this one got a little banged up.
sir, there's a little dew on the lily
now you can use him as a paperweight


( )

Polisromanens gudfader levererar en knivskarp betraktelse av vardagen för 10st patrullerande poliser i Los Angeles. Precis när det håller på att bli långrandigt rundar han av med dunder och brak. Samtidigt finns det hela tiden en väl avvägd samhällskritisk ton i berättandet. Bra! ( )

I read this book years ago when it first came out. It is definitely a snapshot in time and given everything that has come out about the LAPD since it was written, it really speaks to the culture that existed in the past.

This is the 1970’s and sexism, free love and political incorrectness runs rife. A group of police officers convene an unofficial support group/drunken bacchanal in the park at Echo Lake where they vent about their job as police officers.

Each chapter focuses on a pair of officers and the things that occur on their shifts. Sometimes the stories are funny, sometimes they are sad and at others they are terribly tragic.

Don’t look for anything other than a dated portrait of policing in Los Angeles circa the 1970’s and an entertaining novel. It is just a fun romp. If you haven’t read any Wambaugh, this is an easy introduction to him and an opportunity to get to read his style.

There may be more current books but Wambaugh was one of the earliest writers to pull the curtain back on 20th century police work. ( )

his books make it seem as if all police are dysfunctional ( )

St. Bart's 2015 #1 - Slow-starter that eventually picked up steam & led to a somewhat sad, but powerful conclusion. Dated with respect to attitudes of the time in the 1970's towards blacks, gays, etc., yet those attitudes reveal so blatantly the impossible task LA policemen had in attempting to carry out their duties. Such a thankless job.....then & today, I'm sure. Constant conflicts between right & wrong, between accepted behavior amongst police & an offence if done by the public, and an entire system established to attempt to uphold moral standards of society run by an insidiously corrupt hierarchy. Normal guys, mostly younger, struggling with their own demons while sent out to police those of others. Sometimes funny, oftentimes surprising, powerful & disturbing all rolled into one. Wambaugh succeeds by never letting us lose touch with the inherent human goodness always lurking in most of the cops. I surprised myself with the ranking I am giving...much better than I would have predicted partway through....definitely worth finishing to the end, in spite of the sadness. ( )