THE LATEST: In an interview given to an Italian journalist to promote Destination Morgue, Ellroy indicated Police Gazette will likely conclude with the death of J. Edgar Hoover, further underscoring Ellroy's often stated determination to steer clear of Watergate.... Latest word as of January 2006 is that we can expect publication during Spring 2007....
SUMMARY:
The sequel to "American Tabloid" & "The Cold Six Thousand"; the concluding volume of "The Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy." Said by Ellroy to span the years 1968-1973, encompassing Vietnam, the death of J. Edgar Hoover and the reign of President Richard M. Nixon. Ellroy also intimates we will "learn who really killed Sonny Liston." The novel, like "American Tabloid" and "The Cold Six Thousand," will be structured around a trio of central characters including the returning Wayne Tedrow Jr. From a page-count standpoint, Ellroy also vows the book will be the longest of the trilogy.
ELLROY ON VOLUME 3:
Ellroy commented on the scope of volume 3 several times during his tour to promote volume 2, "The Cold Six Thousand." When asked if he still saw his 'Underworld U.S.A.' opus as a trilogy, Ellroy responded positively: "'American Tabloid' is the first volume of my 'Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy.' 'The Cold Six Thousand' is my second. I will soon begin work on the epic third volume — a ghastly tale of political malfeasance and imperialistic bad juju from 1968-1972."
Ellroy also affirmed his determination to steer clear of Watergate: "'The Cold Six Thousand' is the second volume of a projected trilogy...and covers the matrix of American politics and crime from 1963 to 1968; the first, 'American Tabloid,' covers 1958 to 1963; a third will proceed to 1972. You can see exactly where the story's going: the '68 election, the Mob's foreign casino plan, Nixon in office, all that. I'll stop short of Watergate, because Watergate bores me." Ellroy also told interviewer Robert Birnbaum, "It's (Watergate’s) been done to death. And most of the characters are still alive; thus you can't use them fictionally."
The Times elicited a terse statement regarding volume 3: Ellroy stressed the capstone would focus on Latin-American imperialism under Richard Nixon's direction.
L.A. Weekly reported Ellroy intended to commence work on the concluding volume in July 2001, when his U.S. book tour wrapped.
POINTS:
Amazon U.K. was erroneously listing the book and projecting a release date of 2003. In May 2001, Ellroy was projecting a completion date of three- to three-and-a-half years. In January 2006, Ellroy indicated the book was more than a year away.
STRANGE FACT:
In an effort to provide title continuity between novels, Ellroy's editor in France is renaming the subsequent novels in the trilogy to echo "American Tabloid." "The Cold Six Thousand" is titled "American Death Trip" in France. "Police Gazette" will be published as "American Madness" there.
