A life taken. A body desecrated. Authorities scouring for leads. A hunt for the perpetrator. With luck, justice. The aftermath of murder is bluntly obvious; but what is the root of these horrific acts? And is the City of Angels evil's Eden? Within these pages awaits a treat for true-crime fans: a curated collection of mayhem, featuring only murders in Los Angeles. The author turns investigations on their heads, connecting the dots on the evidence board with his own speculations and new clues as to "whodunit" and why. Infamous cases of homicidal madness in sunny paradise haunt Tinseltown's history: Chinese Massacre of 1871 * Brutal slaying of matinee idol Ramon Novarro * Black Dahlia * Little Marion Parker * Creepy cults and creepier followers * Manson Family killing spree * Night Stalker * Greystone Mansion murder/suicide * High-profile murder trial of Phil Spector. Shivved between the ribs of these real-world horrors is the fictional fable of one particular evil spanning continents and generations. A dynasty in the land of infinite promise began in the usual manner: with a theft and a lie. The Fitzhamptons, a vaunted early Southern California founding family, rose from their fabricated origins at an Irish port to build an empire fueled by greed and unfettered carnal appetites. Their legacy of perfected wickedness lives on.