American Tabloid

Infobox Book |
name = American Tabloid
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = 1997 Ballantine Books paperback cover
author = James Ellroy
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = American Underworld Trilogy
genre = Crime novel
publisher = Alfred A. Knopf
release_date = February 14, 1995
media_type = Print (Hardcover)
pages =
isbn = ISBN 0-679-40391-4 (first edition, hardback)
preceded_by =
followed_by = The Cold Six Thousand

"American Tabloid" is a 1995 novel by James Ellroy. It was "Time" magazine's Best Book (Fiction) for that year. It is the first novel of a three-part series entitled "Underworld USA"

Plot introduction

The story begins on November 22, 1958 and describes five years of American history. The main plot follows three rogue American law enforcement officers and their involvement in the John F. Kennedy assassination.

Kemper Boyd is an FBI agent personally selected by Director J. Edgar Hoover to infiltrate the staff of Hoover's personal nemeses, Senator John F. Kennedy and his younger brother Robert. Ward Littell is Boyd's friend and former partner who spies on socialists and hates the Mafia. Pete Bondurant, a former Los Angeles Sheriff's deputy and billionaire Howard Hughes's current bodyguard, joins the CIA for its secret campaign against Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. The failed Bay of Pigs invasion turns all three men against President Kennedy and fuels the conspiracy to kill him.

The historical cast also features Sam Giancana, Carlos Marcello, Jack Ruby, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., Guy Banister, Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, and Jimmy Hoffa. It is followed by a sequel, "The Cold Six Thousand", and a third and final chapter to the series (working title Blood's a Rover) is awaiting release.

Plot summary

"American Tabloid" has a very stylised and deliberate structure. It is exactly one hundred chapters long (many are less than a page in length) and the story covers exactly five years. The book is also divided into five sections, but these do not correspond exactly to years. There is no introduction or epilogue.

All chapters begin with:

* The number of the chapter.
* The location of the action's beginning, usually the name of the city.
* The date of the action's beginning, as expressed in the American style: MM/DD/YYYY.

The action of the book is completely sequential, as the dates indicate. Flashbacks occur, but only in the present tense memory of the protagonists.

The five sections, or "books" are:

*Part I, SHAKEDOWNS, November-December 1958 The title of this "book" most directly refers to the attempt taken by the protagonists to entrap Senator John F. Kennedy with a call girl. It also refers to the current career path of Pete Bondurant, who entraps married men with prostitutes for purposes of extortion. Like all the titles, it can also have deeper, more implacatory meanings that come with a more thorough reading of the text

This "book" acts as an introductory passage; it covers only a short period of time (just 26 days), the characters are introduced, and their relationships and future career trajectories are established.

*Part II, COLLUSION, January 1959-January 1961 The title most directly refers to the collaboration between the CIA and the Cosa Nostra in the struggle to free Cuba. There are, however, many other instances of collusion, both legal and personal, throughout.

At more than twice the length of any other "book", COLLUSION, is by far the longest passage in the novel. It begins on the date that Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba, and it ends on the date that John Kennedy is inaugurated as President of the United States.

*Part III, PIGS, February-November 1961 "Pigs", of course is the nickname given to the landing site of the CIA sponsored exile "liberation" invasion of Cuba, which came to the world's attention as "The Bay of Pigs Invasion". Also, the word is a common pejorative for policemen. Also, pigs are the symbol for imperialism and oppression in George Orwell's "Animal Farm".

The failed "Bay of Pigs" invasion is a central event of the novel, one in which major protagonists sow the seeds of their own downfall.

*Part IV, HEROIN, December 1961-September 1963 Through the novel, heroin has been used as a form of currency. By dealing and selling the drug, major protagonists are able to raise money to fund various causes, most specifically, the organising of the exile army for the invasion of Cuba. After the invasion's failure, which has cost the protagonists dearly, they decide to recoup their losses by stealing a quantity of heroin that is being sold from inside Cuba to sources in Miami. They do this but are eventually caught, incurring the wrath of their superiors, who are then able to coerce the protagonist's participation in the book's dénouement.

This "book", while short, covers a period of two years. Many intervals of time, sometimes months, are skipped over in the space of a page with no details of ensuing events. These gaps are later filled in by the present-tense memories of the protagonists.

*Part V, CONTRACT, September-November 1963 A contract can be simply defined as an agreement reached by two or more parties. In this instance, however, it most directly refers to its more sinister, colloquial definition: an agreement to commit murder for compensation.

The protagonists are involved in such a contract. The book's final page sees its fulfilment.

Characters in "American Tabloid"

Pete Bondurant. AKA Frenchman Pete, AKA The Shakedown King. One of the book's three major protagonists. A French-Canadian, ex-law enforcement, Hollywood insider, organised-crime associate and bodyguard for Howard Hughes.

"Resemblances":Bondurant bears superficial resemblances to historical figures Fred Otash, (so-called "private-eye to the stars",) and Robert Maheu, (who worked for both Hughes and Jimmy Hoffa during the time frame depicted in the book). He also bears resemblances to earlier Ellroy creation, Buzz Meeks, another Hughes bodyguard, who appeared in "The Big Nowhere", "L.A. Confidential" and the short-story "Since I Don't Have You", ("Hollywood Nocturnes").

"Other Appearances":Bondurant first appears in "White Jazz" as a secondary character who only superficially resembles the character who appears in "American Tabloid". There is a time-frame overlap between the two books which leads to some inconsistencies, such as that regarding the deteriorating mental state of his employer, Howard Hughes. Bondurant's reappearance as a main protagonist of "American Tabloid" is consistent with Ellroy's practice of reviving characters from previous books. He also is a main character of "The Cold Six Thousand".

"Story Arc":Like the other protagonists, Bondurant experiences during the Bay of Pigs invasion, the book's approximate mid-point. At the beginning of the novel he is a ruthless killer but he is bored with his life. He relocates from Los Angeles to Miami to become involved in the Cuban "Cause". His chief motive in this is money and, although his political views are dismissed by hardline anti-communists as "unenlightened", he is committed and loyal to the cause. When the invasion has failed, his commitment begins to take the form of obsession and he begins to exercise dangerously poor judgement. He undertakes rogue actions that earn the extreme displeasure of his equally ruthless employers, but his life is spared as he remains a useful resource to them. His chief characteristic in the second half of the novel is a deep gnawing fear.

Kemper Boyd is an FBI agent who, in 1958, is recruited by J. Edgar Hoover to infiltrate the Kennedy organisation. This assignment leads to his also gaining CIA contract employment to influence the future President Kennedy to take an anti-Castro stance in his Cuban policy. This further leads to him organising the collaboration between the "Cosa Nostra" and the CIA in the Cuban cause. He falls in love with a beautiful woman, Laura Hughes; Laura is the (allegedly, in the book) hidden daughter of Gloria Swanson and Joseph P. Kennedy, half sister of the Kennedy brothers.

"Resemblances":Although Boyd may not be modelled on any specific historical figure, he bears an historical resemblance to "Frank Sinatra", who was known as a Kennedy insider prior to the Kennedy Presidency. He procures women for JFK during the 1960 election campaign and is instrumental in convincing Cosa Nostra figures to give their support to the Kennedys. He also bears resemblance to "David Klein", the protagonist of "White Jazz", in that he is a dashing and charming rogue cop who is brutally humbled by the consequences of his actions.

"Other appearances":Boyd is a distinctive creation in that he appears only in one novel. He is mentioned in "The Cold Six Thousand" by name only. In this he also resembles David Klein, who appears only in "White Jazz" but is mentioned by name in "Tabloid".

"Story Arc":In the first half of the novel, Boyd can be fairly described as charming but shallow. He is motivated mostly by money and his own sense of bravado. He takes heedless risks and conducts himself with such flair that he captivates those around him, allowing him to generate an extremely complex system of alliances and loyalties. This leads him to "overextend" his capacities. During the Bay of Pigs time-frame, he receives a gunshot wound in the shoulder, and this, coupled with the drugs he is administered during convalescence, seems to be the underlying cause of his apostasy. In the second half of the novel, he is no longer primarily concerned with appearances and his own sense of invincibility, and he purses his objectives with a doggedness that borders on zeal. Most tellingly, he begins to show an egalitarian streak, prompting him to protect, defend and avenge those who are traditionally oppressed. This change, however, is not enough to prevent him being destroyed by the actions he took in the first half of the novel.

Ward Littell is an FBI agent clandestinely investigating organised crime activity in direct defiance of his employer. He is punished for his treachery and dismissed from the FBI but secures employment as a "Mob" Lawyer and wins his way back into his employer's good graces.

"Other appearances":Littell appears as a protagonist in "The Cold Six Thousand".

"Story Arc":At the outset, Littell is the classic underdog: victimised, unappreciated and lonely. Although he is perceived as "weak" and "cowardly" by many, those who know him best consider him courageous and bold, but untested. He has a weakness for alcohol that inhibits his abilities. When he investigates organised crime activity he frequently witnesses extreme acts of brutality, and this enables him to find inner strength and a taste for danger. At the mid-point of the book, when things seem most hopeless for him, he acquires a means to hurt his enemies that indicates a turnaround in his fortunes. During the Bay of Pigs, he experiences an apostasy that causes him to reverse his former loyalties, working close with his former enemies and against his former friends. His fortunes increase throughout the second half of the novel until he has reached a considerable position of influence and power, although he remains compromised by his beliefs.

econdary characters

Mad Sal D'Onofrio, may have been based on the real life "Mad Sam" DeStefano.

Release details

*1995, USA, Alfred A Knopf (ISBN 0-679-40391-4), Pub date ? February 1995, hardback (First edition)
*1995, UK, Century (ISBN 0-7126-4816-X), Pub date 5 January 1995, hardback
*1995, UK, Arrow books (ISBN 0-09-989320-7), Pub date 7 September 1995, paperback
*2001, USA, Vintage Books (ISBN 0-375-72737-X), Pub date ? May 2001, paperback