Customer Reviews

Outside the Badge

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mitchell Grobeson's novel is truly overwhelming not only due to the storylines, but due to the immense volume of information and detail he provides. At times, it was distracting, trying to follow all the policies, politics, and events he portrayed, and I was hard-pressed to understand where these details fit in with the story. But when I was finished, I realized that it all added to the overall story of what a gay officer would face in the force. As Mr. Grobeson himself stated, he's not a writer; he's a story-teller. And I might add . . . a good one at that.

The novel follows two story lines for the majority of the book, until the end when the two collide. And I do mean collide. The first follows Steve Cainen, a LAPD officer who has been suffering harrassment from most of the department due to rumors that he is gay. Despite receiving no back-up on tough calls, and finding harrassing notes on his locker and personal vehicle, Steve still tries to serve the people of LA to the best of his ability. And he usually succeeds. The second follows a psychopath (and his cohorts) as he embarks on a self-imposed crusade to rid LA of all the gay hustlers and the AIDS epidemic he claims they bring. We receive a clear description of each victim, showing where they came from and why they're on the street. Seeing the vitims' "bios" just makes their ultimate end that much harder to take. When the two stories collide, and Steve meets the psycho, it is truly a clash of good against evil.

Even more than these main story lines, however, I truly loved reading Mr. Grobeson's descriptions of Steve's life as a cop. Through his interactions with the local citizens, whether it be at a Neighborhood Watch meeting, handling gang members, or giving a talk to kids about saying NO to drugs, you can see a real caring attitude and sincerity in the belief that a police officer can help his/her community. And despite this being fiction, it does have a awesome dose of reality. For instance, getting gang members to paint over grafitti was tried by my dad and the local National Guard in a community out West with very similar positive results. Grobeson knows what he's talking about. The struggle our hero went through, trying to reconcile his love for being a cop, with feeling useless due to politics beyond his control was very strong. Overall, it painted a picture of a man that does have a story to tell. I'd love to sit down with the author and find out more about what it was really like out there, but for now, I'll just take this book and enjoy what he has given us here.

One final word of WARNING: Although I truly did enjoy this book, the reader should know there are some very graffic torture scenes in this book. It is not for the faint-hearted, so consider this when purchasing the book.

OUTSIDE THE BADGE by Mitchell Grobeson is easily the most disturbing book I've ever completed, also one of the most riveting. Grobeson is the first openly gay police officer in the history of the Los Angeles Police Department and the first police officer in the nation to successfully sue for sexual orientation discrimination, resulting in a landmark 1993 settlement ordering the LAPD to immediately halt its discriminatory practices. While OUTSIDE THE BADGE is a work of fiction, it reflects many elements of Grobeson's tortured law enforcement career.

Published in 1999, OUTSIDE THE BADGE tells the story of proud and honest L.A police officer, Stephen Cainen. He is constantly harassed by his fellow patrolmen and supervisors because they believe him to be gay. He is gay, but has never admitted the fact to anyone and the behavior of the other policemen is the result of baseless rumor. Cainen is repeatedly endangered by the refusal of his fellow officers to back him up in life-threatening situations.

Add to this a serial killer on the loose, a man who considers Charles Manson to be his spiritual father, a man hell-bent on ridding the streets of Hollywood of all the blonde AIDS spreading male prostitutes. The killer is a psychotically repressed homosexual and every time he kills a young victim he has an orgasm. He even tape records the murders so he can enjoy them again later.

In order to flush out the killer, Cainen is blackmailed by his superiors into accepting an extremely dangerous under-cover operation. Refusing to allow the "God fearing" brass to pressure him into resigning, Cainen hits the streets in search of the killer, a search that could leave him dead. His comrades won't help him and he has precious few allies.

This was not an easy book to read. The authentic descriptions of a police force full of over grown bullies, determined to keep things as they are, were really frightening. I've lived in L.A. and Grobeson's depictions are right on the money. Also the images of the serial killer, and his methods, made for an exceptionally uneasy read. However, Grobeson made me care so much about this mistreated but uncomplaining gay cop, I simply could not put the book down. Stephen Cainen is one of the most admirably developed protagonists to ever cross the pages of gay fiction. He is a hero for all gay people, and Grobeson has brilliantly portrayed his battle for self-respect and dignity in this book. This is a dark upsetting novel, but I'm very glad I read it.

What happens when a stark raving psychopath and a closeted gay cop are hurled towards each other like speeding trains on a same track? A "top-of-his-class" officer in the Los Angeles Police Department, Steve Cainen faces increasing harassment as his co-workers and superiors suspect he might be gay. Soon the whispers turn to threats, overt aggression, betrayal and conspiracy. Blackmailed by the homophobic bunch, Cainen is left no choice but to engage in undercover work that will ultimately push him in a pit of violence and pure horror. In the imminent crash between a serial killer and a man in search of his identity, one will lose his soul and the other will find it.

Based on the author's real-life experiences in the LAPD, "Outside The Badge" is a tightly written page-turner. The style is clear and blunt, the pages seeded with shocking revelations, heart-breaking moments and a threatening sense of impending doom. The development is treated with the same precision and minutia one would expect in an investigation, including graphic descriptions of street life, rape and torture scenes.

But let us not be fooled: "Outside The Badge" is above all the story of a man fighting for his principles, his dignity and the right to live. One might read this wonderful piece as the autobiography of a courageous heart, of a modern hero. It is not to be forgotten that the author, Sergeant Mitchell Grobeson, was the first openly gay officer in the LAPD, and the first officer to sue a police department for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

"Outside The Badge" offers a vivid perspective on a seldom-known aspect of police life, a chilling exploration of discrimination, hate and evil, and a touching account of one man's courageous fight.

Mitch Grobeson has drawn upon his experiences as a police officer to develop what I consider to be two skillfully intertwined stories--one involving crimes against street hustlers in Hollywood and the other involving crimes against a police officer by his fellow officers in the LAPD. The author has done an excellent job developing the characters--from the highly decorated police officer, who is himself the victim of harassment and discrimination, to the street hustlers who become the targets of vicious murderers. Grobeson successfully keeps the story moving at a good pace, even while conveying alot of information. He effectively adapts his writing to the specific scene he is describing, from his vivid descriptions of intense torture scenes to the thought-provoking epilogue which compares the environments in Los Angeles and San Francisco. And the photo of the bare chested Grobeson on the front cover is an added bonus for the reader!

I hope Grobeson will continue writing--he provides a unique perspective into the workings of the police department and the gay community.

I loved reading this book. The author writes in the same dark-gritty, edge-of-your-seat suspenseful style of a Raymond Chandler. It was an entertaining read, if you can use the word "entertaining" to describe the gnarly gruesome murders that the Hero of this book fought against. Get this book -- dude, you want be sorry.
P.S. It's probably all true, b/c I saw the author interviewed on the TV show "Sixty Minutes."

A friend told me to read this book, that I wouldn't be sorry. He raved so much about it, I gave in. Wow, what a good one! Nice mix of just the right amount of sex and violence plus lots of good writing and exposure of illegal police practices. It comes with authority, too, because the writer according to the publisher's biography is a policeman in the LAPD and he has been featured on TV shows "60 Minutes" and "Phil Donahue." The revelations in this book make sense in light of the Ramparts scandal, the Rodney King beating, the Daryl Gates kingdom, and other documented wrongdoings against minorities. (The author of this book is gay and was harrassed by LAPD because of it.) Great reading. I suggest it to anyone who can handle a stiff dose of reality.

I had the opportunity to meet the author of this book and had him explain to me some of his background in the LAPD. I started out reading this book and as I continued I was impressed by Grobelson's writing style to keep the reader wanting more. This book is a must for myster readers, people in law enforcement, or concerned with gay issues. Keep up the good work Mitch! - I hope to be reading another book of yours soon.

firts quarter of book I give a 3-- got the feeling of gay rant about lapd--second quarter --pumbed up to a 4--facts added but blended better with story. Last half --put it over the top.

I liked that in a short time some characters were in book--you got their story, the why and how of their life.

would like to see more books of fiction with Steve in his role as PI

I had the privilege of meeting Sgt. 'Mitch' (Mitchell Grobeson) at a book signing in Royal Oak, Michigan. After a very friendly and informative conversation with him, I purchased the book, which I read that evening. "Outside The Badge" deals principally with a L.A. police officer and his experiences relating to the manner in which gay officers are treated within the L.A. police department. It brings forcefully to the reader how gays are treated (even tortured, humiliated, raped, set-up, and often murdered) without the slightest interest or concern on the part of the press, and more importantly, the police. Sgt. 'Mitch' formally a police sergeant in the Los Angeles Police Department has written an absolutely fascinating and at times frightening story about gay tragedy. The story centers between events within the police department and vicious crimes being perpetrated against a number of 'suspected' male hustlers. "Outside The Badge" is definitely highly recommended reading and should be included in the libraries of important gay and law enforcement literature.

Written by LAPD's first openly gay officer, part fact, part fiction, Outside the Badge is an indictment of the LAPD of the time. It centres on gay cop of integrity Steve Cainen, rebuffed and taunted by his colleagues for his sexual orientation, he sets out alone and for the most unsupported to solve the fate of missing young gays, cruelly mutilated and tortured to death.
I must admit that I was not able to read the book in its entirety, but skimmed a number or passages; apart from the dry and at times disengaging prose and the frequent interposition of police procedural details or other explanations, I found the story becoming all too depressing. The treatment of Cainen by his fellow police officers was bad enough, but the gruesome details of the torture and murder of the killer's many victims I found too much to stomach.
While I did not like that aspect of the book, I do not dismiss it. It is certainly a tense thriller. More significantly it paints an alarming picture of the prejudice, inefficiency and lack of humanity prevalent in the LAPD, and for that alone it is worthy of merit.