An American thriller
An American thriller (original title: American Tabloid ) is a novel by James Ellroy from 1995 and the predecessor of the seamlessly subsequent novel An American Nightmare .
action
In American Tabloid it comes to the criminal entanglements of the US Mafia , government, FBI and CIA . The story starts exactly five years before the assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy and ends immediately before the fatal shots. The main characters are the crude Pete Bondurant, the elegant FBI agent Kemper Boyd and the initially idealistic FBI agent Ward Littel.
The reader learns why the attack on Cuba ( Bay of Pigs ) failed, as did JFK to his wives, and why J. Edgar Hoover , the Communists hated, but in the Mafia turned a blind eye.
Despite the historical facts, names and events used, the actual novel plot is pure fiction.
“What I set out to do was destroy the Kennedy myth. The very myth that says that America was pure innocence before he died, that his death prevented us from entering a golden new age. What a crap."
main characters
Pete Bondurant : a French-Canadian ex-police officer, Hollywood insider, contract killer with Mafia contacts and bodyguard of Howard Hughes .
- He bears a fleeting resemblance to Fred Otash and Robert Maheu .
Kemper Boyd : an FBI agent hired by J. Edgar Hoover to infiltrate the Kennedy Organization. This leads to contacts with the CIA, which in turn uses him to promote an anti-Castro policy with President Kennedy. At the same time he is organizing a collaboration between the Cosa Nostra and the CIA on the Cuban cause. He falls in love with Laura Hughes, the secret daughter of Gloria Swanson and Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., half-sister of the Kennedy brothers.
- Boyd also bears a resemblance to Robert Maheu , a close friend of the Kennedy brothers and former FBI agent who has been implicated in the plot to murder Fidel Castro and the JFK assassination attempt.
Ward Littell : an FBI agent who secretly investigates organized crime despite instructions to the contrary. After he is released by the FBI, he switches sides and works as a lawyer for the Mafia.
Minor characters
The minor characters consist of both fictional and historical people:
J. Edgar Hoover : Director and Founder of the FBI. He plans a personal campaign of revenge against the Kennedys.
John F. Kennedy : Senator from Massachusetts, presidential candidate and later President of the United States of America. Member of the McClellan Committee charged with investigating organized crime.
Robert F. Kennedy : Special Adviser to the McClellan Committee and appointed US Attorney General by his brother.
Joseph P. Kennedy : Father of the Kennedy brothers, who madea fortune in the illegal alcohol businessduring Prohibition . Heloaned millions of dollars to the Mafiathrough the Teamsters Pension Fund.
Jimmy Hoffa : President of the Teamsters Union. Hoffa has close ties to organized crime and is involved in the Teamsters Pension Fund lending to the Mafia.
Howard Hughes : Withdrawn, eccentric and mentally disturbed, Hughes plans to take over the Mafia casinos in Las Vegas to create a "sterile environment" for his area.
Guy Banister : ex-FBI agent connected to the CIA. Banister is involved in building a militia made up of anti-communist Cuban refugees (called the Blessington Kader ).
John Stanton : Banister's contact on the CIA side.
Lenny Sands : A nightclub cabaret artist and singer with Mafia connections, Littell uses him as an informant.
Jack Ruby : Dallas nightclub owner with ties to organized crime who later murders the alleged murderer John F. Kennedy.
Jules Schiffrin : Mafia accountant, keeps the "real" books of the Teamster Pension Fund .
Chuck Rogers : Ex-CIA agent and pilot who joins the Blessington cadre.
Laura Hughes : illegitimate daughter of Joe Kennedy and Gloria Swanson.
Helen Agee : friend of Ward Littell's daughter who falls in love with Littell.
Barb Jahelka : nightclub singer and decoy in extortion crimes .
Nestor Chasco : An anti-Castro member of the Blessington squad.
Other historical figures include Sam Giancana , Carlos Marcello , Santo Trafficante, Jr. , John Roselli , Peter Lawford , Frank Sinatra, and JD Tippit .
Data
- ISBN 3-455-01790-8
- Year of publication 1995
- English original title: American Tabloid
- 637 pages in the paperback
- Best Fictional Book by TIME magazine in 1995