Bomber's Law: A Novel [Hardcover]

George V. Higgins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1993

The new commanding officer of the Detective Division at state headquarters in Boston, Brian Dennison begins to suspect that his predecessor, Bomber Lawrence, was in league with a notorious mobster. 35,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"We did it for the money" is retired lawman Bomber Lawrence's explanation for any piece of bad behavior, and Higgins's latest feast of dialogue (after Defending Billy Ryan ) often illustrates Bomber's Law. Recalled to Boston after a 12-month exile in the Massachusetts sticks, sergeant Harry Dell'Appa replaces Bob Brennan on a stakeout of Short Joey Mossi, a reputed mob hit man on whom the police have as yet been unable to pin anything. Going through Brennan's file on Mossi, Dell'Appa finds it suspiciously light; longstanding mutual dislike between the two cops makes it easy for Harry to believe there's something fishy going on. The reason for their antagonism and the results of Dell'Appa's suspicions are revealed in Higgins's preferred style, which favors dialogue--or rather, monologues--over narrative descriptions. The simple, precise plot constantly gets lost in the author's urge to reproduce the exact cadences of his characters' speech; individual sentences are accurate, realistic and very well written, but the endless digressions and stories within the story are rambling and undramatic, especially when compared to the dialogue that is directly plot-motivated. Still, with an author who uses monologues like arias to create atmosphere and character, plot naturally takes second place. Perhaps that's Higgins's Law: He did it for the dialogue. BOMC selection.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The hero of Higgins's 23rd mystery novel is Detective Sgt. Harry Dell'Appa, a sensitive investigator in his thirties who has returned to his Boston headquarters on special assignment after an enforced exile in the Berkshires designed to call a halt to his ill-fated office romance. Almost entirely through dialog, the reader comes to loathe Harry's partner, who's been tailing a hired mob killer for years with no apparent results. In a dramatic finale, we learn the reasons for Harry's puzzling inertia. Higgins comes through again with the subtle characterization and humor we expect; one wants to reread the book to savor the clues scattered here and there. Sure to satisfy the legions of Higgins fans and win new converts. BOMC main selection.
- Joyce Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib. , Manalapan, N.J.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co; 1st edition (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805023291
• ISBN-13: 978-0805023299
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,809,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars George V. Higgins at his best!, January 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bomber's Law: A Novel (Paperback)

George V. Higgins has earned his place as the Balzac of Boston, describing through the use of dialogue various low-level crooks, pols, lawyers, and other low life. No one can top him for a sense of the language, nor for the desperation in his characters. He really sets the pace in this genre. Bomber's Law is as good as it comes.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Drowning in chatter, August 26, 2001

By 

Donald Kahn (London England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bomber's Law: A Novel (John MacRae Books) (Paperback)

Maybe it's me. I thought The Friends of Eddie Coyle was a masterly novel, but twenty years later, this one drove me nuts. The long conversations are utterly unlifelike. I have never in my life heard conversations like these. And the windup is not worth the effort to get through to it.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've never read anything like it., March 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Bomber's Law: A Novel (Paperback)

The dialogue went all over the place but in the in, I liked it. Nothing made sense until the end.