Customer Reviews

Because the Night

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Second novel of the Lloyd Hopkins saga, BECAUSE OF THE NIGHT has been published in 1984. Like in BLOOD ON THE MOON, James Ellroy has adopted in this book two points of view, Lloyd's and John Havilland's, the killer.

Even if the twists of BECAUSE OF THE NIGHT are highly improbable, the novel still stays as intense as it was when I first read it seventeen years ago (gasp!). Ellroy was then one of the first writers to introduce serial killers in his books and was already a master in describing the psychology of his characters.

What strikes me the most now is the evident relation between the mad psychiatrist Havilland and the writer Ellroy. The symptoms of Havilland's madness are very similar to the creative process of the writer. Havilland tries to recreate traumatic scenes of his childhood by directing "live" the poor souls that have fallen in his trap. How not to recognize here the endless efforts of James Ellroy in order to exorcize his mother's murder books after books ?

So if you have the curiosity to go beyond the main argument of BECAUSE OF THE NIGHT, you will soon find out that this book is not only a unique opportunity given to the reader to analyze Lloyd Hopkins thanks John Havilland's psychological skill but is also a terrifying trip through James Ellroy's own obsessions.

A book to rediscover.

This is a pretty decent mystery, but not nearly as engaging as Ellroy's other works. If you enjoy Ellroy's writing, then by all means, read it, but if you're just getting acquainted with him and want a recommendation, then skip to the L.A. Quartet novels... Then if you find that you enjoy Ellroy's style, you can come back to this one later. As an aside, I've put up a James Ellroy message board which you can visit via Inside the Web. Please visit if you're an Ellroy fan!

Sometimes a story is only as good as its villan, and in "Because the Night" the villan is totally unbelievable: A renowned criminal psychiatrist, who is also a psychotic, a talented thief, a drug dealer and a cult leader/manipulator. His motive: the acquisition of data? Please.

I still enjoyed Hopkins as a character, but the whole premis of the book was strained, and there was no opportunity for the main character to really shine. Overall, a weak sister to Ellroy's other Hopkins stories, which are in turn pale comparisons to his other works like "LA Confidential" and "Black Dahlia."

If you like crime novels and you haven't read any Ellroy yet (what were you waiting for?)you will probably enjoy this book. If you have already read the LA Quartet or the American tabloid series then you will find this book is not in the same league: the plot is less coherent, a bit naif sometimes. In any case Ellroy will always be far ahead its rivals. And the language is almost as tough as usual.

Probably not the best Ellroy's novel, but certainly you won't have the suspicion of having lose your time. You can't give up reading

The movie version of this came out long before the book..."Plan 9 from Outer Space". It's the story of a hard-boiled cop versus killer zombies led by a brilliant, but insane, psychiatrist. Unlike most of his other books, Ellroy reveals who the bad guy is up-front and makes him a major character. This works pretty well and surprises then come from the supporting cast. However, the dialog is not as crisp as his later books, which I would recommend over this one

As taut as it is disturbing, Ellroy's detective Lloyd Hopkins emerges as the most fascinating fictional policeman of our time. The best of the Hopkins trilogy, also the darkest, sickest, and most twisted, but impossible to forget. I'd love to see the great James Woods reprise his role for this story, which is far superior to the book the movie "Cop" (with Woods as Hopkins) was based on. "Because the Night" is nothing short of a masterwork.

I once heard a bastardization of a Truman Capote comment: "Writers go through three phases: Learning their craft, writing their best work and typing for money. Try to avoid the first and third." I read Ellroy's LA Quartet first, and would recommend White Jazz, LA Confidential, American Tabloid and the Big Nowhere to anyone; all were 9s or 10s. All were written at Ellroy's peak.

This book was a disappointment in the extreme; it was fairly mechanical; I couldn't even get through it. Rather than this book, look at his aforementioned novels; you won't get better noir writing.

This early work of Ellroy's shows the tremendous talent that will blossom in later novels like The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, Black Dahlia, and even his first novel Clandestine shows even more early brillance than what is served up here is Because The Night, a must for Ellroy buffs, but if you are new or just being introduced to James Ellroy start off with Clandestine!

Ellroy is clearly an intellectual writer. His vocabulary, his grasp of psychological profiles and various references to culture all speak to that. His writing is blunt and honest--no touchy-feely here, and that adds impact to the novel. He crafts a solid story, that is, he remembers where he's going and where he's been (might seem obvious but lots of modern writers fail in this area). And in Hopkins he crafts an intriguing protagonist.

The biggest problem here is the contrived plot. It's as if Ellroy tried way too hard when he didn't need to--his authorial skills don't require an over-the-top storyline. At times it goes so far as to feel like it's a script for an Austin Powers movie. Just as bad as the contrivance is the motivations for the antagonist and the flock of idiots who follow him. But the clincher for me was how Hopkins finally sees it all at once, going from not even a suspicion to a complete understanding of all that has happened.

Another issue for me is the decision to use two points-of-view. Of course this is a very common approach by writers and with some, like Stephen King, the antagonist's POV is what draws you in. I would argue that for every novel it enhances, it detracts from several more. There is only one mystery here, and that is, how will the showdown come. We know Hopkins is a serial character and that Ellroy won't kill him off, so the suspense is completely absent. Try to imagine this book if we are only in Hopkins head and it improves instantly. I know it's fun to explore the psyche of serial killers but that should be weighed against keeping the reader titillated.