Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The first critical biography of a titan of American crime fiction.
Love Me Fierce In Danger recounts the fascinating life of the novelist James Ellroy, one of the most provocative and singular figures in American literature. Known as the Demon Dog of Crime Fiction, Ellroy enjoys a celebrity status and notoriety that few authors can match. However, his success has come at a high cost. Two divorces, a nervous breakdown, and a relapse into addiction are just some of the traumas Ellroy has endured in his pursuit of literary greatness.
When Ellroy was just ten years old, his mother was brutally murdered by an unknown man. The crime went unsolved, and her death marked the start of a long and turbulent road for Ellroy that has included struggles with alcoholism, drug addiction, homelessness, and jail time. Tracing the history of his life and career, Steven Powell reveals how Ellroy's upbringing in LA, always on the periphery of Hollywood, had a substantial influence on his later work as a novelist. Using new sources, Steven Powell uncovers Ellroy's family secrets, including the mysterious first marriage of his mother Jean Ellroy, eighteen years before her murder. At the heart of this biography is the story of how Ellroy overcame his demons to become the bestselling and celebrated author of such classics as The Black Dahlia and LA Confidential.
To his admirers Ellroy is a literary genius who reinvented crime fiction. To his detractors he is a reactionary, overrated figure. Informed by interviews with friends, family, peers, and literary and Hollywood collaborators, as well as extensive conversations with Ellroy himself, Love Me Fierce In Danger pulls back the curtain on an enigmatic figure who has courted acclaim and controversy with equal zealotry.
Synopsis
As gripping and twisted as a James Ellroy novel. - Ian Rankin
A masterpiece of literary biography. - David Peace
The first critical biography of a titan of American crime fiction.
Love Me Fierce In Danger is the story of James Ellroy, one of the most provocative and singular figures in American literature. The so-called "Demon Dog of Crime Fiction," Ellroy enjoys a celebrity status and notoriety that few authors can match. However, traumas from the past have shadowed his literary success.
When Ellroy was just ten years old, his mother was brutally murdered. The crime went unsolved, and her death marked the start of a long and turbulent road for Ellroy that has included struggles with alcoholism, drug addiction, homelessness, and jail time. In tracing his life and career, Steven Powell reveals how Ellroy's
upbringing in LA, always on the periphery of Hollywood, had a profound and dark influence on his work as a novelist. Using new sources, Powell also uncovers Ellroy's family secrets, including the mysterious first marriage of his mother Jean Ellroy, eighteen years before her murder. At its heart, Love Me Fierce in Danger is the story of
how Ellroy overcame his demons to become the bestselling and celebrated author of such classics as The Black Dahlia and LA Confidential.
Informed by interviews with friends, family, peers, and literary and Hollywood collaborators, as well as extensive conversations with Ellroy himself, Love Me Fierce In Danger pulls back the curtain on an enigmatic figure who has courted acclaim and controversy with equal zealotry.