Night Dogs [Hardcover]

Kent Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 1998

Hansen, a Vietnam vet who became a cop in Portland, Oregon, is barely in control of his own violent tendencies. The precinct he covers in the time frame of the book--the 70s--is becoming far more dangerous due to drugs and the increasing availability of guns within this war zone. Hansen is an effective cop, but more and more he is drawn into situations where his own need for violent action will get him into trouble. Now a colleague in the department is secretly checking on Hansen's war record, hoping to discredit him. There is plenty of cop action in this beautifully written novel, but above all it is a portrait of a man who will never put Vietnam behind him--the war is inside him.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Every June 15th out at North Precinct, 'A' relief and graveyard shift started killing dogs. The police brass and local politicians only smiled if they were asked about it, shook their heads, and said it was just another one of those old myths about the precinct. The cops at North Precinct called them 'Night Dogs,' feral dogs, wild and half-wild, who roamed the districts after dark. Their ancestors had been pets, beaten and abandoned by their owners to breed and give birth on the streets." That's the stately, carefully weighted language and metaphor that begins what James Crumley (The Last Good Kiss) calls "the best cop novel I have ever read." Of course, the "night dogs" are not only the roaming canines but also the people from the rougher neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon--most particularly the police who work out of North Precinct. Seen through the eyes of a patrolman named Hanson, a Vietnam vet who thought he had seen the worst the world had to offer over there but is proved wrong every day, the story at first seems episodic, unconnected. But gradually all the threads of anger and pain come together to create an unforgettable picture of urban angst. Author Kent Anderson, who was a Vietnam vet and a Portland policeman in the 1970s, says that some readers might find his book disturbing or offensive: "The truth sometimes affects people that way." Then he adds a chilling footnote: "Things are much worse now than they were in 1975."

From Library Journal

It is 1975, and Vietnam veteran Hanson, the hero of Anderson's first novel, Sympathy for the Devil (1987), is a street cop in Portland, Oregon. Through a series of increasingly disorienting episodes, he dispenses rough justice and doubtful order in the toughest and most degraded parts of the city. The stresses in post-Vietnam American society and Hanson's difficulty in resolving his experiences in combat lead him through some disturbing rites, as for instance the annual North Precinct feral dog hunt, in which officers compete to run over strays with their patrol cars. Drugs, guns, sex, and all the usual attractions of youth call to Hanson; eventually, the death of a close friend and mentor impels him to make his peace with life. Anderson's vision is undeniably powerful, but the relentless violence and dark atmosphere will put off the squeamish. Recommended for large public libraries. [First published in 1996 in a limited edition by Dennis McMillan Publications, this novel is being given a full national distribution by Bantam.?Ed.]?Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
-?Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (January 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055310764X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553107647
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,307,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical cop story..., May 27, 2001

By 

Patrick M. (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Dogs (Mass Market Paperback)

Although you can find NIGHT DOGS in the suspense/thriller section at your neighborhood bookstore, Kent Anderson's story of the stark reality of a Portland cop's beat in the aftermath of the Vietnam War is much more than your everyday thriller. Officer Hanson is a character you will not soon forget. A Vietnam veteran haunted by his military experience, Hanson finds purpose in his job as a cop in the North Precinct, a proud but poor Portland neighborhood, where the police are more often at odds with the residents than protecting them.

But this is not your typical cop-story or your run of the mill thriller. The language is brutal, the characters peculiar, the overall tone is murky, dark. This book is not for the timid. Hanson's motivations are disturbing, and the whole story has an abrasiveness to it that is not often found in suspense novels, where that final confrontation between good and evil is what keeps you turning the pages. The reader of NIGHT DOGS is not necessarily motivated by that imminent conflict with the antagonist, but the nagging wonder of whether or not Hanson will ultimately destroy himself. The showdown between good and evil is nullified because the line between the two has been erased and they have melded into one gruesome blur.

As an exclusive reader of thriller novels, this is the first that I have felt strongly enough about to write a review. The characters, not just Hanson but his supporting cast as well, will likely stick in your memory for some time. I have read a half dozen novels since finishing NIGHT DOGS, but Anderson's images remain as strong as ever. This is an important book. I recommend it highly to readers of all genres.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real life in Portland, 1975, December 4, 1999

By 

James Bellah - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Dogs (Hardcover)

I worked with Kent Anderson in North Precinct in 1975. Although the book is fiction, many of the stories have a ring of truth and the gut feelings he describes so well are real. He humanizes the police and the people on the street, far from a "Just the facts, Ma'm" kind of novel. Cops can cry, cops can be afraid and Anderson shows what it was like. Our police union newspaper editor gave it a bad review, saying it was too racist. But then again, but he never worked anything other than middle class white neighborhoods. I guess you had to be there. Read the book and you will be.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Cop Novel Since Wambaughs Choirboys, March 27, 2000

By 

Dan "Lasombra" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Dogs (Mass Market Paperback)

Night Dogs caught me totally by surprise. I bought the book not knowing what to expect, and after I read the first 3 pages I knew I had found something unique. The book is not a dramatic account of the search for a serial killer or a drug lord, but instead gives an episodic glimpse into the life of a young cop who is still trying to make sense of his experiences in Vietnam as a Green Beret. The most influential people in my life have been vietnam vets, and the Hanson character has helped me understand what the young men of that generation who served went through. Anyone interested in police work or the Vietnam war should read this book and then read Sympathy For The Devil to better understand where the sometimes cruel Officer Hanson character is coming from. This is a fantastic book, I hope Mr. Anderson is getting the recognition he deserves.