If James Ellroy wrote about modern day LA, he'd be wishing for the power of Harper's A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE -- a sprawling, sleazy, terrifying and all-too-real (At least one supporting cast member is clearly based very closely on a true Hollyweird cautionary tale) epic of lust, greed, obsession and the dysphoria that comes with fame. This three-pronged tale of a lawyer, a modern muckraker, and a Hollywood fixer whose loose ethical boundaries are to be tested, is a true descent into the heart of darkness, told with a propulsive style and the kind of compelling voice that reminds you you're reading an author like no other.

As our three disparate protagonists find themselves drawn into the case of the LA Ripper -- a modern serial killer in the grand LA tradition -- they soon realise that the true evil stalking Hollywood comes from within, and that the factory of dreams is fuelled by nightmares, Not for the faint hearted, this is a tale that shows modern LA is every bit as damaged as the world it likes us to think it has left behind. Money, sex, violent, all fuel Harper's world, and create a true Violent Masterpiece.

A Violent Masterpiece by Jordan Harper is simply phenomenal. I don’t say this lightly, but it’s hard to argue that the latest novel from this upstart author is going to be anything other than a phenomenon and is a contemporary classic in the making.

However, it won’t be for everyone. It is brutal, bordering on the sadistically macabre, but its visceral harshness is tempered by the quality of the writing. I said of the author’s earlier work, The Last King of California, that it was written so sensitively that you almost become immune to the violent world within which the story is set and A Violent Masterpiece is another excellent example of the author’s skill.

This is a striking crime story told through the eyes of three main characters who gradually coalesce into a group who are fighting against the high and mighty and ‘have-it-all’s of Los Angeles, whose appetites know no bounds and for whom the boundaries of legality don’t apply. Individually, they each take on a seemingly unrelated assignment, until gradually the stumble onto a conspiracy woven into the centre of LA's most powerful, sadistic and depraved men & women, who in an Epstein-esque manner regard themselves "The Kids in the Candy Store.", untouchable, unrelenting and unnerving in their cravings.

Doug Gibson is a Lincoln Lawyer style street lawyer, but without the same moral compass. He sells his skills to the most desperate of criminal clients on the promise that he will fight clean and dirty for them and maybe, just possibly and with good fortune, he might get them some justice.

When Doug is hired by a suspected high-profile Hollywood paedophile his first question is why the client wants to hire him of all people, but when he uncovers that his potential new client is willing to sell out his friends for a chance for freedom, and therefore can’t accept the assistance of his usual entourages legal guardians, Doug determines that this may his chance to step up to the big-leagues.

Jake Deal is a blogger / vlogger appealing to the true crime aficionados who prefer their true crime in real time. He’s the Creepy-Crawler who broadcasts from the crime scenes to the morbidly blood-thirsty who get their kicks from Jake’s illicit descriptions, photos and videos of a city in chaos. However, he is incredibly skilled in finding the dirt and has no qualms in giving his public what they crave, for a price.

When Jake is approached by a secret contact to provide blackmail grade dirt on a series of upper echelon entities, he sees the payday he has been waiting for and agrees immediately, but unbeknown to his secretive employer, Jake also determines to identify their identity and motivation.

Kara Delgado is a fixer / arranger for an elite social events organiser, that describes itself as a make-a-wish foundation for the terminally rich! Their parties cater for all appetites; the more perverse and outlandish, the more normal they seem to the clientele with all nature of drug needs and sexual proclivities catered for. Kara is becoming sickened with the ‘no rules - only prices’ façade of the rich and famous, but she can’t see a way out.

Kara’s best friend Phoebe has gone missing, and Kara's the only person who knows that Phoebe's place was wiped clean of evidence by a team of subversive men in black rubber gloves, who’s instructions are to clean the apartment ‘down to the bone’! When Kara begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to Phoebe, and its connection to the serial killer known as the LA Ripper, it will drag her into the dark heart of the city.

When the LA Ripper who is on the loose is added into the mix as well as leaving tragic, graphic and brutal crime scenes in his wake the three characters are forged together by a common goal. Find the truth, hope for justice and at all costs – stay alive.

The story plunges you into a society knowing no bounds. Every desire is available if you have enough money. Any form of morality is noticeably absent.

The writing is gritty and sometimes graphic, but as I’ve said the quality of the writing and the superb storyline helps assuage you of any feeling that it is gratuitous. This is not a story for the faint hearted but is a rewarding read, nonetheless. If you are familiar with S. A. Cosby, Dennis Lehane or Don Winslow, then you may be familiar with the dark ‘noir’ genre and Harper is firmly establishing himself within their ranks.

The use of colloquialisms and drug slang can take a little getting used to and a couple of times I resorted to google to translate the meaning of some phrases, but once you are acclimatised then the writing is irresistible, the plot is propulsive and turning the next page becomes compulsive.

As we head towards the end of April, I have no doubt that this book will be in my top five books of the year, probably the top three. Read it if you dare. You won’t regret it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

Jordan Harper’s new novel is a nihilistic, all too recognisable novel of the darkest Hollywood crimes.
Centering around three main characters- Jake Deal. A live streaming crime nightcrawler, Doug Gibson; a street lawyer hired to represent a Hollywood paedophile, and Karla Delgarda; a hostess at the most depraved private functions, the novel follows them as truly disturbing events bring them together.
The author says in his notes the novel was largely completed before ICE began its occupation of Los Angeles, but it feels as if it could have been written at any point over recent months.
The author also thanks James Ellroy for ‘carving the path’ and reading it, with its fictionalised version of all too recognisable celebrities (the jailed paedophile, the Hollywood hunk obsessed with cannibalism to mention just two), violent descriptions and ‘no one is safe’ vibes, it’s a worthy follower of that path.
Written in the historic presence, it’s not a quick read: the story and its telling is one which takes some getting through, but in the best possible way.