City of Demons
St. Martin’s Press (2027)
Discover a true story of murder, manhunt, and mob justice in rough-and-tumble Old West Los Angeles.
Drawing from newspaper archives, primary sources, and historical accounts, City of Demons is a thrilling Wild West true tale that explores the interplay of justice and revenge, the struggle for land and power, the clash of cultures, and the brutalities of a bygone era, one that shaped the modern identity of Los Angeles and America.
★★★★★
“I inhaled City of Demons. Charming horse thieves, sun-scorched posses, and literal earthquakes, all set against the dark and human landscape of early Los Angeles—this is history that gallops.”
—Craig Fehrman, New York Times bestselling author of This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark
★★★★★
“Deeply-researched and written with enviable flair, City of Demons transports readers back to the grim days and nights when Los Angeles, bloodied and foreboding, became an American place… page-turning… a terrific book.”
—William Deverell, Co-Director, Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West
★★★★★
“A meticulous, immersive work of long-form reportage that leverages archival journalism and historical records while unfolding with the tension and suspense of a literary thriller… an important contribution to the existing canon of Los Angeles literature.”
—Barbara Feinman Todd, author of Pretend I’m Not Here and founding journalism director at Georgetown University
About the author
Andrew Dubbins
Andrew Dubbins is an author and journalist whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian, Alta Journal, The Atavist Magazine, Slate, The Daily Beast, Los Angeles magazine, and other publications.
He was named the Los Angeles Press Club’s 2021 Journalist of the Year and received its 2025 award for magazine commentary. His work has also been featured among The Daily Beast’s “Best Reads” and Longform.org’s “Best Articles.” He earned a B.A. in English and government from Georgetown University, and an M.A. in journalism at University of Southern California, where he was an Annenberg Graduate Fellow. Several of his narrative non-fiction stories have been optioned for film and television.
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