Dense and dystopian, a jaundiced examination of the dark underbelly of Los Angeles. A social and cultural history that verges at times into a Marxist critique, it is also a very knowing take on the real motive forces in that perplexing metropolis. He tackles everything from real estate to Hollywood, from the dirty cops to the importance of water, from the social conservatism to the anything goes, from race to religion. Joan Didion did much the same thing in a different medium, the title of that book was Slouching towards Bethlehem. Davis’s title is similarly apposite, quartz is certainly not gold even with the glitter.