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73 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
Even better second time around, 15 Feb 2000
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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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Contains Much Realism, 6 Mar 1999
By A Customer
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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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
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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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
Wired Up, 31 Aug 2007
Led to this novel following my infatuation with David Simon's HBO television series - The Wire. Would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the television series. Has the same feeling of authenticity (I can't really tell - thankfully) as The Wire, the banter between the detectives is hilarious and the writing is at times Chandleresque. Given the nature of the job that they do and the way that Simon was embedded, he came to admire the homicide squad maybe too uncritically but - I have been wrong plenty of times before. If you liked The Wire.....
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
fascinating, 12 Sep 2005
I found the beginning a bit slow - there are a lot of characters to be described - but once he starts to introduce the homicides and describes in detail the techniques used at the crime scene, in the interview room, in court etc I was fascinated. It was a real eye-opener. David Simon's writing style is great - drama, a lot of humour, facts, tragedy - this book has got a little bit of everything.I would love to read more by the same author.
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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
A superb combination of fiction and socialogical fact, 12 Mar 2000
Being a fan of the TV series didn't prepare me for the delights this book had to offer. The "story" good as it is , is secondary to the insight offered to a detectives life on the job. Couple this with a very fine prose and delicious wit, its one of the most rewarding reads I have had. I very much hope Mr Simon writes anothe book.
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Awesome, 2 Dec 2003
By A Customer
There are books that you keep returning to to read again and again. For me this is one of them. A thoroughly rewarding read whether you saw the TV show or not. It surprised me that this was essentially non fiction and delighted me in the excellent characters portrayed and the linking story lines that hold it all together. A fascinating read.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Adds depth to the TV series, 29 Nov 1998
By A Customer
A very good read for someone who likes the series. Also adds important lingo for those (like me) who are interested in criminal investigations and the development of forensic evidence. Gives insight as to the motivations of homicide detectives (there's money in murder) and how the prosecutor is so dependent on a good detective for a strong legal case. Shows how criminals and suspects are treated in the system, and the way that a suspect's rights are protected (or not) in this system. Very enlightening! Only reservation is that the book is verbose and meandering at times.
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
reissued,repackaged and required Reading, 1 Sep 2008
How do you fill the void left after watching the final episode of one of the greatest tv shows of all time ? Go back to the source and that's what this is without this book there is no The Wire. It's a remarkable book and one that hasn't really dated unlike the TV series of the same name.
The premise is well described David Simon writes about a year in the life of the homicide department of Baltimore what suprised me was that it isn't written for the journalist point of view so instead we get informed what the detectives are thinking. It's hard to explain that for the veteran detectives we see that there is no personal crusade to solve the crimes it's a job and not a highly paid one so if it's not the money what compels these individuals to keep going especially when faced by some pretty daming statistics pointed out by Simon when it comes to actually securing convictions.
The less experienced detectives find it harder to be detached especially in the case of a murder of a young school girl that takes up a large amount of the book here the principal detective is haunted not so much by the crime but frustration to crack the case.
The politics, the court system , the lack of resource are all explored but without Simon preaching an opinion it shows just how much content is here when a scene from the wire season 5! Not an early season is in the book that to me showed just how much content there is that after 40 hours of tv there is still a gem to be pulled from the book
A powerful subject and probably as close as anyone is going to understand what freeman, bunk and mcnaulty would describe as true police
A must read for lovers of The Wire
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Breathtaking, the real deal., 7 Jun 2009
May I also recommend: Soothing Music for Stray Cats by Jayne Joso, a London novel; and The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-city Neighbourhood by David Simon
A massive credit to the writer for the complexity and depth of this novel because it's nail biting stuff. Sheer literary brilliance. The social and criminal scope of this book is breathtaking, showing what is happening in American society at a truly profound level.
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Homicide by David Simon (Paperback - 31 Dec 1998)
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