ANDREW FFRENCH looks forward to a visit by big shot US crime writer James Ellroy.

JAMES Ellroy, best known for his novel LA Confidential, which was adapted for an acclaimed movie, is coming to Oxford.

The Los Angeles-born crime novelist is giving a talk at the Town Hall on Monday and signing copies of his latest novel, Blood’s A Rover.

When I think of crime writers, charming Colin Dexter, the Oxford-based Inspector Morse author, immediately springs to mind.

But what can fans expect when Ellroy, renowned for his staccato sentences, arrives?

I suspect it will be something a bit more hard-boiled.

Apparently Ellroy often begins his talks with a rather foul-mouthed introduction, which concludes with the health warning: “These are books for the whole ****ing family, if the name of your family is the Manson family.”

Waterstone’s in Cornmarket Street is organising the signing and staff are expecting the 400 tickets to sell out fast.

Louise Hancock, a member of the sales team at the store, said: “I’m going to be there on the night and I’m really looking forward to it.

“James Ellroy is a big name in the world of crime writing – they don’t come much bigger than that – and there is a lot of excitement already about this event. He is very well respected as a crime writer and when you mention LA Confidential everyone is familiar with his work.

“I gather he is an amazing speaker – very charismatic – so it should be a lively event and there will be signed copies available of his new novel.”

Ellroy wrote LA Confidential in 1990, the third instalment of his LA Quartet novel cycle, and the Hollywood adaptation in 1997 gave his backlist a boost.

The film, top left, starred Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe and Kim Basinger and both the film and the novel told the story of a group of Los Angeles police in the 1950s.

The movie was critically acclaimed and won two Academy Awards, after being nominated for nine.

Kim Basinger won Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland won an Academy Award for best screenplay, while Time magazine named LA Confidential as its film of the year.

Ellroy is thought to have been largely supportive of the movie adaptation, but suspected that no other adaptation of his work would match it.

Other stories that have been adapted include The Black Dahlia and Blood on the Moon.

Blood’s A Rover is the latest instalment in the Underworld USA trilogy, which began with American Tabloid and was then followed with the bestseller The Cold Six Thousand.

Tickets for the talk cost £3 and book fans should prepare themselves for the possibility of leaving the town hall disturbed by Ellroy’s world view, which some critics interpret as distinctly pessimistic.

Perhaps this is not surprising after Ellroy wrote My Dark Places, a memoir of his mother’s murder, and the investigation of the cold-case file into her death.

Inspector Morse has seen a few brutal killings in his time, but I suspect he would need at least a pint after chatting to James Ellroy.

James Ellroy, right, is appearing at Oxford Town Hall in St Aldate’s on Monday, November 2 at 7pm.

He will be signing copies of his latest book, Blood’s A Rover.

For more information, call Waterstone’s on 01865 790212.