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A review by tfitoby
Cop Hater by Ed McBain
3.0
My first experience of the 87th Precinct novels was good fun, unexpected in its style and content but an enjoyable read. Having recently read [b:Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets|18956|Homicide A Year on the Killing Streets|David Simon|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1317793065s/18956.jpg|3187942] I felt that the banter and camerarderie of the station house detectives felt both familiar and authentic which for me helped to give the book the edge over continuing or giving up early on.
It's a novel that's nearly 60 years old now and it hasn't really dated which is incredibly impressive. Sure we've all become immune to being impressed with the forensic nature of police work after the saturation of our daily lives with CSi and it's clones not to mention the many books that are constantly written featuring pathologists, forensic experts, bone cutters and whatever else trashy authors like [a:Kathy Reichs|26372|Kathy Reichs|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1201288896p2/26372.jpg] and [a:James Patterson|3780|James Patterson|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1284492096p2/3780.jpg] come up with in an attempt to shift units. But Ed McBain actually explains it so that you can understand it, he includes graphs and charts to simplify it further and also adds a nice touch to the reading experience. I found myself rolling my eyes early on, as if I found his explanations unnecessary but then realised that actually I might have heard this stuff repeated ad infinitum but I hadn't actually learned it. A crime novel that actually educates the reader but doesn't treat them like a child at the same time? Cool.
The characters were not fully realised but you manage to a get a fair sense of who they are and of course it's counteracted by the fact that you know there are so many more novels written about these guys which will hopefully allow them to grow and add depth over time. In this way it really is like a fly on the wall TV show. I read somewhere that this was the basis for Hill Street Blues (which I haven't seen) but it has definitely leant itself to inspiring countless cop shows most notably in my mind is the show based on the [a:David Simon|11395|David Simon|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1271661731p2/11395.jpg] book mentioned above, Homicide Life On The Street.
I should note that it's actually quite funny in parts, like true human interraction tough times and the everyday life of work are made better with humour and the observation of the behaviour of cops gathered together is another high point for Ed McBain.
It's a novel that's nearly 60 years old now and it hasn't really dated which is incredibly impressive. Sure we've all become immune to being impressed with the forensic nature of police work after the saturation of our daily lives with CSi and it's clones not to mention the many books that are constantly written featuring pathologists, forensic experts, bone cutters and whatever else trashy authors like [a:Kathy Reichs|26372|Kathy Reichs|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1201288896p2/26372.jpg] and [a:James Patterson|3780|James Patterson|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1284492096p2/3780.jpg] come up with in an attempt to shift units. But Ed McBain actually explains it so that you can understand it, he includes graphs and charts to simplify it further and also adds a nice touch to the reading experience. I found myself rolling my eyes early on, as if I found his explanations unnecessary but then realised that actually I might have heard this stuff repeated ad infinitum but I hadn't actually learned it. A crime novel that actually educates the reader but doesn't treat them like a child at the same time? Cool.
The characters were not fully realised but you manage to a get a fair sense of who they are and of course it's counteracted by the fact that you know there are so many more novels written about these guys which will hopefully allow them to grow and add depth over time. In this way it really is like a fly on the wall TV show. I read somewhere that this was the basis for Hill Street Blues (which I haven't seen) but it has definitely leant itself to inspiring countless cop shows most notably in my mind is the show based on the [a:David Simon|11395|David Simon|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1271661731p2/11395.jpg] book mentioned above, Homicide Life On The Street.
I should note that it's actually quite funny in parts, like true human interraction tough times and the everyday life of work are made better with humour and the observation of the behaviour of cops gathered together is another high point for Ed McBain.