At the outset of Ellis's moody, fast-paced third mystery featuring LAPD detective Lena Gamble (after 2009's The Lost Witness), Lena rushes to Club 3 AM, an elite Hollywood nightspot, where two men, both shot to death, have been found: Johnny Bosco, the club's politically well-connected owner, and 25-year-old Jacob Gant, who was recently acquitted of the rape and murder of his 16-year-old neighbor, Lily Hight. Police bungling, including misplaced blood samples, ensured Gant's release. Faced with the unpopular task of pursuing charges against Lily's father, the chief suspect in the double homicide, Lena discovers additional cracks in the case against Gant. As Lena clashes with ambitious district attorney Jimmy J. Higgins and unstable Dan Cobb, the lead detective in the first murder case, she grows closer to deputy DA Greg Vaughan. The suspense builds as Ellis turns a spotlight on the justice system's flaws, though the final twist is unlikely to stump seasoned crime fans. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

The novel's premise is, as they say, torn from the headlines. A woman is murdered, and the cops understandably pounce on the fellow who is all but standing nearby with bloodstains and an evil grin. But there's more to it, and the truth should have come out when the case was passed to the legal system. But the system stood behind the cops. Why? Detective Lena Gamble is called in to have another look. She uncovers a conspiracy that involves nearly everybody on the Los Angeles city payroll, and it's here that readers will either love the book or put it aside. The writing has an emotional intensity that is nearly palpable. Lena's anguish rises from the page. But why so many characters? So many plot zigzags that readers can't keep them straight? Readers are almost invited to lose interest. Pruning would have turned this into the sort of wrenching mix of distress and detection that James Ellroy writes. Despite wondering if the DA's office can really be loaded with this many ambitious, bloodthirsty crazies, dedicated readers will stay tuned to watch Lena attempt to sort it all out.--Crinklaw, Don Copyright 2010 Booklist

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