Best Books About Los Angeles

Discover the hidden truths of Los Angeles with this captivating read. Delve into the city's power struggles, exploring who controls the money and the ongoing battle between the privileged and the underprivileged.

A master of the 'hard-boiled' detective novel, Raymond Chandler introduced readers to Philip Marlowe, a streetwise and heroic private eye, in his first novel, The Big Sleep. With his articulate and literary writing style, Chandler won over a wide audience, from the everyday person to the intellectual elite. Selected as one of Time Magazine's All-Time 100 Novels, this book will keep you on your toes from the very first sentence.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Discover the marvels of Los Angeles with this groundbreaking book. Reyner Banham offers a fresh perspective on the built environment of the city, analyzing its popular taste and industrial innovation. He introduces the concept of "four ecologies" that showcase the relationship between Angelenos and the beaches, freeways, flatlands, and foothills. The book celebrates the mobile and posturban nature of this metropolis, making it a must-read for anyone fascinated by cities, architecture, and culture.