Customer Reviews

Beverly Hills Detective

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I really enjoyed this book!!! It is refreshing to see a book written by the REAL person who was involved with the content of the book. This book gives a true account of life and law enforcement in the 50's and 60's. I highly recommend it!!!

ROBERT DOWNEY HAS REVEALED, IN DETAIL, TRUE DETECTIVE CASES THAT OCCURRED IN BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA. THESE TRUE STORIES HAVE NEVER BEFORE BEEN AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. AS FORMER POLICE CHIEF OF BEVERLY HILLS, I CAN ATTEST TO THE AUTHENTICITY OF THESE FASCINATING CASES.

This book is very easy to read. The account flows well and naturally. The police/crime events depicted are real life. They are amusing,aggravating, rewarding, sometimes disappointing.The author approaches his subject directly, and is knowledgeable of the actions described. The interface with, and knowledge of, certain TV and Movie celebrities, is a plus. This is a good book.

I am the grandson of Robert E Downey. It was great to read all the good things my grandfather did. It was a great book.

ROBERT DOWNEY HAS REVEALED, IN DETAIL, TRUE DETECTIVE CASES THAT OCCURRED IN BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA. THESE TRUE STORIES HAVE NEVER BEFORE BEEN AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. AS FORMER POLICE CHIEF OF BEVERLY HILLS, I CAN ATTEST TO THE AUTHENTICITY OF THESE FASCINATING CASES.

BEVERLY HILLS DETECTIVE is a true story that restores faith in America's police force, a refreshing perspective after the accusations of brutality and incompetence that reporters use to sell copy. It is no secret that the media has a talent for stirring up a hornet's nest, but reading between the lines of this book will stir frenzy of a different sort.

Through a series of vignettes, Robert Downey relives the life of a policeman moving up the ranks from a rookie changing light bulbs for elderly women, to a detective solving a rash of crimes in the posh Mecca of Hollywood's famous residential district. He is a cop bent on restoring justice in spite of laws that favor crooks and penalize victims. He deals with crooks who bribe officers, with wealthy residents who bilk insurance companies, and with insurance companies that take it on the chin rather than risk offending the clientele that keep the wheels greased. He talks about lawyers and judges who have lost a sense of justice, who drag legal proceedings into eternity, who use legalese to turn truth upside down. He speaks of a lawyer who suggests crooks should compromise investigators and get the incriminating evidence on tape. He tells of a judge who disregards evidence of forced entry, ignores the discrepancy of a non-existent sewing machine that defense claims proves innocence, and shows how plea bargaining keeps crooks on the streets.

The justice system seems to have gone amuck. Perhaps the solution is as simple as the suggestion of a rookie cop who said keys made to fit every black and white would keep cars drivable, or of a seasoned detective who said penalizing lawyers and judges for cluttering the system would restore integrity. Movies discrediting police, media taking the side of crooks, a few professionals giving the entire system a bad name, and an author comes forward to set the record straight.

BEVERLY HILLS DETECTIVE is a plea for change, as eye-opening as a movie, without a doubt well-worth the price of admission.

This acknowledgement of BHPD at it's finest is all about true life crime without the hype, sex, and sleaze that you will find in many crime novels today. Without the "men in blue" that we had in the '50's/60, we would not have the charactor today that we have to deal with the present and future problems of youth, morality, sex, and violence.