On the Grind: A Shane Scully Novel [Hardcover]

Stephen J. Cannell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Shane Scully | Publication Date: January 6, 2009

On the heels of Three Shirt Deal, a New York Times bestseller, comes an electrifying new thriller from Stephen J. Cannell in which Lt. Shane Scully is accused of evidence tampering and his wife, Alexa, discovers Shane’s been having an affair with a beautiful movie star.

Charged with felony misconduct in a high-profile solicitation of murder case, Lieutenant Scully is faced with an impossible decision: either quietly resign from his job as a detective for the LAPD, the work he loves, or face criminal prosecution. Rather than smear the department’s reputation and his own, Scully chooses to leave. His colleagues of years feel betrayed to learn that a dirty cop has been in their midst. His wife, Alexa, the chief of detectives, leaves him, seeking a divorce for his dalliance with the accused in the case, a beautiful, well-known Hollywood actress. His son, Chooch, horrified by these events, won’t even speak to him. Life as Scully knows it is over. Or so it seems . . .

In order to make a living the only way he knows how, Shane seeks employment from a police department that has been known to hire rejects from other departments: the Haven Park PD. Haven Park is an incorporated city near downtown Los Angeles, just one square mile in size and populated almost entirely by Mexican immigrants, most of them illegal. The department is a hotbed of corruption, in effect the personal goon squad and collection agency of the town’s mayor, Cecil Bratano. Ushered into the department by his new partner, Alonzo Bell, Shane takes his lessons in policing from one of the dirtiest cops around.

But things in L.A. are hardly ever what they seem. Relentlessly harassed by an over-zealous FBI agent, the alluring Ophelia Love, and under the constant, violent, and hyper-paranoid scrutiny of his new comrades-at-arms, Shane finds himself in snare a far greater than any he could have expected. His estranged wife may be the only one who can get Shane out of this mess alive. The question is: Is she willing to do so?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In bestseller Cannell's implausible ninth Shane Scully crime thriller (after Three Shirt Deal), Scully is unceremoniously dismissed from the LAPD after striking a plea bargain to avoid prosecution for blackmailing a movie actress, Tiffany Roberts, who was seeking a hit man to off her unsavory husband. Outraged at reports that Scully slept with Roberts, Scully's wife, who's chief of detectives, throws him out. Eventually, the ex-cop lands an entry-level job in Haven Park, a city known for the most corrupt police department in California. Early on, a plot twist casts Scully's disgrace in a new light, but it might have packed more of a punch had it not been so telegraphed. The stakes rise after the detective's new colleagues on the Haven Park police force recruit him to hobble the political aspirations of a reform candidate for mayor. Unfortunately, this effort lacks the humor and realism that marked the author's acclaimed TV creations, such as The Rockford Files and Wiseguy. Author tour. (Jan.)
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Review

Praise for Stephen J. Cannell

“Scully navigates the stormy waters with style and an implacable, tough-guy attitude”

--Booklist

“Written by a born entertainer.”

--New York Post on White Sister

“A terrific read.”

--New York Sun on White Sister

“Cannell dishes out the action in forklift-sized servings.”

--Publishers Weekly on White Sister

“Stephen J. Cannell is one of my favorite authors. Read Steve---you’ll be hooked!”

--Janet Evanovich, bestselling author of Fearless Fourteen

“Stephen J. Cannell is a master storyteller and On The Grind is the proof. Cover to cover it’s a story that never lets you up for air. Read it!”

--Michael Connelly, bestselling author of The Brass Verdict

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1ST edition (January 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312366280
• ISBN-13: 978-0312366285
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Trouble for Shane, Less Sleep for the Reader, January 13, 2009

By 

Jo Swerling "Cannell Addict" (Hollywood, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Grind: A Shane Scully Novel (Hardcover)

ON THE GRIND, the latest Shane Scully page-turner from Stephen J. Cannell, finds Shane's personal and professional life in shambles. The only way he can earn a living is to join a small-town police department in the L.A. Barrio which is rotten to the core with corruption which riddles the entire city government right up to and including the mayor. Never before has he been in such jeopardy, and the big question is, will he fight the corruption he encounters, or will he take part in it?

I always read these Shane Scully books too quickly, because it's so hard to put them down, and that makes the wait for the next book longer. Somehow, Cannell gets better each time up to bat, so my expectations rise and are always exceeded. Some of the material in ON THE GRIND was inspired by actual events covered in various Los Angeles newspapers, which makes it all the more amazing. Don't miss this one!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tight tale of danger and escalating violence, March 26, 2009

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: On the Grind: A Shane Scully Novel (Hardcover)

Shane Scully is in disgrace. Turned out of the LAPD because of an alleged affair with a suspect, rejected by his wife, and broke, Scully turns to the one police force in the L.A. area that doesn't ask questions. Working with some of the most corrupt cops in the country, Scully soon learns that, in Haven Park, money flows uphill--but a lot of it sticks. Starting with towing legally parked cars, but going up from there, the entire city has turned into a piggy bank for the mayor and his cronies--with the cops serving both as enforcers and as legal protection.

From the mayor's perspective, there's one fly in the ointment--a former boxer is mounting a clean-up campaign. If he wins, the Haven Park P.D. will be out of their jobs, the money line stops, and the mayor will probably end up in jail. The mayor sees Scully as the perfect man to solve his problems.

Scully's options are limited. The other cops on the force don't trust him, he's constantly searched for wires, and they always seem to know where he goes when he's off duty. Letting the opposition candidate be murdered isn't in the cards--but neither can Scully figure out a way to keep himself, or the candidate, safe no matter what he does. When the police go wrong, all of the options are bad.

Author Stephen J. Cannell delivers a tight thriller with escalating stakes, and plenty of action. Scully's world, filled with illegal immigrants, smuggled guns, friction between the Feds and local law enforcement, and opportunists, is intriguing and convincing. I would have liked to see a few more twists and plant/payoffs, but Cannell definitely delivers a story that's easy to get caught up in and hard to put down.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Real Page Flipper!!, May 2, 2009

By 

John R. Linnell (New Gloucester, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: On the Grind: A Shane Scully Novel (Hardcover)

When you are looking for a book that will not confuse or confound you, a Stephen J. Cannell novel is just what the doctor ordered. Fast paced, cleverly written and page flipping good, this latest of the Shane Scully novels continues to deliver action and excitement which is about all you can ask for a story of this sort.

The Haven Park PD is a haven of lawlessness on the edge of LA and the only place a disgraced LAPD officer can go to find employment. Shane Scully has been given a one way ticket out of the LAPD after a felony misconduct charge involving solicitation of murder. His wife is divorcing him. His son has disowned him. He is at the bottom of the barrell which adequately describes the HPPD.

As you might expect and soon find out, all is not as it seems as Scully is pulled into an underover role that is as dangerous as they come. These cops play for real.