James Ellroy was born in Los Angeles in 1948. His L.A. Quartet novels - The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential and White Jazz were international bestsellers. His novel American Tabloid was Time magazine's Best Book (fiction) of 1995; his memoir, My Dark Places, was Time magazine's Best Book and New York Times notable book for 1996. He lives in Kansas City.