Chandler & West: A Story of Los Angeles

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Paperback editions displaying the front and back cover of Chandler & West.

“[Raymond Chandler] was
the major social historian of Los Angeles,
along with Nathanael West.” – S. J. Perelman

A new crime novel about
two of Los Angeles’ greatest writers
in the Golden Age of Hollywood

Read an online sample chapter


Los Angeles, 1939. Two writers struggle to finish books destined to become American masterpieces: Raymond Chandler and his debut novel, The Big Sleep, and Nathanael West with his tour de force, The Day of the Locust.

What Chandler and West don’t know is that they will come together around the Hollywood murder of a gorgeous aspiring actress. The pair find themselves entangled with a sex magick cult, gambling rackets, rocket scientists, pornographers, Big Oil, bad cops, and Nazis vying for control of the movie industry—all while war in Europe looms.

Fighting writer’s block and alcoholism, the two novelists piece together the true story hidden behind Tinseltown’s shimmering facade. Chandler & West is a roller-coaster ride across a corrupt and idealistic Los Angeles at the glamorous heights of the Golden Age of Hollywood.

About the characters

Even if you’re unfamiliar with the names Chandler and West, you probably know something about their work.

Raymond Chandler wrote some of greatest hard-boiled private eye novels in American literature (The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye), as well as crafted screenplays for classic film noir (Double Indemnity, Strangers on a Train).

Nathanael West also wrote screenplays, but is better remembered for his scalding satires (Miss Lonelyhearts, A Cool Million). His final novel, The Day of the Locust, is often named the greatest Hollywood novel of all time.

Chandler & West is a fictional account of these two greats coming together in 1939 Los Angeles, each with their own agendas, each battling all-too-similar personal demons.


“No one tells a hard-boiled tale like Jim Nelson.” – Instant City

“A damn good writer.” – FanFiAddict

Tablet showing the front cover of Chandler & West.

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