Add BookmarkHomicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
From the creator of HBO’s The Wire, the classic book about homicide investigation that became the basis for the hit television show
The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the center of this hurricane of crime is the city’s homicide unit, a small brotherhood of hard men who fight for whatever justice is possible in a deadly world.
David Simon was the first reporter ever to gain unlimited access to a homicide un... (show more)
From the creator of HBO’s The Wire, the classic book about homicide investigation that became the basis for the hit television show
The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the center of this hurricane of crime is the city’s homicide unit, a small brotherhood of hard men who fight for whatever justice is possible in a deadly world.
David Simon was the first reporter ever to gain unlimited access to a homicide unit, and this electrifying book tells the true story of a year on the violent streets of an American city. The narrative follows Donald Worden, a veteran investigator; Harry Edgerton, a 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.
Originally published fifteen years ago, Homicide became the basis for the acclaimed television show of the same name. This new edition—which includes a new introduction, an afterword, and photographs—revives this classic, riveting tale about the men who work on the dark side of the American experience. (show less)
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I just finished David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, and I can only say Wow. For anyone remotely interested in the Police Procedural as a genre this is excellent reading, in large part because it completely rips away any misconceptions you may have about how police work (and homicide investigations in partcular) is really done. Through following several squads of detectives through one year you get a detailed picture of what it's REALLY like on the street.
But it's not done... (show more)
I just finished David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, and I can only say Wow. For anyone remotely interested in the Police Procedural as a genre this is excellent reading, in large part because it completely rips away any misconceptions you may have about how police work (and homicide investigations in partcular) is really done. Through following several squads of detectives through one year you get a detailed picture of what it's REALLY like on the street.
But it's not done in a "check THIS out!", the-blinders-come-off way; Simon's not interested in blowing your mind with The Real Story. He just wants to show what it's like in a real homicide division, which he does by taking us through the real personalities involved. Edgerton black and gets great information from the street, stuff the white cops can't get, but is strangely independent and doesn't fit into the unit much. Landsman is a total wisecracker and is completely inappropriate at the crime scene, which everyone else loves, but he's also wonderfully intuitive and makes excellent leaps of logic that often end up breaking open stalled cases.
There's tons of other amazing personalities, and Simon writes it like a fiction book, telling what they're thinking at any given moment, and how that turns into action, informing what they do next. In fact, in the end it reads like deconstructionist fiction; there's tons of internal information about the personalities involved, but the narrative structure does not provide satisfyingly neat rising action/climax/denouement. It wanders through various investigations, explaining the different areas a homicide detective must be familiar with in his investigations; the medical examiner, the top brass, street level relations, internal office politics, and so on. He goes into considerable detail in each area, showing exactly how many areas the homicide investigator has to be familiar with, which left me with an impressive amount of respect for the lives these men lead.
Overall, I can't recommend it highly enough. It's just excellent, totally absorbing, as good or better than any modern crime fiction you can find. Several of the conversations make it into The Wire with barely an edit, and the whole book is an excellent companion piece to the show, describing in intimate detail the edges of the world you glimpse in the show. Great, great stuff. I'm really looking forward to reading his other book, The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood. (show less)
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This is an Absolutely compelling beast of a book. David Simon Wire narrates his journalistic account of life in Baltimore's homicide department(which would later provided the basis for his excellent TV show The Wire) in graphic and often harrowing detail. That is not to say the book is withot humour albeit mostly grim.
Amongst some fascinating and often senseless stories, my highlights would have to be stories of the jury, Geraldine the life insurance woman and Latonya Wallace. Each seper... (show more)
This is an Absolutely compelling beast of a book. David Simon Wire narrates his journalistic account of life in Baltimore's homicide department(which would later provided the basis for his excellent TV show The Wire) in graphic and often harrowing detail. That is not to say the book is withot humour albeit mostly grim.
Amongst some fascinating and often senseless stories, my highlights would have to be stories of the jury, Geraldine the life insurance woman and Latonya Wallace. Each seperate story is told with journalistic detachment(as it right) and a great eye for detail. Simon doesn't elevate the police either he tells it like it is, fault and all and that's what makes this such a fine piece of work, it's just another year for these men doing a job that most couldn't handle. In an ideal world this would be recommended reading for everyone, detailing as it does not only the aforementioned police work but also the class, race and political divides that pervade the text.
If you haven't watched The Wire this book is still accessable giving you a grounding for the show and an idea of the storylines and procedures that go on in real life. If like me you saw the show first then this is more of the same fascinating storylines, with paperwork. This book really does add depth and a heightened sense of realism when you rewatch the show. All in all i can't really fault this book suffice to say i wish it was longer and i was still reading it. (show less)
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