LA Confidential Notes LA Confidential examines the interplay among several sources of power in Los Angeles.
Some officers also work for local organized crime figures.
Others, like Pierce Patchett, are prominent members of respectable society. In the novel, Cohen is in prison and has apparently franchised his various activities until he gets out. Still, many are puzzled by the lack of attempts by others to take over during his absence. Pierce Patchett is a kind of independent operator. Certain newspapers and magazines hint at corruption and illicit activity in Hollywood and among prominent public figures.