The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, Reviewed for Ellroy Reads
July 12, 2026
The Power and the Glory is Graham Greene’s account of the Cristero Rebellion. He based it on his experiences travelling through Mexico observing the anti-Catholic persecution by the government of President Plutarco Elias Calles. The Cristero War forms part of the backstory of James Ellroy’s latest novel Red Sheet.
In the latest episode of Ellroy Reads, I examine the influence of Greene’s novel on Red Sheet, as well as the importance of Mexico as a location in Ellroy’s life and fiction. Hope you enjoy the show, and do remember to subscribe to the channel, like, comment and share the content.
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The Venetian Vase 
The Power and the Glory is such a great book. The Ellroy connection does not surprise, but is nice bonus. Steven, I could be mistaken, but I believe John D. MacDonald was also very influenced by Graham Greene and actually moved his family down to Mexico during the early years of his writing career. His book “The Damned” is set there and I can’t recommend it enough (also the novella “Border Town Girls”). While MacDonald’s Travis McGee books seem to be the popular public focus of his writing, his other books are even more impressive and, jmo, may have contributed (if only in a small way) to creating the early environment that birthed the sexual revolution. However, what do I know? Anyway, I’m sure you’re a very busy person, but if you ever don’t know what to read next…..The Damned! And thanks again and again for your weekly Ellroy discussions.
Bill
Thank you so much, Bill. I haven’t read The Damned or Border Town Girls but I admire the John D MacDonald’s writing. I particularly like A Friendship, the book of correspondence between MacDonald and the comedian Dan Rowan. The Trap of Solid Gold by Steve Scott is an excellent website on MacDonald: https://thetrapofsolidgold.blogspot.com/ It’s been inactive for a few years, but all of the posts are still up and available to explore.
Will bookmark “the trapofsolidgold”… thanks, steven.