Christmas 1951, Los Angeles; a city where the police are as corrupt as the criminals. Six prisoners are badly beaten in their cells by drunk police officers. For the three LAPD detectives involved, it is time to face the guilty secrets of their violent pasts. James Ellroy is one of the best crime writers of the 1990s. You won't be able to put this down. It has recently been made into a tense and atmospheric Oscar-winning film starring Kim Basinger and Kevin Spacey.