The Shield: Notes From The Barn: The Elite Strike Team Files [Paperback]

David Jacobs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2004

This legit guide to the high-powered series takes fans on a ride-along with the most down-and-dirty detectives to hit the small screen: Vic Mackey (played by actor Michael Chiklis) and the Farmington District's elite Strike Team. It puts readers right in the middle of the action with:

€ Police reports and departmental memos
€ Special dossiers and background biographies
€ Internal Affairs write-ups and psychiatric profiles
€ Surveillance photos and wiretap transcripts
€ Case files, and much more

Cast and episode guides get up close and personal with your favorite actors. Exclusive interviews with series creator Shawn Ryan are included.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Jacobs has written numerous books from tie-ins to mafia and true crime related nonfiction, as well as a series in conjunction with "Court TV" and The Complete Idiot's Guide to the FBI. Jacobs is a rabid fan of "The Shield," and has even claimed to have shaved his head to look more like Vic Mackey during the last season.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451211677
• ISBN-13: 978-0451211675
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,089,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars May be "Fully Authorized" but not "Fully Loaded", January 13, 2004

By 

nychen (GA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shield: Notes From The Barn: The Elite Strike Team Files (Paperback)

Because of awards the show has garnered [Golden Globes], "The Shield" has become a pretty non-mainstream TV show on cable. That's great and I truly applaud the show for its daring risks and good storylines and great characters, but this book isn't what I expected.

I'm a huge Shield fan [ www.theshieldfans.com ] and I was hoping for an exclusive look at how the show is produced, how scripts are written, characters played out, behind-the-scene interviews and more from this "Fully Authorized - Fully Loaded" book. Instead it's only "Fully Authorized" and Half-Loaded...

Coming from FX, I expected something more original and atypical. While there are alot of pictures, they are all black and white and printed on newspaper/recycled-like paper, ie texture isn't great nor white. The book is basically an episode guide with summaries of what happened in each episode, what each character's profile is, and that's it.

You do NOT get any insight on the cast or crew, you do not go behind-the-scenes, you do not have anything new that you do not already know if you have seen the show on TV. If that's what a guide is, then this really does not present anything worth having unless you just like to look at some images from each episode and of the cast that you haven't seen before.

Overall, this book is not helpful unless you have missed several episodes of the show and do not have the DVDs. This is a basic fan-book that gives you "notes" that any basic fan could write up.

Skip this and instead, spend your money on something more worthwhile - the DVDs and other Shield-related merchandise. Check out: theshieldfans.com for more items.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Love The Show---Absolutely Hate The Book, March 1, 2004

By 

Carl Krampitz (Lebanon, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Shield: Notes From The Barn: The Elite Strike Team Files (Paperback)

This book would have been much better if it wasn't written to entertain more than to inform. It is written in a style that attempts to make the reader think they are reading police investigation reports about Vic Mackey and crew. This book would have been a hell of lot better if it was written matter-of-factly about the show, actors, and characters, along with the episode guide. Ultimately this book insults the intelligence of anyone who has seen, and is familiar with this exceptional television series. I hope to get at least $5 for this book on Ebay.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Meet the boys from the strike team, February 5, 2008

By 

Jason (the West Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shield: Notes From The BarnThe Elite Strike Team Files (Paperback)

Can get enough Mackey? Then I suggest you pick this book up, it is a who's-who of Shawn Ryan's groundbreaking cop series. Also contains an episode guide for seasons 1 and 2.