Wambaugh, a
former L.A. cop, has churned out over twenty novels pulling on experiences he
went through ‘on the job.’ He tells us there are two types of cops; that since
the years after the Rodney King beating the department became full of
“risk-averse cops who wanted to get through their closely supervised careers
safely” and the “retro action-oriented risk takers, who always ran straight to
the sound of guns.” He makes it pretty clear which one he would have us believe
he is.
The cops are
regurgitated characters from his last four novels, ‘Hollywood[TAA1] ’ Nate and Flotsam and Jetsam, charismatic figures
in the Los Angeles police Hollywood Station series who are once again called
upon to carry the story-line with their side-kick partners. The stories are
entertaining and probably gleaned from truth to life told to Wambaugh but more
recent police escapades. None of the coppers or their adventures are as awe
inspiring as his first few novels and you get a feeling Wambaugh knows this as
he can’t help himself but to remind us of his illustrious writing past by
referring to his 1973 masterpiece “The Onion Field,” and still have all his
officers touch a picture of The Oracle,
a figure from his past, as they exit the station every day, just like The Green
Bay Packers getting a blessing from Lombardi every time they play; tradition is
strong within the department.
Wambaugh comes
to his own in this latest narrative when he gets away from the police
department and wanders into the character development of the seedy side of San
Pedro and explores the lives of Lita Medina, a down-on-her-luck illegal alien
from Mexico who has been caught up in the entertainment business, taking her
clothes of in a local strip club. With Koreans and Russians plying their trade
in the human smuggling and making these young girls pay to play local hoodlum,
Hector Cozzo plies his trade as a procurer of talent for his new bosses. A chance
meeting with Lita and one of Hector’s old high-school chums, Dinko Babich soon
leads to true love and the unraveling of the flesh trade in San Pedro.
With his typical
dark humor Wambaugh leads us through his latest entertaining, suspense filled
and tragic story-line with gritty reality. Another entertaining read from the
master of police dramas.
[TAA1]I
don’t know if this is a character’s name a book title or what. He has it in
single quotes with no comma so I have no help trying to make sure it’s done
right. Can you right out from him and make sure the editing is right? Thanks.
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