Blood's a Rover

Infobox Book |
name = Blood's a Rover
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = James Ellroy
country = United States
language = English
series = American Underworld Trilogy
genre = Crime novel
publisher = Alfred A. Knopf
release_date = Fall, 2009
media_type = Print (Hardback)
pages =
isbn =
preceded_by = The Cold Six Thousand

"Blood's a Rover" is a 2009 crime fiction novel by James Ellroy. It is the sequel to "American Tabloid" and "The Cold Six Thousand" and the final volume in the American Underworld Trilogy. According to Ellroy's literary agent, the book is due to be published in Fall, 2009 [ [http://www.sobelweber.com/authors/jamesEllroy.html Sobel Weber Featured Books: Blood's a Rover] ] . The title is taken from a poem titled "Reveille" by A.E. Housman: [ [http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/housm02.html Poets' Corner - A.E. Housman - A Shropshire Lad ] ]

Clay lies still, but blood's a rover;
Breath's a ware that will not keep.
Up, lad; when the journey's over
There'll be time enough for sleep.

Plot introduction

"Blood's a Rover" will span the years 1968 to 1972, encompassing Vietnam, the death of J. Edgar Hoover, and the presidency of Richard Nixon. In December 2007, Ellroy said two women, named Kathy and Joan, would play central roles in the novel [ [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ellroysworld/message/304 Yahoo! Groups ] ] . In 2006, Ellroy had said the book would be structured around a trio of male protagonists (one of which would be the returning Wayne Tedrow Jr.). It is unknown whether Kathy and Joan will supplant Ellroy's original plan [ [http://crimespace.ning.com/profile/bkjanolaf Bernd Kochanowski's Page - CrimeSpace ] ] .

Ellroy's literary agency, Sobel Weber Associates, posted a brief blurb for "Blood's a Rover" on their website in Septemeber 2008. It mentions the novel's three protagonists - two rogue cops and a kid private eye - and briefly outlines some of the novel's major plot points. These include the reappearance of Howard Hughes and J. Edgar Hoover, an FBI infiltration into militant black power groups, Mob activity in the Dominican Republic, and "voodoo vibe in Haiti". [ [http://www.sobelweber.com/authors/jamesEllroy.html Sobel Weber Featured Books: Blood's a Rover] ]

Ellroy's agent has said the outline for the novel was some four hundred pages long, compared to three hundred for American Tabloid, suggesting that this will be the longest novel in the trilogy. [ [http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2008/06/stuart-nevilles-celebrate-reading-pick.html Editorial Ass] ]

Ellroy on "Blood's a Rover"

The novel, like "American Tabloid" and "The Cold Six Thousand", will be structured around a trio of central characters. Ellroy also said the book will be the longest of the trilogy.

Ellroy commented on the scope of "Blood's a Rover" several times during his tour to promote "The Cold Six Thousand". When asked if he still saw his American Underworld opus as a trilogy, Ellroy responded, "American Tabloid" is the first volume of my Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy. "The Cold Six Thousand" is my second. I will soon begin work on the epic third volume, a ghastly tale of political malfeasance and imperialistic bad juju from 1968 to 1972."

Ellroy said he would steer clear of the Watergate scandal: "The Cold Six Thousand" is the second volume of a projected trilogy...and covers the matrix of American politics and crime from 1963 to 1968; the first, "American Tabloid", covers 1958 to 1963; a third will proceed to 1972. You can see exactly where the story's going: the '68 election, the Mob's foreign casino plan, Nixon in office, all that. I'll stop short of Watergate, because Watergate bores me." Ellroy also told interviewer Robert Birnbaum, "It's [Watergate’s] been done to death. And most of the characters are still alive; thus you can't use them fictionally." [ [http://www.modestyarbor.com/policegazette.html James Ellroy: Police Gazette ] ]

"The Times" elicited a terse statement regarding the third novel. Ellroy stressed that the capstone would focus on Latin-American imperialism under Richard Nixon's direction.Fact|date=January 2008

Footnotes