I was a WASP kid going to a high school that was 99 percent Jewish and I wanted attention and I wanted to make a spectacle of myself because I couldn't stand to be ignored.

Some men get the world, some men get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona. You're in with the former, but my God I don't envy the blood on your conscience.

I don't think I will write anything that could be even remotely considered a genre novel from this point on. I think I've graduated.

I think I'm out of crime fiction now, and I think the dividing line is American Tabloid.

I love thinking about American history, thinking about LA history. I love brooding on crime.

I work within the framework of a very concerted, purely driven Protestant Christian mindset. I had dark early circumstances. I went inward. I have a sturdy will. I have a big heart. I'm a decent guy. And I have a great gift. It's blunted me to the world in many ways.

Anybody who doesn't know that politics is crime has got a few screws loose.