"I won't go soft on you..."

And James Ellroy keeps his promises...


Noir is dead for me because historically, I think it's a simple view. I've taken it as far as it can go. I think I've expanded on it a great deal, taken it further than any other American novelist.

Raymond Chandler is not a guy that I admire any more. I think his books are softheaded and full of bad writing.

Anybody who doesn't know that politics is crime has got a few screws loose.

I am the most well-adjusted human being I know. I started out this investigation as a very happy man with a great career. I've got the life people dream about: I am rich, I am famous, I've got a fabulous marriage to an absolutely, spell-bindingly brilliant woman.

I feel very calm and poised underneath it all, but no less passionate or committed to the work. I won't go soft on you, but I feel calm inside.*

*mentioned in this BEATRICE Interview, 1996