A word to the wise: Before picking up Jordan Harper's latest thriller, you're going to want to clear some room on your calendar. It's a propulsive, driving read, despite the recurring theme of getting caught in traffic at the worst possible moments.

This is Los Angeles, after all, and A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE is very much an LA novel. Each of its chapters --- written from the point of view of one of three characters --- is subtitled with the name of the LA neighborhood or neighborhoods where the action takes place. And despite the traffic, these people get around, traversing the city's various socioeconomic strata --- from those who are easily displaced to those who have enough power and wealth that they can't possibly be budged from the pinnacle of society, no matter how shockingly bad their behavior.

"A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE is, as the title suggests, not for the faint of heart.... Fans of intricately plotted crime noir are not going to want to miss this one. In his fourth novel, Harper just keeps getting better."

One of those people is Eric Algar, a TV producer whose penchant for pedophilia has been an open secret for years. He finally (and somewhat shockingly) has landed in jail and has requested to be represented by Doug Gibson, a defense lawyer who advertises his services on billboards and bus stops and whose clients tend to be those on the fringes of society --- from undocumented immigrants to small-time criminals busted for drug crimes. During his initial meeting with his new client, Algar hints that he has been collecting damning information on the sick crimes secretly committed by a vast network of Hollywood's elite, and he's ready to spill the beans. But then he turns up dead in his jail cell.

Jake Deal used to work for a Hollywood gossip site and is now a professional live streamer who feeds the followers of “The Creepy Crawl” with graphic crime-scene footage and tours of murder sites. Lately, he and his followers have become increasingly interested in a potential serial killer popularly known as the LA Ripper. A number of young women who share certain physical characteristics have been murdered in their homes. Even if the LAPD isn't officially calling their deaths the work of a serial killer, the Creepy Crawlers are convinced otherwise. 

Kara Delgado is also interested in the LA Ripper, but the quest is personal for her. A few months ago, Kara’s best friend, Phoebe, vanished, and she has evidence that her disappearance came as the result of a shady security company's "deep clean" after a violent crime. Phoebe, who worked with Kara at an elite concierge service tasked with getting the uber wealthy everything from illicit drugs to sex workers, looked much like the Ripper's other victims. But as far as the LAPD is concerned, she might as well never have existed. Kara is determined not to let her be forgotten.

The three narratives gradually converge and then collide, as each person utilizes his or her own connections and perspectives to get to the bottom of the rot at the core of LA's Hollywood elite. And that bottom is deep and dark indeed. As one character says, “The weapon is the true American art form. The revolver, the machine gun, the nuclear bomb --- all of them invented by American men. We are descended from geniuses of death. This country is a violent masterpiece. It can never be anything else." 

As these characters come closer to understanding the extent of the depravity at the heart of the novel, the question arises: Is it possible, when it comes to men like this, to mete out justice without resorting to violence? The answer, in Harper's dark vision, is a firm no. 

A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE is, as the title suggests, not for the faint of heart. Its final section is entitled “Brutal Graphic Tragic,” and that about sums it up. But the book is also punctuated by moments of connection and compassion, and it's consistently infused with a love and admiration for Los Angeles, despite its profound problems and contradictions. Fans of intricately plotted crime noir are not going to want to miss this one. In his fourth novel, Harper just keeps getting better.