Vegas: One Cop's Journey: A Novel from the Streets of Sin City [Hardcover]

Kim Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

Cam Madden had a good job and a carefree bachelor lifestyle when he impulsively tried out for the police academy of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Now that he's mastered the theories of law enforcement in the academy, his education in its realities begins with field training and an ugly suicide call. Learning the lessons of the street leaves scars on Cam's ego and more on his body, but it's even tougher on his relationships with women. It doesn't matter until he falls for Karrie May, a paramedic, whereupon making it work becomes all-important.One Cop's Journey is in a sense every cop's journey, the story of finding his own place in a company of heroes, even if that company contains a disturbing proportion of bureaucrats, office politicians, and layabouts. Somehow the finest and the flawed manage to work together well enough to keep the barbarians at bay. Every Day.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kim Thomas is a detective with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, where he is currently assigned to the forgery detail. Thomas majored in English at UNLV and he received his MFA degree in Creative Writing there in June 2005. This is his first published novel.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 362 pages
• Publisher: Stephens Press LLC (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193217348X
• ISBN-13: 978-1932173482
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,286,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Vegas One Cop's Journey, April 28, 2008

By 

Jessie Dakota (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vegas: One Cop's Journey: A Novel from the Streets of Sin City (Hardcover)

I am a Las Vegas native familiar with Kim Thomas' capacity with the Metropolitan Police Dept. While crime genre is of particular interest to me, I admit I read this book because I felt akin to it. I imagine it is a safe and overall general and accurate account of his tenure with the LVMPD. In the absence of specifics indicative to "Sin City", one can conclude crime is crime, regardless the venue. It moves quickly,easily and is a well-narrated first endeavor. I did however, find it spackled with editing errors.

5.0 out of 5 stars A real foot-racing journey, April 18, 2007

By 

Joan K. Bangora "Joan" (Pahrump, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vegas: One Cop's Journey: A Novel from the Streets of Sin City (Hardcover)

One Cop's Journey takes you to the real world of law enforcement and the life of one special dedicated cop with the right values and work ethics.
I do own the book and have met Kim Thomas on two occasions. He is energetic and has the right outlook on law enforcement. I found the book one that could be read more than once and look forward to his second book.
He is an excellent speaker, witty and very very interesting. I highly recommend One Cop's Journey for both genders.

5.0 out of 5 stars Ride shotgun with a Vegas cop, December 19, 2006

By 

Bambi Vincent - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vegas: One Cop's Journey: A Novel from the Streets of Sin City (Hardcover)

If you've never gone on a ride-along--I have twice--this book is the next best thing. It's one cop's journey, but even better, it's a journey for the reader. Ride along and learn of the tedium and the excitement police officers experience in their day-to-day grind. Learn of the perseverance involved, and how heroic efforts lead to exhilarating conclusions--or crushing disappointment. You've seen the tv show "Cops," but that's just the busting part of an officer's job. This book takes you from the squad car to the locker room to the captain's office, where politics and red tape and personal grievances sometimes make it almost impossible to do the job a good cop wants to do.

Cam, the likeable leading man in this book, takes you through police academy, police romance, police boozing, and police commiserating, from novice cop to detective. You may not agree with everything he does, but you'll understand his motivation and you can't help rooting for him.

Cam escorts you through the back streets of one of America's most intriguing cities. He speeds you up and down the Las Vegas Strip on his bicycle, through the back doors of casinos, and into Vegas's famous video surveillance control centers. In his squad car, he drives you through gangland, hookerville, and drug city. Yes, Las Vegas has much more than 24-hour neon and 32-ounce margaritas in souvenir glasses. The city has its share of miscreants, not to mention visitors-behaving-badly.

My ride-alongs many years ago gave me a life-long appreciation for law enforcement officers and the jobs they do. I watched the cops I rode with pat down drunks soaked in vomit and urine. I watched them politely take abuse at the front doors of strangers in the midst of domestic disturbances. I saw them chase down vandals and robbers with twenty or more pounds of equipment strapped on them. This book is a ride-along with a back story. An easy read, a page-turner, and an eye-opener. I highly recommend it.