Best Books About Los Angeles

This novel follows the struggles of Arturo Bandini, a young Italian-American writer in 1930s Los Angeles, and his complicated relationship with Camilla Lopez, a Mexican waitress. As he strives for success in his writing career, he must navigate his emotions for Camilla and the challenges of a difficult industry. However, everything changes when Camilla has a nervous breakdown and disappears, leading Bandini to question his pursuit of the writer's life.

Discover the hidden world of midcentury Los Angeles, where the reality behind the city's public image was a seedy underworld of gangsters, corrupt cops, and ruthless tycoons. Two men, one the city's most notorious gangster and the other its most famous police chief, battled for the soul of the city. The outcome of their entanglement shaped modern American policing and helped create the Los Angeles we know today. Experience the secrets of L.A.'s underbelly in this enlightening, entertaining, and richly detailed narrative.

This book delves into Southern California's fascinating history, exploring everything from the birth of Hollywood to the rise of international-style architecture. Through insightful accounts of notable personalities like Aimee Semple McPherson and Hatfield the Rainmaker, readers will gain a deeper understanding of the region's rich cultural heritage.

This collection of short stories takes us back to Los Angeles in the early eighties, where the characters all know each other and inhabit the same world of drugs, sex, and violence. From a friend's death on a desert road to a newscaster's jaded relationship with her stepdaughter, these tales take a dark and seductive look at the city's underbelly. Bret Easton Ellis once again delivers a chilling, fascinating, and outrageous portrayal of L.A.'s moral badlands.

Explore the shocking and disturbing case of Charles Manson and his followers in a book written by the prosecuting attorney of the trial. Discover what motivated Manson's cold-blooded selection of victims and his terrifying hold over his followers, particularly the young women who carried out his orders. This harrowing true crime story is accompanied by 50 pages of black and white photographs.

Private Investigator Philip Marlowe helps out his down-and-out friend, Terry Lennox, who needs to escape LA after his millionaire wife’s death. When Lennox commits suicide in Mexico and others start turning up dead, Marlowe is drawn into a sordid web of the city’s wealthy yet morally bankrupt. This classic hard-boiled crime novel by Raymond Chandler is a gripping, original masterpiece featuring one of the greatest detectives in literature.

This gritty crime novel blends the style of Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled detective fiction with the social commentary of Richard Wright. The result is a fresh and explosive addition to the American detective genre.

This gritty crime novel explores a horrific mass murder and its impact on both sides of the law. With epic "noir" style, the story tests loyalty and courage as three lawmen are caught in a deadly spiral with no mercy or survivors. Written by the bestselling author of The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential offers astonishing detail and scope.