This Storm: James Ellroy with Christopher J. Yates

The novelist and master of LA noir continues his deep dive into World War II–era Southern California.

In his first LA Quartet, James Ellroy explored the city’s criminal underbelly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s, with such acclaimed novels as The Black Dahlia and LA Confidential. Now dead in the middle of his second LA Quartet, Ellroy turns back the clock to World War II. The second novel in the series, This Storm,  picks up on  New Year’s Eve 1941 as the clock strikes twelve, ushering in 1942. In the wake of Pearl Harbor, America has entered the war, Japanese Americans are being rounded up for internment, and Los Angeles is gripped by corruption, unconsummated desire, war profiteering, and murder. 

This Storm coincides with the massive publication of three Everyman’s Library volumes collecting both Ellroy’s first LA Quartet and his Underworld USA Trilogy. Ellroy speaks with Christopher J. Yates about the arc of his career, and his unique ability to unlock history through the vehicle of noir.

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PRESS 
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ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing accessibility@nypl.org.