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Hollywood Station
by Joseph Wambaugh


6.3

based on 16 reviews
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based on 6 votes
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Official Publisher Site

The former cop and much-loved crime novelist returns to writing about the L.A.P.D. for the first time in over twenty years with this story set in present-day Hollywood.

Little, Brown and Company, 352 pages
11/28/2006
$24.99

ISBN: 0316066141

Fiction
General Literature & Fiction

All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...

Los Angeles Times Paula L. Woods

A deeply felt paean to those who protect and serve under the most trying conditions that also proves that there's one veteran of the LAPD crime scene who can still run with the best of them.

Publishers Weekly

The master proves that he can still deliver. [25 Sept 2006, p.43]

Booklist Connie Fletcher

High-voltage suspense drives the tale, and as always, Wambaugh's characters, language, and war stories exude authenticity. Terrific. [1 Sept 2006, p.8]

Library Journal Ken Bolton

It's been more than 20 years since Wambaugh's last LAPD novel; let's hope the next one doesn't take as long. [1 Oct 2006, p.63]

The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Margaret Cannon

Oracle and his gang are a wonderful group of characters, and the novel has a great plot and terrific suspense. This will make a brilliant film.

Boston Globe Hallie Ephron

One part "Fargo," one part "Hill Street Blues," the novel is alternately astonishing, wildly funny, poignant, and horrifying; it's hands down the best crime fiction I've read this year.

Chicago Sun-Times David J. Montgomery

Really, the plot is just a minimal framework on which to hang the characters and their stories. And when the characters are this real, and their lives this fascinating, it hardly seems to matter.

The New York Times Book Review Marilyn Stasio

Blisteringly funny.

The Guardian Mark Lawson

A terrific book, as good as anything Wambaugh has done.

The Observer Peter Guttridge

This deliriously entertaining fiction is rich in incident, anecdote and, especially, great characters.

The Independent Mark Timlin

Wambaugh's back, and better than ever.

Wall Street Journal Dan Horan

It is the Oracle who reminds the men and women on his watch, just as Mr. Wambaugh reminds his readers, that being a cop is still fun. After all, even gallows humor is better than no humor at all.

Washington Post Kevin Allman

Wambaugh's anecdotes and observations make this a welcome return for the man whose sardonic view of police work was the bridge between "Dragnet" and "Hill Street Blues."

Kirkus Reviews

Terrific characterization makes up for the sparseness of plot. [1 Sept 2006, p.874]

Entertainment Weekly Thom Geier

David E. Kelley is developing Station for TV, and you can see why. Wambaugh crams his book with enough compelling characters and colorful anecdotes for two seasons of episodes.

The Independent Jane Jakeman

The artistic difficulty in using fiction to put forward overt arguments cripples Wambaugh's enterprise. Instead of being swept along by the story, the reader of this compilation of police anecdotes keeps stopping to gasp, "I never knew that!", or, "What crazy logic!", as appropriate.

The average user rating for this book is 6.3 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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Hollywood Station by Joseph Wambaugh

Hollywood Station
by Joseph Wambaugh