' A] fiendish, gorgeously written descent into hell. . .This is the noir novel for our times.' --The New York Times This epic crime novel tells a story of Los Angeles power brokers and those at the edge--and a single shattering incident that threatens to bring it all crashing down. Los Angeles, right now. America with its back up against the wall. This Frankenstein's monster of crimes and lurid dreams sewn together into something like a city. A city ready to explode: A Hollywood pedophile is arrested, and is ready to tear down the city to get his freedom. A young woman goes missing--and men in black rubber gloves who look like cops clean out her apartment in the middle of the night. And the serial killer known as the LA Ripper is on the loose, leaving tragic/graphic/brutal crime scenes in his wake. Three people trying to keep their heads above the dirty water will find themselves coming together to unite these strands into one enormous, unspeakable crime ... Jake Deal is a gonzo