Reading order · 2 books · 2014 to 2019 · Set in Los Angeles
Second L.A. Quartet in Order
The Second L.A. Quartet returns to Los Angeles in the early 1940s, before the events of the first quartet, with many of the same characters as younger men.
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Series facts
- Books
- 2
- Published
- 2014 to 2019
- First book
- Perfidia
- Latest
- This Storm (2019)
- Setting
- Set in Los Angeles
- Order
- Story order differs from publication order
The reading order
Every Second L.A. Quartet book in publication order, with the story order a switch away. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
2 books · Set in Los Angeles
- 1Perfidia2014With Dudley Smith and Kay LakeIn December 1941, on the eve of Pearl Harbor, a Japanese family is found dead in their Los Angeles home.Buy on Amazon
- 2This Storm2019With Dudley SmithIn the weeks after Pearl Harbor, a body is unearthed in Griffith Park after a storm, and Dudley Smith, Hideo Ashida and Elmer Jackson are drawn into a Los Angeles swirling with murder, gold and fifth columnists.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read Perfidia first, then This Storm.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Dudley Smith | Kay Lake |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Perfidia | LLead | LLead |
| 2 This Storm | LLead | MMajor |
Characters in the Second L.A. Quartet books
2 characters from James Ellroy’s chart, with the number of Second L.A. Quartet books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Dudley SmithCharming, ruthless Irish detective | 2 | Perfidia 2014 |
| Kay LakeLee's girlfriend | 2 | Perfidia 2014 |
Crossovers with James Ellroy’s other series
- L.A. Quartet: Dudley Smith also appears in 3 of its books; Kay Lake also appears in 1 of its books