James Ellroy
Writer
James Ellroy, known for his crime fiction, joins the show. He discusses his work, including the LA Quartet, and his involvement with 'Murder by the Book' on Court TV. Ellroy also touches on his interesting life and childhood.
James Ellroy
About James Ellroy
James Ellroy is an American crime fiction author born in Los Angeles in 1948. He is best known for the LA Quartet novels—The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, and White Jazz—and the Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy. His work has been adapted for film and television, including the acclaimed 1997 film L.A. Confidential. Ellroy received the L.A. Times Robert Kirsch Award in 2023 for lifetime excellence in writing about the American West.
In this interview
- Describes himself as 'the king of the crime fiction world'
- Discusses his LA Quartet books as bestsellers and masterpieces
- Mentions his involvement with Court TV's Murder by the Book
- Notes his interesting childhood shaped his writing style
“I'm the king of crime fiction. My LA quartet books... Big Biz Sellers, Masterpieces, All.”— James Ellroy, in this interview
Since this interview
Ellroy published This Storm in 2019 and continued his prolific output with The Enchanters in September 2026. A twenty-hour podcast adaptation of American Tabloid was released on Audible in 2023, the same year he received the Robert Kirsch Award.
