Blood's a Rover (2009) Signed First Edition Reference

Blood’s a Rover is the concluding volume of the Underworld USA Trilogy, published by Knopf in 2009. The novel takes its title from A.E. Housman’s poem “Reveille” and covers the period from 1968 to 1972 — the aftermath of the RFK assassination through the early Nixon years. The narrative follows three new protagonists as they navigate the intersections of organized crime, political radicalism, the Dominican Republic, and the FBI’s COINTELPRO operations.

The Book

Blood’s a Rover pulls back from the extreme telegraphic compression of The Cold Six Thousand, returning to a more accessible — though still dense — prose style. The novel is Ellroy’s most politically complex, weaving together right-wing conspiracy, left-wing radicalism, racial politics, and institutional corruption into a vision of America as a nation governed by competing criminal enterprises.

The novel’s love story — a revolutionary woman who draws one of the protagonists into genuine ideological commitment — represents an emotional register that Ellroy had rarely attempted, and its success broadens the human scope of the Trilogy’s final volume.

First Edition Identification

Publisher: Knopf, New York Publication date: 2009 Format: Hardcover in dust jacket

Signed Copy Market Values

• Signed first edition, fine/fine: $50–$150
• Inscribed copies: $75–$250
• Unsigned first edition: $10–$25

As the Trilogy’s conclusion, Blood’s a Rover carries structural importance. Signed copies are readily available from Ellroy’s 2009 tour.