before going in: James Ellroy is dealing with corrupt cops, racist cops in the 1940s Los Angeles. Language is rough, brusque and many people may find it offensive. And it is used by almost every character in the book about almost every type of race, gender and sexual preference. There is nothing politically correct here. There’s sex and violence and …

Know this before going in: Ellroy writes in a style that is like machine gun bursts. It is not always easy to follow. He doesn’t make it easy. Readers have to pay attention. 

“This Storm” is set in the days following the Pearl Harbor attack and follows LA cops in a time when the nation is preparing to march off to war and Japanese residents are being sent to internment camps.

All of the cops are corrupt. They are running scams and prostitution rings, seeking stolen gold and they conceal killing suspects … and those are the “good guys.” Other cops are doing the same but they are also Nazi supporters selling people into slavery in Mexico.

“This Storm” works on its own. It stands up as a novel and can be followed without reading “Perfidia,” its prequel. But it may be even more compelling having read “Perfidia” first.

But with or without it, “This Storm” ain’t for everybody, folks.