Several characters from the L.A. Quartet, most notably Dudley Smith, were introduced in Ellroy's 1982 novel Clandestine, which is set between 1951 and 1955 and makes reference to the Black Dahlia killing and Dudley Smith's investigation into it.
Beberapa karakter dari L.A. Quartet, terutama Dudley Smith, diperkenalkan di novel Ellroy tahun 1983 Clandestine, yang berlangsung antara tahun 1951 dan 1955 dan membuat referensi untuk pembunuhan Black Dahlia dan penyelidikan Smith ke dalamnya.