Before reading The Price of Experience, I had seen television documentaries/docu-dramas and read a primer on the topic. But if you don't know anything at all about the BBC and Joe Hunt, or you want to know a lot more, this book is all you'll ever need to read...ever!!! Sullivan goes into such great detail on every individual involved, including murdered scammers Ron Levin and Headiah Eslamenia, that the reader feels like he now knows each of them personally and could talk about them at great length with anyone. Buy this book because if you don't, you'll merely waste gas driving to the library to borrow it again and again. A modern true crime masterpiece! Both an engrossing narritive and an exhaustive reference book on the Billionaire Boys Club case all at the same time. An off the charts winner. You won't be sorry.

How this book has failed to be recognized as a masterpiece is beyond me. The Price of Experience is an astounding accomplishment. The only other true crime books that can even bear comparison to it are In Cold Blood and the first half of The Executioner's Song. In fact, it denigrates The Price of Experience to classify it as simply a true crime book. Sullivan's rendition of Los Angeles in the 1980s provides the most vivid and memorable images of both the time and the place that I have ever found on the printed page. And his portrait of Joe Hunt is the the most compelling and insightful depiction of evil as a series of decisions--a process--that I can recall in contemporary literature. The characters ALL are exquisitely drawn and Ron Levin ranks among the most amusing miscreants ever captured in print. The Price of Experience deserves to remain in print for years to come and to appear on college syllabuses across the country.

An absolute masterpiece. Unbelievably researched and beautifully written. It's a shame this book never caught the public eye, obviously because the BBC was such a dated subject at the time of publication. There is not a single tome in my entire collection that has brought me as much pleasure and insight. Far more than a mere true crime book, this epic is a stunning cultural history of Los Angeles. In fact, stating that "The Price of Experience" is merely a true crime book is like saying THE GODFATHER is merely a gangster film. Almost everyone I know that has read it agrees it is the finest non-fiction book ever written.

I'm not sure why I grabbed this book -- at best I'm a very casual rap fan, being more of an "old school" type (very old school). Perhaps it was my interest in the history of police corruption in Los Angeles, which goes back to the days of Raymond Chandler and beyond.

In any case, this is an excellent read. Sullivan takes a very complex tale with many players and makes it easy to follow. The writing is clear, crisp and clean. His logical analysis of the controversies in the investigation seem very sound. This is not a book that will titillate people with a voyeuristic look at the rap lifestyle. He keeps the focus very tightly on the murder investigations and the connections between rogue LAPD officers and Death Row records.

I guess I have only two quibbles. First, the book needs an index. We get a timeline (very helpful), a cast of characters, even recommended further readings. But an index would be nice. Second, and this is not Sullivan's fault in anyway, this is a very grim tale. Evil goes unpunished, the truth is suppressed by authorities and good guys are in short supply.

People who lived through the L.A. police corruption scandals of earlier eras would find much to recognize in this tale.

this book breaks it down. tupac, knew he had to get out of death row and suge knight, david kenner and everyone at there disposal killed tupac...straight up. i always thought suge did it. now i know... it is so ironic that the value of the race card played in los angeles and las vegas,the card which should've protected pac and bigie, the police and politicians fearing another o.j. simpson incident was at the root of tupac and biggie not having justice served for them! both of these young and gifted black brothas are dead, assassinated and the killers go free because know one wanted to get involved or bust the bad black cops doing dirt. what a shame, my favorite rapper and a gifted black leader went out like this!!! everyone should do ther job as an american, read this book and never let this injustice happen again!!! damn, the truth in this book makes me soo mad...

After finishing LAbyrinth, I can say I am extremely pleased with Randall Sullivan's effort. The book was thoroughly researched, well written, and is the most definitive work written on the Biggie Smalls/Tupac murders. Although there are plenty of dates and facts throughout, the book's narrative is easy to follow, and it doesn't really read like a text. If you're interested in true crime and/or the rap industry's seething underbelly, then this should be a top choice. Also included is a startling portrait of the LAPD as one of the most corrupt police organizations in U.S. history. The binding thread in this book is Detective Russell Poole's investigation of Biggie's murder, and the subsequent LAPD officer ties to Death Row Record's executive Suge Knight. Highly recommended reading.