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Ray Celestin

Ray Celestin Author Website

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Sunset Swing – Bibliography

Below is a selection of books I read as part of my research which most influenced Sunset Swing. I’m sure there are a few others I’ve forgotten about. There were also countless newspaper articles, magazine features, websites and blogs which I haven’t included either.

Los Angeles
Eve’s Hollywood – Eve Babitz
Ecology of Fear – Mike Davis
Set The Night on Fire – Mike Davis
Slouching Towards Bethlehem – Joan Didion
The White Album – Joan Didion
Cambridge Companion to the LA Literature – Kevin McNamara, et al.
LA: The Ultimate City – Christopher Rand
Golden Dreams – Kevin Starr

Crime
Helter Skelter – Vincent Bugliosi
LA Noir – John Buntin
The Last Mafioso – Ovid Demaris
Dark Victory – Dan E. Moldea
Decade of Nightmares – Philip Jenkins
American Mafia – Thomas Reppetto
Supermob – Gus Russo
90 Church Street – Dean Unkefer
The Strength of The Wolf – Douglas Valentine
The Badge – Jack Webb

Music
Ruthless – Jerry Heller
Straight Life – Art and Laurie Pepper
Funny Valentine – Matthew Ruddick
Pops – Terry Teachout

Vietnam
When I Die I’m Going to Heaven – Barbara Kautz
Women At War – Elisabeth Norman

Novels
Revolt of the Cockroach People – Oscar Acosta
Tortilla Curtain – TC Boyle
Play It as It Lays – Joan Didion
American Tabloid – James Ellroy
The Cold Six Thousand – James Ellroy
Zeroville – Steven Erikson
The Nowhere City – Alison Lurie
Underground Man – Ross Macdonald

Poetry
Hold-Outs: The Los Angeles Poetry Renaissance – Bill Mohr
Poetry Loves Poetry – Bill Mohr
The Long Take – Robin Robertson

Short story
Red Wind – Raymond Chandler

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Recent Posts

  • Sunset Swing Shortlisted for the Gold Dagger and the Historical Dagger by the CWA
  • Newsletter – Sunset Swing – New Publication Date
  • Newsletter – August 2021
  • Newsletter – February 2021
  • ‘The Mobster’s Lament’ is one of The i Newspaper’s Books of the Year.

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Dead Man's Blues Review 1
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