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Homicide: (Paperback)

by David Simon (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 656 pages
  • Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd (4 Sep 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1847673112
  • ISBN-13: 978-1847673114
  • Product Dimensions: 21 x 13.6 x 5.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 12,823 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #66 in  Books > Biography > True Crime

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Product Description

Review

'A staggering work that is almost impossible to put down...a gripping depiction of America's culture of violence.' --Metro


Product Description

The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the centre of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit, a small brotherhood of men confronted by the darkest of American visions. David Simon was the first reporter ever to gain unlimited access to a homicide unit, and his remarkable book is both a compelling account of casework and an investigation into our culture of violence. The narrative follows Donald Worden, a veteran investigator nearing the end of his career; Harry Edgerton, an iconoclastic black detective in a mostly white unit; and Tom Pellegrini, an earnest rookie who takes on the year's most difficult case, the brutal rape and murder of an eleven-year-old girl.
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Homicide:
79% buy the item featured on this page:
Homicide: 4.7 out of 5 stars (50)
The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-city Neighbourhood
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The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-city Neighbourhood 4.9 out of 5 stars (15)
£6.49
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Customer Reviews

50 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (50 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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79 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Even better second time around, 15 Feb 2000
This review is from: Homicide: a Year on the Killing Streets (Mass Market Paperback)
I furst stumbled across this book in 1996 while studying film at college. I was a fan of the TV series and had just finished reading Clockers by Richard Price and thought it might be a worthy successor. What I read was perhaps the most astounding piece of literature I had ever picked up. Unlike many police procedurals the writing never wandered into a stale environment of form numbers and procedures and instead was a revelation at how tedious and tumultuous just a normal day can be. Crimes are interwoven into a cross section of Baltimore society with such skill and craftmanship that sometimes its almost too painful to witness the events that permeate the narrative. The skill of the writing and the sheer power of the subject matter combine until it is only with great reluctance that you manage to put the book down. I could go on for ever at how a little girls death rips through the entire homicide unit that in the hands of a lesser author would have been a book unto itself. But exisitng on the periphery of the main investigations are myriad vignettes into the hearts and minds that are equally as compelling. The use of ellipsis in the writing is magical and draws you further into the world of the detectives and their work but reading you find yourself witnessing the harrowing state of mind of a community wrenched apart by crime. Simons talent lies in how he manages to plug into the veins of this community while suggesting the problems are far from regional. Reading it for the second time a month ago made a great book even better. read it or it is sadly your loss. Check out The Corner as well.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive and incredibly readable , 10 Feb 2009
Despite being yet another who came to this book via The Wire, I had my doubts before reading it. Could it really be as brilliant, as addictive, and most importantly as entertaining as The Wire? Surely this is a huge tome full of dry forensic details and information about hair strands and blood splashes? Maybe a grisly peek into a blood drenched hell hole of a city? Or maybe a rip roaring "warts and all" exposé of boorish, wiseguy detectives, 700 pages of foul language and Budweiser? None of those particularly appeal to me, but it turns out that this book contains a little of each and much more. What's more, these strands are woven together by David Simon into a book so readable, so addictive - words that flow so easily off the page - it seems like magic. And all this despite the subject matter - knife wounds, rape, dead infants, drugs, autopsy procedures, the very dregs of society? Of course it's as good as The Wire.

When a non-fiction author grapples with several case studies and a wide array of characters in a book like this, it usually follows that some will be weaker than others, some less interesting, some you want to skip to get onto the good stuff. It is a problem with most non-fiction of this kind. Not here. Simon pitches and paces his book to near perfection. Although the Latonya Wallace investigation forms the spine of the book, there is never the urge to skip ahead or skim over boring bits. There are no boring bits. The cases covered vary widely in nature and in significance, but they are all gripping. Simon lays out a huge spread, and it's all equally tasty. Why is it good? Why is it as good as The Wire? Why is it like The Wire? Simon cares. He has a down to earth integrity that you can feel before you hit page 10. He cares about the job, the detectives, the victims. He wants to get it right. He wants to do justice to everything he sees. He wants to show you, without gimmicks.

Simon has it. His voice is restrained, his view detached and his wits about him at all times. He observes. He gets pally with neither his subjects or his reader. The language is plain and the structure of the book nothing innovative, but he is an incredible story teller. This is an incredible book. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes to read - you needn't be an afficionado of crime procedurals, true crime, blood and guts. This is gripping, intelligent and interesting story telling of the highest order.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Contains Much Realism, 6 Mar 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Homicide: a Year on the Killing Streets (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a very realistic account of a year in the lives of one shift of homicide detectives written by a newspaper reporter that reads as well as fiction. You are right there at the crime scenes with the primary detectives when they roll the body over looking for clues, when they interview the witnesses, fill out the paperwork and go out for drinks after work when the board is changed from red to black, signifying the case has been closed. You can get a real appreciation as to what it is like to be an underpaid, underappreciated and overworked homicide investigator in a major city. Interrrogation techniques are revealed in this unique book. Some trial action. Definitely worth the read. Contains real life violence. A good companion to the TV show.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars a bit dry and harder going than I anticipated
I bought this book on the strength of The Wire.
It is undoubtedly well researched and a thorough documentary of the author's year with the homicide department. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Misty

5.0 out of 5 stars David Simon, Excellent author.
This was actually a present for my better half after we have watched The Wire and he has read The Corner. Read more
Published 12 days ago by L. Law

3.0 out of 5 stars Great in parts but too long
I absolutely adored the wire and, feeling bereft when i finished it, bought this book in the hope of getting another fix. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Finch

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
What can I say about this book? Raw, real, funny and written with incredible verve and ability. David Simon set the bar high for his future work and you'll find both direct... Read more
Published 23 days ago by A. Garland

5.0 out of 5 stars A police procedural par excellence.....
I bought this book months ago and immediately put it on one side because a) I hadn't realised it was non-fiction and thought it was a novel and b) it was just so enormous - 650... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Wynne Kelly

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece
If like me you felt "orphaned" after finishing watching the Wire, all hope is not lost: but Homicide is more than a terrific -and dare I say, mandatory- complement to the series... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Cedric Daniels

5.0 out of 5 stars Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets
I am currently reading this book and finding it extremely compelling. David Simon writes well and simply. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ms. J. A. Bennett

4.0 out of 5 stars All you never wanted to know about murder in the USA
A real insight into how murders come about and how they were investigated in 80's Baltimore. It's sort of halfway between fiction and non-fiction, reads like a crime novel but... Read more
Published 3 months ago by perkscan

4.0 out of 5 stars Homicide - David Simon
A very detailed real life account of police working life in an American city. I've never seen the Wire so there's no comparison with the TV series this spawned (or influenced)... Read more
Published 3 months ago by P. Jackson

5.0 out of 5 stars A big chunk of good reading
I am only halfway through this book but I must say that I have really sunk my teeth into it. If you are a fan of CSI/crime drama TV programs then you'll love this book as it is... Read more
Published 3 months ago by B. Gibson-Patteux

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