Hollywood Station (Hollywood Station Series #1)

Absolutely arresting reading!

I really enjoyed the characters and the gradual plot development in this book. You start out with seeming disconnected threads that this master writer weaves together into an exciting tale. The characters are fascinating, multi-dimensional and not mere caricatures of stereotypes. This was just a fun read that was difficult to put down. It's the kind of book you want to keep reading and yet hate to have end. Definitely worth your time and money!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not disappointed

I have loved Wambaugh's stories since "The Onion Field", and this was so funny and exciting. The book is based on stories from actual policemen. There wasn't a bad scenerio in the entire book. Sorry when I finished it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

SHARPLY ETCHED CHARACTERS - FULL THROTTLE VOICE PERFORMANCE

Actor Adam Grupper's credits are impressive and varied. His Broadway appearances include Baz Luhrmann's La Boheme, 45 Seconds From Broadway, Guys and Dolls, City of Angels and Into the Woods. Film goers have seen him in Two Weeks Notice and Runs in the Family, while tv viewers watched him on The Sopranos, Law & Order plus numerous other programs. He brings his breadth of artistic experience to his narration of this compelling police novel, rendering a full throttle voice performance that keeps listeners on the edges of their chairs. With 'Hollywood Station' Wambaugh is back with all the hell for leather writing he produced some 35 years ago in 'The New Centurions' and 'The Choirboys.' His pen is as sharp as ever, but the L.A.P.D. is not at all what it once was. After the Rodney King brouhaha the department is now under an ever watchful eye, an eye that tends to keep a choke hold the force. Listeners also cruise the streets of a Hollywood very different from the one Wambaugh described in the past - it's stranger, more frightening, and peopled with the detritus of humankind. The police are led by a veteran officer called the Oracle. He tends to pair an experienced cop with a newbie as they're sent out on shifts. These pairs speak the language of the streets and are often a source of humor. There are Flotsam and Jetsam - you guessed it, surfers in their spare time. A 30-some wannabe actor rides with a wealthy fellow who wants some action in his life, and a miniature Japanese woman is paired with a tall black bruiser. Once deployed and cruising it seems to them that every nut in the world has migrated to the dark streets of Hollywood where meth addicts prowl and grisly crimes no longer shock. Wambaugh's characters are sharply etched, unforgettable. There's action galore ranging from a jewel heist to vicious fights to death around the corner. A former L.A.P.D. detective, Joseph Wambaugh knows his territory well his on target observations are both moving and frightening. He's in top form and we say 'Welcome back, you've been gone for far too long!' - Gail Cooke

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An excellent look at life in LAPD

In Southern California between losing experienced cops to the military call up of the reserves and funding reductions by the same politicians who howl that the streets are unsafe, LAPD Hollywood Station cannot perform the mission. Learning from DC, however, no one in positions of leadership want to know any of that as all plans to fix shortages are strategic so that they come under someone else's future watch.------------- In that mess, the cops are forced to work with street gangs, meth heads, the homeless, the rich and famous, and the Russian mafia. To survive under the intense view of the community seeking (and hoping for personal gain) to find abuse and errors the cops fake reports of interviews whenever they racially or economically need to balance their worksheets. The only thing that keeps the station from total collapse is the Oracle, a veteran sergeant, who can make a gourmet dinner out of chicken salad (some might say chicken excrement) as he works the partnering and beats of a motley crew.------------------- More a series of vignettes than a cohesive novel, the tale focuses on how a police station copes with experience issues, money problems, and neighborhood mistrust in Joseph Wambaugh¿s excellent look at life in LAPD. The cast is top rate as the police run the gamut of characters from wannabe actors to wannabe surfers while the streets are filled with crazies and deadlies. Police procedural fans will want to read Mr. Wambaugh¿s fabulous tour of HOLLYWOOD STATION.----------------- Harriet Klausner

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Wambaugh at his best! A must read

This is the first in a four part series...and here is hoping there are many more. This is an excellent introduction to the author's patented combination of off-beat yet endearing characters, pathos, humor and gut wrenching "real-life" situations. I have been reading Mr. Wambaugh's books going all the way back, and I was especially excited when I discovered that he had decided to make "Hollywood" into a series, I truly look forward to each new chapter.

AWESOME

I loved this book. It was so real I could feel myself riding in the car with these Officers. The series is a MUST read. I WANT A BOOK 5!!!!!! The charactors are funny, sympathetic and REAL. Anyone who is in law enforcement HAS to read this. Ive been looking for another series to read since finishing Stephen Canells "Shane Scully" series and I was not disappointed. Please Sgt Wambaugh...make this on ongoing series. I WANT MORE HOLLYWOOD!!!!

Realistic and entertaining

As a retired cop, I found this novel to be spot on in the realism that cops lives are full of. Dark humor, and well textured characters drive the theme of this book. This what has always put Wambaugh in a different class from other Police type novels. Since he was a cop himself, in LA, he has a unique perspective. I have read his books since the seventies. I am glad he returned to the LAPD novels. Good read.

Take a walk on the wild side of the LA streets! sandy

Every one just wants to 'go home' at shifts end. Like the humor mixed with more serious ' street sorts'. The 'good luck' charms and the dark humor for sanities sake. Hop on this ride along dude!

Hollywood's cops and criminals have never been funnier!

Joseph Wambaugh craft an ensemble cast of cops and robbers (or rather, various criminals) that offer a new and interesting take on the police procedural. It was almost always funny stuff. There was drama and even romance. The humor was evident throughout with my only beef being the over the top Eastern European accents and verbiage from these characters. It was a little too corny and less real. The realism is everywhere else as you can tell that the author was LAPD. Overall, really good stuff.

Another Wambaugh original

What an author, what a Cop....

Great Crime Novel

One of the best crime drama novels I have yet to read by this author.

A reviewer

After I picked up Wambaugh's latest book, I couldn't put it down. The characters, the dialogue and the stories drew me in, along with a look at the 'new' LAPD, operating under the federal consent decree. This is a department much changed from Wambaugh's previous works. I think the best part of Wambaugh's writing is his ability to make the story believeable, in this case, its the dialogue. The cops sound like cops, use the same words and terminology. That is what made the book so enjoyable for me. Its little things, like the certain words that really show that he has the unique ability and experience to know how officers think and what they say. I can't wait for the next novel.

Great characters, a good read.....

Once again Joseph Wambaugh has provided for me a few days of entertainment and characters to remember for a lifetime.

The fun in dysfunctional

As a regular reader of Mr. Wambaugh¿s works, Hollywood Station is long over do. Mr. Wambaugh reverts back to his days of writing about street cops (New Centurions, Blue Knight, Choirboys) and their unique but quirky personalities. The book is a chapter driven story that is hard to put down, laced with unbelievable-but-likely stories of the incidents the midnight watch of Hollywood Station encounter during their shift. With consent decrees, staffing shortages, oversight committees, and other fallout from the Rodney King and Rampart eras, Wambaugh puts the fun in dysfunctional as he describes how the LAPD line personnel deal with the barriers they must operate within. The verbiage of the Russians, the insight to the tweakers, and the eccentricity of the cops shows that Wambaugh has not forgotten his lights-and-sirens roots of police work. The book could easily have been titled: Choirboys 2007.

Hollywood Streets

I grew up in Los Angeles and attended Hollywood High and Los Angeles City College. This book almost made me nostalgic for the mean streets of Hollywood--so different from the 'Entertainment Tonight' version of Hollywood packaged for TV. The cops at Hollywood Station remind me of those in Michael Connolly's novels--sharp, dedicated, and often dysfunctional. However, in Wambaugh's book, they're also funny. A delightful read.

Welcome back to the Streets!

As an avid fan of Mr. Wambaugh I was thrilled that he had returned to writing about the street world of police officers. Don¿t get me wrong, I have fully enjoyed the investigative side to his writing. But let¿s ¿keep it real¿¿. His most interesting works have come from stories imparted by the average street cop. Four pages in I realized I was welcoming back an old friend. This novel is actually a series of vignettes that neatly ties together eventually. This wonderful blend of characters from the street and the squad room will create a memorable impression on most readers. It is my belief that this novel has the potential for the screen. I found myself longing for continuation. What was uncharacteristic for Mr. Wambaugh was a character mix up on page 293. This was such a great book¿ I¿ll forgive that one! ~smile~

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