(From the Catalog-Movie) Los Angeles, 1953: six innocent people gunned down at an all-night diner. Three policemen arrive to investigate: Ed Exley, goaded by his father's success on the force, burning to eclipse him; Bud White, witness to his mother's murder, a time bomb with a badge; and Jack Vincennes, former addict, a shake-down artist who works celebrities. Worse yet, these three see themselves as rivals. Their own rage mirrors that of the killers they seek, all players in a game without rules or survivors. "James Ellroy is a fictional sculptor who carves a universe without beauty, laughter or remorse. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is his finest work yet." (People)

1947年1月15日，洛杉矶。 人们在空地上发现了一具被肢解的女尸，有着被严重殴打和虐待的痕迹，死状让人不寒而栗。当年洛杉矶警方为此案展开了该市历史上最大规模的调查搜捕，但这个杀人狂就像“开膛手杰克”一样，人间蒸发了，至今没有踪迹。因为死尸那头乌黑的长发呈放射状散开，像一朵盛开的黑色大丽花，所以此案被称为“黑色大丽花谋杀案”。这件谋杀案当年轰动一时，是加利福尼亚州历史上最离奇的案件。 事情围绕着巴奇·布雷切特和李·布兰查德的调查展开。而在调查工作的过程中，两个人双双爱上了同一个女人，而这一切又与“黑色大丽花”有关，他们急于知道她过去的一切，并立志逮捕凶手。而调查的结果却又离奇非常…… 邪恶的召唤把人们带入欲望的深渊，紧紧纠缠着这个死去的女孩，几近疯狂……