For someone interested in the earlier history of Los Angeles, that is, outside the traditional Raymond Chandler/noir era that draws the most interest, you might consider Paul Bryan Gray’s “A Clamor for Equality,” another example, like Christina Rice’s “Ann Dvorak” of a determined researcher leaving no stone unturned in seeking out information about a relatively unknown subject. Here’s a column I wrote for The Times about Gray.

“A Clamor for Equality” is available from Skylight Books and Amazon.