Roll Call is a story with a cast of characters that include Mexican drug cartels, southern California street gangs and Hell's Angels all fighting for their piece of the drug culture. In the middle of it all, B.J. is hell bent for destruction until he realizes his destiny in the nick of time.
Add a good detective squeezed out of the loop by an overzealous narcotic detective; a robust prison union trying to call the shots; a handful of drug criminals trying to find their conscience and you have the perfect recipe for a revolutionary uprising, bound by blood, all leaving the reader wondering, who are the real criminals?
Stressed_Rach
Posted August 16, 2012
The first thing I noticed about the book is the length, Wow 734 pages, I
did think I was going to be reading it for weeks as it has got to be the
longest book I have read to date. I infact finished reading this after
around 14 hours. This 14 hours did take a week though as I read for a
couple of hours before going to sleep. There was drug cartels,
violence, underhand police, crime and it all was very believable, Yes I
know its a true story but sometimes truth does not always sound
believable. It seemed that a certain detective would try to bust B.J for
just breathing and was on his back all the time trying to stitch him up
even when B.J went legit. I really felt for him as I could see all he
wanted to do was put the drugs behind him and start over. Which I guess
would be pretty difficult when he is being hounded all of the time with
drugs raids and the likes for no reason at all. Prison life sounds as I
had thought it would be but the story differed slightly from my own
perception, I think it is probably because I can be a little naïve as I
have never been in trouble myself so just go by TV programmes of what
prison life and prison officers are like. Roll Call is a fantastic and
insightful read. It was very well written and it has left me wanting to
know the rest of the story so I will be reading Upon Release very soon.
was admittedly skeptical when I sat down to read this novel, as it falls outside of my area of knowledge. I have little experience with anything relating to the criminal justice system, and I had concerns that I would get lost in the jargon. However, as I got to know BJ and the other characters in the story, I was able to relate to the childhood experiences, to a point, and I found myself easily sucked into the storyline and got the end finding myself needing to know what would be coming next. I know that there is more to the story, there has to be with the way things ended, and I am desperate to know more.
For those of you who find this lifestyle familiar, find solace in knowing that this does not have to be the end. The author has proven that things can improve if one puts their mind to it. To me, it was a story of hope, of finding a way to dig yourself out of the ashes, and to go after what you believe in.
Be warned, it is not a quick read, coming in at over 700 pages, but every page was worth it.
There were some editing errors within the page, although that could have been the way those terms were used with slang language, but they did not detract from the story in any way. I feel this is a must read for anyone who has ever had to overcome difficulties and live, seemingly in spite of themselves. Thanks to the author for a review copy!
Roll Call by Glenn Langohr This book is based on true events that Glenn lived and is intertwined with fiction to complete the story. It is a long read and very detailed. As I pondered the amount of details I realize that Glenn has written so that we, the readers, are walking in his shoes and the shoes of those he traveled along side with. The scenery may be colorful at times but not always in a good way. We travel with him from a messed up childhood to his first taste of greed, a greed that spiraled out of control with the need for more and more. Having a keen mind may have helped him in his endeavors to make money and move up the food chain but in the end...God's plan intervened and sent him on a different path than what he had chosen for himself. Glenn has the reader seeing life first through a young boys eyes as life crashes down around him in his family life. Before long he is on his own and looking for ways to make enough money to buy a home for his brother and himself. His opportunity comes when he sees the market for drugs. We travel with this young man on his search for finding product and see through his eyes how quickly more is never enough. The spiral from pot to speed, caution to recklessness, trusting leading to betrayal. Glenn takes the reader inside the minds of Mexican cartels, drug dealers, users and prisoners. Knowing that there is truth mixed into the fiction makes the book that much more intense. And with all that was happening around him, you can see that God was in control, as He always is. The book does not paint a pretty picture because real life is not always pretty. Greed and power become so strong people even turn on those close to them. Getting to 'know' the character's in the book I suddenly found myself less judgmental. “There but for the grace of God, go I.” Would this be my life if I grew up in that same situation, that area, that home life? **Violence, language and some sexual situations. Considering the background of the book with drugs and prison, the author has kept all of this at a minimum.
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Overview
Roll Call is a story with a cast of characters that include Mexican drug cartels, southern California street gangs and Hell's Angels all fighting for their piece of the drug culture. In the middle of it all, B.J. is hell bent for destruction until he realizes his destiny in the nick of ...