It follows the real life Elmer Jackson, as well as Dudley Smith, Joan Conville, and Hideo Ashida.

It was on the Los Angeles Times Best Seller List on June 23, 2019 for Hardcover Fiction at number 4 for two weeks.

[1] It has been reviewed by Marilyn Stasio of The New York Times, who said that Ellroy is "back, and his Los Angeles is darker than ever".

[2] The Guardian's review read: "It's been five years since the last novel from the self-described 'Demon Dog' of American letters, but it’s worth the wait.

Like all good jazzmen, Ellroy works very hard indeed to make his music flow so easily.