My Dark Places is an intense journey into the life of James Ellroy, one of America's most uncompromising crime writers. This riveting memoir delves into the unresolved mystery of his mother's murder in 1958, when her body was found in a seedy suburb of L.A.

Ellroy was only ten years old when his mother died, and he spent the next thirty-six years haunted by her ghost and attempting to exorcize it through crime fiction. In 1994, he decided to confront his past and uncover the truth about his mother—and himself.

Teaming up with a brilliant homicide detective, Ellroy embarks on an epic quest for redemption, exploring themes of loss, fixation, and the dark underbelly of American society. This book is not only a personal journey but also a vivid exploration of the American way of violence.