Customer Reviews

Homicide #2: violent delights

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This was a good, but not great book. For a novel that ties into a TV show, it was very well written. Other novelizations I read tend to be under-written, meant to only appeal to the fans of whatever show it's about. This book, however, could be picked up by anyone, and it would be a good, and more importantly, an easy read. The character's are fairly true to the show. I can totally see Munsch trying to ruin everyone's holiday with his rant on tainted meat. His character is written perfectly. I am a huge fan of the show, and Violent Delights does the show justice. That is the highest compliment that could be given to this or any book about the show Homicide.

The author obviously knows his Policework. However, the characterization left something to be desired, and he frequently changed the spelling of Meldrick Lewis to Meldrake Lewis a couple of times. Otherwise, a wonderful book.

I mean, just because it's off the tube shouldn't mean it's all over, period. The characterizations of Munch as intellectual head-gamester who misses the designation "nerd" only because he leaves you with the slight impression that it might just be a lousy idea to mess with him, Pembleton as tough but intelligent sleuth, Kellerman as somewhat immature "himbo", Lewis as levelheaded counterbalance to his colleagues' emotional excesses, and Giardello's imposing but fatherly relationship with his subordinates are dead-on. Priesman gets Colonel Barnfather's rank wrong, though--I don't ever remember seeing him as only a captain on the tube. Both this book series and its screen counterpart (as well as the "competition" of "NYPD Blue") mark a renaissance in the "cop story" genre. The killing spree of two escapees from a hospital for the criminally insane doesn't dominate the whole story as used to be the case back when cops were seen as a faceless mass of "Blue Meanies" and the "problems" of the criminals were all anyone was supposed to care about. I know it had to evolve beyond the knight-like Sergeant Friday & Dan Matthews, but the social work theory of police work was no "evolution". Nor were Ponch & Jon, who were only a notch more serious than Barney Miller. Baltimore's "Homicide" cops are PEOPLE--guys with problems at home, problems with the brass, problems with each other. They have strengths and weaknesses. Now here's hoping that this series continues (Munch transferring to a "Law & Order" spinoff isn't quite enough--he comes off as really pretentious and annoying over there), and that somebody gets on the stick and gives us some books on Sipowicz & co.