Customer Reviews

Final Justice

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

W.E.B. Griffin's books, while captivating reads, have frequently suffered from inconsistencies from one book to the next. This has often been a result of his detailed summaries, often including dialogue, of events from previous books. Among the Griffin fans with whom I've chatted, this is the most commonly cited complaint.

The newest entry in the Badge of Honor series is the most extreme example. As many other reviewers have pointed out, the setting is jarringly moved from the mid 1970s to the present day. Characters are missing with little explanation. However, the Badge of Honor series has been suffering through the last few entries. Significant subplots have been developed only to drop out of the series. Two previous books have had significant subplots surrounding slayings of police officers, but these have sunk without a trace. And of course, the last book developed the idea that the crack Narcotics 5 squad was crooked, giving every suggestion that book number 8 would be based on this investigation.

As an aside, Griffin's trademark step-by-step description of procedures becomes tiresome when describing things that are commonplace to most readers, such as dumping images from a digital camera and renaming the files.

Maybe Griffin intended to write a book about investigating the 5 squad, but lost interest in a book about dirty cops. I suspect that the series has been suffering from Griffin's attention to his other books. It's a shame, because the first few books in the Badge of Honor series were some of his better ones. Of course, the first two or three entries in each of his series are always the most readable. If you're already a fan, though, odds are you'll read Final Justice despite the holes. And you'll stay up late turning the pages, because he writes well.

And in answer to my initial question, why bother with good editing when the author is assured of a loyal readership?

I had been waiting eagerly for an eighth book in the "Badge of Honor" series for a few years now. I'd figured Griffin would continue the series by skipping ahead a few months and picking up the action somewhere in the mid-1970s, where the seventh book left off.

What I wasn't expecting was a book that's written with the main characters being the same ages as they were before, but the book's action taking place in the present. Griffin has skipped ahead through nearly 30 years of time but clearly states several times throughout the book that only a few months (possibly up to six) have passed since the action of the seventh book ended.

This means that characters now are constantly using cell phones, which are common nowadays but were nonexistent when the series left off in book 7 -- and which they never used in the books up to and including the seventh. It means characters drive cars and trucks that are mentioned by explicit make and model and that exist only now, but were unheard of (even undreamed of) in the 1970s (think SUVs).

I also found jarring the fact that many key players from previous books are absent, without explicit explanations for the changes. For example, Jerry Carlucci, the mayor of Philadelphia through the first seven books, is gone. He's mentioned once or twice, but he's no longer the mayor. I remember a brief mention that indicated he may have been elected to the US Senate, but in the previous books he was always concerned with RE-ELECTION, not with election to an entirely different level of government.

Similarly, the police commissioner is gone (a bit more easily explained, as that's a political appointment and the commissioner serves at the mayor's pleasure); the district attorney is gone; and a few other characters suffer similar fates.

Finally, the book is [filled] with errors of continuity. Matt Payne's elimination from the Marine Corps is explained in this book as a problem with his ear; in the first seven books, it was a problem with his eye. He was only promoted to detective a short time before his promotion to sergeant in the eighth book, and the series has made it plain that such promotion opprotunities rest on passing of examinations that are held only every couple of years, and that not everyone qualifies even to take those tests each time. So Payne's somewhat stellar rise through the ranks goes against the procedures and standards Griffin has described in the series up to and including the seventh book.

One character who was explicitly removed from the police force is back in this book: Wilson Carter. In the fifth book, he left the police force; now he's a sergeant and there's no indication he was ever out of the Highway Patrol.

All that said, I found the book to be an engaging read. Griffin's style always engages me, and though I do often find a lot of his dialog difficult to believe (I doubt people really talk like the characters in his book), I usually finish the books within a day or two. This one took me a week because I read it during a vacation, and only a few dozen pages at a time. And it ended very abruptly, which I'm sure is meant to set up another book, but it left me unsatisfied.

I liked this better than Griffin's last book (in the Corps series) and I liked this one better than the last Badge of Honor issue.

I agree with the criticisms of this and other W.E.B. Griffin books. They are all pretty much the same, fish out of water rich boy serves in the Army, Marines or Police. Finds he is really suited to a life of adventure and meets other good guys in the series, very quickly falls in love with some beauty, has sex and then gets drunk on scotch. What's not to like? I counted up the various Griffin books, I've read them all (over 30) and they are all virtually the same, and yet I love them like I love Cheetos and beer. Just can't put them down. I'll make time to read these books. I liked this one a lot and the inconsistancies were not as pronounced as with his last work.

Relax and enjoy the ride (or chase as the case may be).

Like most people, I prefer books about areas in which I have personal experience, but my lack of experience with Police work does not prevent me from enjoying this excellent book, Final Justice, in this great Badge of Honor series. The author again shows us that there are as many heroes in the police department as there are in the military. Final Justice again highlights the skills of newly minted Detective Sergeant Matt Payne, using him as one of many examples of the intelligence and dedication of the members of the police department. The author always talks about the good and bad of every organization, revealing the humanity and the problems of someone who is dedicated to public service. Mr. Griffin writes about people he knows, and he tells you marvelous inside stories about what happens behind the scenes. This is another great story with dedication as its base. This author knows people and he knows how to make them come alive. He does it so well that many of my friends forget that his books are fiction, so they expect every fact in the books to be completely accurate.

I like fiction that teaches me something, at the same time I get a great story. A friend of mine calls this 'faction'. I get this from Mr. Griffin's books, directly and indirectly. I love his books because Mr. Griffin is a great, natural storyteller, and he forces me to research what is real and what is not. I have purchased 100-200 non-fiction books to check out his characters. His stories always point out how many heroes we really have in America. For me, some of his books are five plus, and some are five, but they are never less than that.

You will enjoy this book at least as much as all of the author's other books, because it is a great story about the good guys versus the bad guys. The good guys work very hard, creating a lot of strain and stress on their personal lives. I wish all authors could write stories this good. As a Navy Brat, a draftee and an Army Reservist, I identify more with Mr. Griffin's books about the military, but these police books are equally enjoyable. This author's books are the only ones I reread on a regular basis, and I give them as gifts to others who are doing a great job, or in the hope that they will emulate the good guys.

We need more authors writing about the heroes in this world, to continue to encourage people to do these tough jobs, in spite of the personal adversity they face daily.

The title suggests that maybe this is it for the Badge of Honor series. I hope not. I agree that sometimes he goes of on detailed tangents about the Philly PD and its inner workings, but he always comes back to the starting point.

The novels in this series were set in the early 1970's, but suddenly in this one we're in at least the late 90's. For the first time the characters are using cellphones and digital cameras, and reporter Mickey O'Hara is now driving a Buick Rendezvous. Digital cameras figure in the plot as the rapist/murderer likes to take pictures of his victims but leaves his camera behind at one scene. Payne, et al, are able to track him through the purchase records.

Sometimes Griffin is predictable: Payne is the center of controversy; he and Detective Jesus Martinez hate each other's guts, while he maintains a friendship with Detective Charley Mc Fadden; he meets beautiful women and has intense sex with them; he again manages to deliver instant justice via gunshot wounds.

But this time he doesn't do well with it. He gets a little loopy after this, his third major "good" shooting since coming on the job. It seems like Griffin realizes that readers of the series may find it a little unseemly and he reflects that in Payne's reaction to this incident.

All in all, though, it's not a bad book, nor is the series. From what I hear the depictions of Rizzo and Company in the earlier novels aren't too far off the mark, and I'd also bet that there were Peter Wohls, Denny Coughlins, Jason Washingtons, and Charley Mc Faddens in the Philly PD.

Enjoy.

The book, though a little inconsistent in parts, is still a good read for fans of the Badge of Honor series. The timeframe is supposed to take place 6 months in the future after the end of The Investigators. It probably would have made more sense to be 2 to 3, or even 5 years after. Car radios have been replaced with cell phones; Jason Washington is a Lieutenant in Homicide and on the Captain's list (he was a SGT in Special Operations at the end of The Investigators), Chief Inspector Coughlin is now a Deputy Commissioner, and Staff Inspector Mike Weisbach of the newly created Ethical Affairs Unit designed to replace Internal Affairs, is now in charge of Internal Affairs, a separate entity from Special Operations. Of course, there is also the new Mayor, DA, and Police Commissioner, with no explanation of their demise after only 6 months. Matt Payne is true to form with the ladies, either having two or three on the string or getting them shot (we think; it is unclear whether "Terry" survives the ordeal). I liked the fact that there was more of a hint to a relationship for Peter and Amy. However, I was a little disappointed with the last 60 pages. It was as if the author was tired of writing the book and was looking for a quick ending and really didn't leave room for an additional sequel which would have been nice. It was, overall, a fast-paced and enjoyable read for 3/4th of the book.

Once again, W.E.B. Griffen has released a novel following the exploits of officers of the Philadelphia police department.

Matt Payne, newly transferred to Homicide gets caught up in several cases including a robbery at a fast food store and a murder of a young woman. He is also assigned to "babysit" an actor that is coming to town for a benefit.

The action moves fast in the book and you definitely will be glued to the book... if you are a fan of the series.

The biggest problem that I have with this book is the shifting of the time. What I mean by that is that the prior book took place sometime in the early to mid 1970's. The new book takes place now, in the present. So in the prior books, the officers were using typewriters, now Matt carries around a laptop. It seems to detract from the book to have all of these high-tech gadgets. This is not a reason not to read the book, but it is a problem.

There are other issues that I have with this book. Other books in the series had a varied cast of characters. This book is the same, but the other characters seemed to be not as important as Matt Payne. They almost seem like a afterthought, a hurried addition. Plus Matt never seems to grow as a character. It just seems to be the same thing almost every book. If you are a fan of the series, you know what I mean.

And one more criticism, why do we need a recap of every person's life history in every single book? I've read the account of why Matt joined the police department so many times I could almost recitie from memory.

Final Justice is a good book. Fans of the series will like it, even with some quirks. Others should start with the first book in the series.

Author of numerous military novels, W.E.B. Griffin continues in his ever-popular Badge of Honor Series with this latest tale of newly minted Sergeant Matt Payne of the Philadelphia P.D.s Homicide Division. Though he never knew his biological father, a cop who was killed in the line of duty, Matt wants to follow in his footsteps after earning his degree at University of Pennsylvania. Nicknamed, The Wyatt Earp of the Main Line for his repeated involvement in shooting incidents, Matt finds himself assigned to investigate the apparent rape/murder of a young woman.

Well-versed in the internal workings of The Philadelphia Police Department, Mr. Griffin can quote both statutes and correct police procedure. While admittedly the reading of such can be extremely dry, Griffin has integrated statutory law into the fast paced story line involving the meshing of the lives of the members of the P.P.D.

As Matt investigates the young womans murder, he also becomes apprised of a fast food robbery gone badly and the parallel to real life tale of a convicted murderers extradition from France. Though Matts intelligence earns him promotion to sergeant, his connections to the hierarchy of the P.P.D., through his powerful attorney stepfather, make for interesting interaction between the mayor and various police commissioners. And lets not forget young Paynes sexual escapades with an attractive female and detective to his association with a films stars pretty assistant.

Teeming with accurate details and plenty of interdepartmental rivalries, Mr. Griffins latest is a thrill ride from the get go. W.E.B. Griffin is quickly proving himself the one of the foremost authors of police procedurals of the twenty-first century.

I totally agree with Mr. McCann's observations but I still found the book quite readable.

I am a former Philadelphia Police Department detective who was assigned to the Intelligence Unit back in the early 60s. And, as I also lived on Rittenhouse Square (like the book's hero, Matt Payne) I found the Badge of Honor series particularly interesting. Part of the fun was trying to identify who the characters really were. But this book ruined that part of the fun for me by jumping so far forward in time with no explanation as to why that happened.

Notwithstanding the leap forward, I enjoyed reading the book. I just had to pretend it had nothing to do with the previous books in the series. If you are not a dyed-in-the-wool Griffin fan, you will find it well worth reading. It is one of those books that you have a hard time putting down and hate to read because you know you will be finished too soon.

The only reason I could not give it 5 stars was the time problem and the dopey little errors that sneaked through and annoyed me. For example, when the man "standing" next to the D.A. in the courtroom stood up when the judge entered.

Nonetheless, I am anxiously awaiting Mr. Griffin's next book.

This is volume 8 of "The Badge of Honor" series, my introduction to the characters and a great beginning for me to another genre of murder-mystery books. Mr Griffin is meticulous in his descriptions of police methods and proceedures which I found to be fascinating as it gives another dimension to police work in general. The hero, Sergeant Matt Payne, the university educated scion of a wealthy Philadelphia family, is promoted to the Homicide division where, despite his youth and relative inexperience, he proves to be a first class cop and is obviously on his way to becoming a public hero. The ending is a bit of a cliff-hanger as our hero and his friend, Pulitzer prize winning journalist Mickey O'Hara, see to the extradition of a well known and long sought crook from Paris, back to Philadelphia. I hope that it isn't too long before the new book appears.