CITY · UNITED STATESBooks set in Los Angeles
34.052, -118.244
30 books · 27 authors · 1963–2025
30 books here
Most-set authors
James Ellroy (3) · Michael Connelly (2) · Michael Crichton (1) · Stephanie Garber (1) · Lou Berney (1) · Kathy Reichs (1)
Genres
literary fiction (5) · thriller & suspense (5) · mystery & crime (3) · historical fiction (1)
Books set here
Set in Los Angeles (20)
Airframe
Michael Crichton
Aviation industry setting
Alchemy of Secrets
Stephanie Garber
primary setting, Hollywood
Death du Jour
Kathy Reichs
Bosch murder investigation base
Famous
Blake Crouch
chasing stardom
Killer Potential
Hannah Deitch
the Beverly Hills murder scene
L.A. Confidential
James Ellroy
1950s LAPD corruption drama
Parable of the Sower
Octavia E. Butler
journey origin, near Robledo
Pro Bono
Thomas Perry
attorney protagonist base
Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson
balkanized near-future city
The Big Nowhere
James Ellroy
1950 Red Scare noir setting
The Black Dahlia
James Ellroy
1940s LAPD murder investigation
The Black Echo
Michael Connelly
LAPD detective, storm drain tunnels
The Dream Hotel
Laila Lalami
protagonist home and work, primary setting
The Grifters
Jim Thompson
Roy Dillon con artist HQ
The Proving Ground
Michael Connelly
Lincoln Lawyer case, LA wildfires
The Wilderness
Angela Flournoy
the friends's LA years
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin
Venice Beach game studio base
When the Wolf Comes Home
Nat Cassidy
Jess's diner and apartment
White Oleander
Janet Fitch
foster care across LA neighborhoods
Interior Chinatown
Charles Yu
Chinatown film set backdrop
Also featuring Los Angeles (10)
Crooks
Lou Berney
MTV-era child storyline
Homeseeking
Karissa Chen
reunion after six decades
Only Son
Kevin Moffett
present-day Southern California
Shalimar the Clown
Salman Rushdie
present-day frame narrative
The Favorites
Layne Fargo
elite skating school
The Ghostway
Tony Hillerman
Gorman gang investigation
The Rest of Our Lives
Ben Markovits
road trip destination, son lives here
The Sympathizer
Viet Thanh Nguyen
Vietnamese exile espionage base
Winter Moon
Dean Koontz
Opening city crime scenes
Shanghai Girls
Lisa See
Immigrant life in LA Chinatown
Nearby books
Operation Wandering Soul
Richard Powers
0 km · Los Angeles, California
The Vanishing Half
Brit Bennett
0 km · Los Angeles, California
Interior Chinatown
Charles Yu
1 km · Chinatown, Los Angeles
Shanghai Girls
Lisa See
1 km · Los Angeles Chinatown, California
Only Son
Kevin Moffett
9 km · Griffith Observatory
Beautiful Ruins
Jess Walter
9 km · Hollywood
In Deadly Company
L.S. Stratton
9 km · Hollywood
The Day of the Locust
Nathanael West
9 km · Hollywood, Los Angeles