A Bright and Guilty Place

A Bright and Guilty Place (2009) by Richard Rayner. This book's subtitle is "Murder, Corruption, and L.A.'s Scandalous Coming of Age." Set in the 1920s and '30s, it tells the story of the "L.A. System," a system of graft and corruption that rivaled anything going on elsewhere in the country. The book gets really interesting toward the end, when it describes the trial of Dave Clark, a former prosecutor, for murder. The other character who is focused on is Leslie White, an investigator for the D.A.'s office who becomes a professional writer. It's a fairly interesting book, but is written in less than riveting fashion. It's extremely well researched and sourced, with sources, bibliography and index at the end. Grade: B