L.A. in Fiction

A brief comment prior to posting my thoughts on The Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais.

Michael Connelly is one of my favourite authors.  I like to collect the hardcover editions of his work, and there are a very small number of authors who meet that standard.

Erle Stanley Gardner is another of my favourite authors.  I like to collect multiple copies of the paperbacks, because I like having the various different editions.

Let me preface the following comments by stating that I've been to Los Angeles only once, about 25 years ago, and my memory of the city is extremely limited.  For all intents and purposes, let's pretend I've never been.

Both Michael Connelly and Erle Stanley Gardner set the majority of their books in Los Angeles.  However, Erle Stanley Gardner (the Perry Mason and Donald Lam books) could probably be set just about anywhere.  They're enjoyable books in all kinds of ways, but I wouldn't say that they give me a sense of L.A. in the 1930's - 1960's when they are set.  The books could as easily take place in Chicago.  There are occasional side trips into the desert, or reference to Santa Ana winds, but I don't think someone could read all of the Perry Mason novels, then go to Los Angeles and think "I knew it would be just like this."

One of the things I really like about Michael Connelly is that Harry Bosch loves living in L.A.  His various novels are set to move Bosch around L.A., and Bosch, having lived in L.A. all his life, does a good job of giving the reader the sense of history of Los Angeles, and that he's watching it grow and develop.  After reading a bunch of the Harry Bosch novels, I can picture myself moving around Los Angeles, and might like to visit some of the places referenced in the books just to see what they're like.

However, as noted, I've been reading Robert Crais lately.  Mr. Crais also sets his novels in Los Angeles.  His books seem to follow Michael Connelly's style in referring to the city more than Erle Stanley Gardner.  That is, he uses the city almost as a character, and his descriptions of the city are such that I believe I would recognize certain landmarks.

This brings me to my complaint/question/comment.  Michael Connelly, Robert Crais and, on reflection most of the other books I've read that use L.A. as a key part of the story, all seem to refer to similar landmarks and sites.  Now, making reference to Union Station, the Dodger's stadium or Parker Centre makes sense to me.  These are big landmarks, integral in some ways to a police procedural novel, and the consistency in description lends credibility to each of the descriptions.

However, it's beginning to strike me as unusual, curious and pushing the boundaries of coincidence that the same restaurants and bars get referenced in each of these various L.A. authors.  I could understand a reference to the Brown Derby (which, incidentally, is not referenced in any of these works).  It's a famous restaurant, a symbol of old Hollywood, invented the Cobb salad, etc.  I've heard of In & Out Burger, which I understand is some kind of chain, albeit local to L.A.

Instead, these books all reference some of the same restaurants and bars, and the recurrence of these references seems suspicious.  L.A. is a large city, both in population and geographic area.  Does everyone really know the Shortstop as a cop bar?  or Musso's in Hollywood?  or Frankies as some sort of take-out stand?  I think the same doughnut shop in Farmer's Market was mentioned by several authors as well.  In a city of a couple hundred thousand people, or in a tightly contained area, I could see that there would be a couple of local businesses that get referenced like that, but I find it harder to see it in a place like L.A.

At this stage I wonder if these are L.A. landmarks, existing in the popular consciousness on the scale of Hollywood & Vine, or an inside reference to some Dragnet episode, or just a shortcut by authors who read about L.A. from other authors.  Maybe my only recourse will be to take a trip to L.A. and try to track down doughnut shops and hot dog and taco stands.