The Most Dangerous Police Book Ever Written...
In Superbia, it's not what happens on the streets that's scary, at least you know those people are trying to kill you. It's what happens inside the station.
Small-town police detectives get the job done any way they can while constantly trying to subvert the power-mad efforts of their administrators. Not-Even-Promoted Detective Vic Ajax and his protege Frank O'Ryan face off with rapists, pedophiles, drug dealers, and a six foot bunny rabbit that beats the truth out of criminals.
Written by a police detective who was subsequently stripped of his rank after the book's publication, Superbia is the funniest, scariest, and "Most subversive police book since Serpico!"
Start reading Superbia (Book One of the Superbia Series) on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
Try it free |
Read books on your computer or other mobile devices with our FREE Kindle Reading Apps.
|
| Digital List Price: |
$0.99
What's this?
|
| Print List Price: | $8.99 |
| Kindle Price: | $0.99 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet |
| You Save: | $8.00 (89%) |
|
| |||||||||||||||
Browse the best books of summer including blockbusters, beach reads, and editors' picks in our Summer Reading Store. |
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Ed McBain for the 21st Century." Matt Posner, author of School of the Ages
**
"The most subversive police book written since Serpico!" reader review, Amazon.com
***
"Step to the side, Joseph Wambaugh." 5-Star Review
***
"Books like this make me glad to be an insomniac." - Reader review, Amazon
***
"After reading that Bernard was the 'McBain of the 21st Century' I had to give this one a go. I am glad that I did." - Reader review, Amazon
***
"Schaffer is the very best independent author I have ever read...with Superbia, Schaffer has taken his game to an entirely new level." David Hulegaard, author of Noble
From the Author
Personalized authorgraphing is now available for this title! See inside for details.
Product Details
Would you like to give feedback on images? |
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
There are so many things that I want to say about this book, but I truly believe that the best way to experience it is to go into it cold. That's the way I experienced it. From being a fan of the author, I knew roughly what it was about, but when I began to read, it could not have been any further from my initial expectation.
Hands down, Schaffer is the very best independent author I have ever read. I buy his books with confidence knowing that I'm going to get a quality read. With Superbia, Schaffer has taken his game to an entirely new level. It's obvious from the first pages of the book that he is very close to the subject matter, and that he's speaking straight from the heart. He presents the reader with an opportunity to peek behind the curtain of real police work. It's gritty and hard to stomach at parts, but when it's over, I can close the book. I can't even imagine what it's like to face that kind of evil every day.
You have probably read a police procedural or detective story before. You have never read one like this. Schaffer's story is dark, intelligent, eye-opening, and if you can believe it, funny. Superbia is somehow both the most somber and hilarious book Schaffer has ever written. I've already read it twice and I'm ready to go back again.
I have read all of this author's books, and Superbia is my new favorite by a wide margin. If I had to offer any criticism at all, it's that I have no idea how he's going to top it, but I can't wait to watch him try.
Hands down, Schaffer is the very best independent author I have ever read. I buy his books with confidence knowing that I'm going to get a quality read. With Superbia, Schaffer has taken his game to an entirely new level. It's obvious from the first pages of the book that he is very close to the subject matter, and that he's speaking straight from the heart. He presents the reader with an opportunity to peek behind the curtain of real police work. It's gritty and hard to stomach at parts, but when it's over, I can close the book. I can't even imagine what it's like to face that kind of evil every day.
You have probably read a police procedural or detective story before. You have never read one like this. Schaffer's story is dark, intelligent, eye-opening, and if you can believe it, funny. Superbia is somehow both the most somber and hilarious book Schaffer has ever written. I've already read it twice and I'm ready to go back again.
I have read all of this author's books, and Superbia is my new favorite by a wide margin. If I had to offer any criticism at all, it's that I have no idea how he's going to top it, but I can't wait to watch him try.
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I grew up in a cop family. I was one of those little kids sitting at the dinner table begging to hear stories about the bad guys daddy caught and who would yell "Bye! Please be safe!" everytime he would leave for the station. Superbia lifts the veil why my father never really shared that many stories, and why he would stop me and reply "Don't say bye, say see ya later!". It also explained a lot of things for me too. Yes, Superbia gave me a new appreciation (and sadness) about what cops deal with but it was also a REALLY hard read for me. Because it hit too close to home, because I could picture it too clearly and also because now as an adult, I still have family on the force. Thank god for the cop humor in it (which I always thought was so dark, sick and twisted in a hysterical way). If it wasnt for the belly laughs they provided, I dont know what state I'd be in! This book itself IS the Truth Rabbit. Reading it beat out of me all of these emotions that I couldnt swallow down until I finished and had time to process. Which means, I didn't stop until I did just that. I did a 4 hours straight through read on my tiny a*s iphone kindle app screen. It was THAT MAJOR of a novel.Immediately afterwards, I did two things. Rub my eyes, and call my dad to say "hi". Thank you for writing this book and thank you for working to get the bad guys B. Please stay safe.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am associated with Bernard Schaffer as a member of Kindle All-Stars group, but I purchased the book on my own because I was interested in it and I am only writing my genuine feelings.
I began reading this book at the start of my lunch break in the middle of work today. I did absolutely nothing else until I had finished it two hours later. It is a rare book that compels me to such rapt attention. Superbia recalled for me one really interesting police procedural novel I read years ago by Ed McBain -- and I think this book is every bit as interesting and even more raw. Superbia could be called Ed McBain for the 21st century. This book also reminds me of some other classic police dramas, including the tv series Homicide: Life on the Street or NYPD Blue, or the movies Copland and Dirty Harry, and I am sure that I would be comparing it to The Wire, except that I haven't seen The Wire (my bad).
The conceit of Superbia is that all the characters have surnames based on Greek mythology. It might be best for me not to explain how the mythology is relevant to each of the characters, but clearly Bernard planned this aspect carefully, adding a strong level of allusiveness that rewards research and rereading. Most of the names are from the Iliad, many others from Ovid or Sophocles or the Homeric Hymns. Some connections are very clearly relevant, especially one which is tragically so.
Yes, I said tragic. Tragic in the sense that Sophocles is tragic, that Shakespeare's great plays are tragic -- a good person falls to ruin as a result of mistakes and bad luck. There is some rough and painful material in here. Brutality, cruelty, savage emotions, pedophilia, injustice, idiots and smooth operators in law enforcement, bad things happening to good people. There is foul language, but only where there needs to be. Everything feels right. The b*ll-busting of the cops is as funny and real as anything that has ever been written about the police. I could read that for hours on end and never stop enjoying it.
So please, if you are on the fence at all about this book, don't be. Bernard Schaffer is an honest cop. he means what he says, and I'm an honest teacher, and so do I. Superbia is a new classic.
I began reading this book at the start of my lunch break in the middle of work today. I did absolutely nothing else until I had finished it two hours later. It is a rare book that compels me to such rapt attention. Superbia recalled for me one really interesting police procedural novel I read years ago by Ed McBain -- and I think this book is every bit as interesting and even more raw. Superbia could be called Ed McBain for the 21st century. This book also reminds me of some other classic police dramas, including the tv series Homicide: Life on the Street or NYPD Blue, or the movies Copland and Dirty Harry, and I am sure that I would be comparing it to The Wire, except that I haven't seen The Wire (my bad).
The conceit of Superbia is that all the characters have surnames based on Greek mythology. It might be best for me not to explain how the mythology is relevant to each of the characters, but clearly Bernard planned this aspect carefully, adding a strong level of allusiveness that rewards research and rereading. Most of the names are from the Iliad, many others from Ovid or Sophocles or the Homeric Hymns. Some connections are very clearly relevant, especially one which is tragically so.
Yes, I said tragic. Tragic in the sense that Sophocles is tragic, that Shakespeare's great plays are tragic -- a good person falls to ruin as a result of mistakes and bad luck. There is some rough and painful material in here. Brutality, cruelty, savage emotions, pedophilia, injustice, idiots and smooth operators in law enforcement, bad things happening to good people. There is foul language, but only where there needs to be. Everything feels right. The b*ll-busting of the cops is as funny and real as anything that has ever been written about the police. I could read that for hours on end and never stop enjoying it.
So please, if you are on the fence at all about this book, don't be. Bernard Schaffer is an honest cop. he means what he says, and I'm an honest teacher, and so do I. Superbia is a new classic.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read!
Police do not always play nice with others. I whipped through this, loved it and am ready for the next in the series.
Published 4 days ago by Senlin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Honestly loved this book.
I almost didn't read this book glad I did. Loved the dark humor between the two main characters. Really upset with ending because I was not expecting it at all. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Florence
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Snooze!
Having worked in law enforcement I found it to be written similar to a crime report. I can't even remember if I finished it.
Published 6 days ago by oldvixen
4.0 out of 5 stars
scary funny great read
read this a while ago and was picking up the next in series, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details - but it was well done procedural and like Curbchek riff with internal politics,... Read more
Published 15 days ago by I. Reed
4.0 out of 5 stars
Police Reality
A very good fiction based on the real world of the police. Even though the department represented is dysfunctional, it highlights details of police life. Read more
Published 20 days ago by dierpap
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good Police Procedural.
If you like Ed McBain, this is a must read. The characters, even those flawed are so well done that it is easy to generate sympathy. Read more
Published 21 days ago by Don Chambers
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thoroughly enjoyed this book
Loved the flow of the story. Mirrors what you see on tv but you can also get as taste of reality while reading it.
Published 21 days ago by Dandelion
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unique
I liked this book very much. It was a book that held my attention to the last page. I thought the author had a unique way of telling a story.
Published 22 days ago by PeggyMace
4.0 out of 5 stars
I liked it
good book not what I usually read, but I liked it enough to finish it I would read it again
Published 24 days ago by deborahgamboa
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book
I couldn't put this book down and immediately bought the sequel. I have been hounding the author on when the new one is coming out. Well it is this weekend! So excited. Read more
Published 27 days ago by anna d
More About the Author
Bernard Schaffer is the father of two children. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, his work ranges from the Kindle Top 100 Superbia, a gritty police story of corruption and unsung heroism, international best-seller Whitechapel: The Final Stand of Sherlock Holmes, and the fantasy western series Guns of Seneca 6.
Schaffer is one of the new breed of independent authors, embracing technology (he has over 13k followers on Twitter @ApiarySociety and provides digital "Authorgraphs" for all of his books) and eschewing traditional publishing mechanisms. In 2013, he launched a brand new Star Trek series, Return Fire, that he is giving away for free via his fan-access Dropbox (Links to the Dropbox are included in each of his books).
In addition to writing and publishing his own work, he is the creator and leader of the Kindle All-Stars Project, a conglomerate of authors who donate their work in the name of raising funds for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The 1st KAS publication, Resistance Front, featured legends such as Harlan Ellison and Alan Dean Foster.
It was during the Resistance Front project that he first met Laurie Laliberte and asked her to provide editorial assistance. He has since worked with her exclusively, and Laurie has gone on to edit multiple best-selling novels for a wide variety of authors.
Schaffer is one of the new breed of independent authors, embracing technology (he has over 13k followers on Twitter @ApiarySociety and provides digital "Authorgraphs" for all of his books) and eschewing traditional publishing mechanisms. In 2013, he launched a brand new Star Trek series, Return Fire, that he is giving away for free via his fan-access Dropbox (Links to the Dropbox are included in each of his books).
In addition to writing and publishing his own work, he is the creator and leader of the Kindle All-Stars Project, a conglomerate of authors who donate their work in the name of raising funds for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The 1st KAS publication, Resistance Front, featured legends such as Harlan Ellison and Alan Dean Foster.
It was during the Resistance Front project that he first met Laurie Laliberte and asked her to provide editorial assistance. He has since worked with her exclusively, and Laurie has gone on to edit multiple best-selling novels for a wide variety of authors.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
