American Tabloid

novel by Ellroy

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July 17, 2026

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American Tabloid is a 1995 novel by James Ellroy, part of his Underworld U.S.A. trilogy. The novel fictionalizes the years 1958–1963, culminating in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Ellroy is known for his crime and detective novels that explore dark periods of American history, particularly police corruption in Los Angeles. His writing is often influenced by personal tragedy, including the unsolved murder of his mother when he was a child. The term "tabloid" itself refers to a style of journalism that is largely sensationalistic and condensed, originating from a compressed pharmaceutical product.123

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James Ellroy
trilogy, American Tabloid (1995), which treats the years 1958–63, ending with the assassination of U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy. Its sequel, The Cold Six Thousand (2001), covers the turbulent years between the president’s assassination and that of his brother Robert in 1968. The final volume of…
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trilogy, American Tabloid (1995), which treats the years 1958–63, ending with the assassination of U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy. Its sequel, The Cold Six Thousand (2001), covers the turbulent years between the president’s assassination and that of his brother Robert in 1968. The final volume of…
Read More