It begins on November 22, 1963, minutes after the John F. Kennedy assassination in Dallas, Texas, and continues for roughly five years. It is the sequel to Ellroy's American Tabloid, and continues many of the first novel's characters and plotlines. Specifically, it follows three rogue American law-enforcement officials and their involvement in the JFK cover-up, the Vietnam War, the Mafia, and the racial strife of the 1960s.
Spoilers follow
Ward Littell, former FBI agent and Robert Kennedy worshiper turned high-powered Mafia lawyer, arrives in Dallas with J. Edgar Hoover's blessing to "manage" the investigation and ensure a consenus: Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. He will go on to battle alcoholism, self-hatred, and his own liberal tendencies as he amasses a fortune for the Mob.
Pete Bondurant, Littell's best friend and partner, is a Mob soldier and veteran of the CIA-Mafia war against Fidel Castro. His thirst for cash is unslaked, leading him to Vietnam, Las Vegas, and the American South on jobs for the "Boys" - even as his new wife begs him to retire.
Wayne Tedrow Jr., Army veterans, chemist, and Las Vegas cop, is conflicted when the Las Vegas Mob pays him six-thousand to fly to Dallas and kill a black pimp. The son of a hate-tract publisher who has vowed not to wallow in his father's prejudices, he will be haunted by the decision he makes in Dallas.
Ellroy has stated in interviews that he is working on the sequel, currently titled Police Gazette. It is tentatively scheduled for 2005.