Viking Funeral The [Paperback]

Cannell Stephen J (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Allen and Unwin (2002)
• ISBN-10: 1741140277
• ISBN-13: 978-1865087153
• ASIN: 1865087157
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,988,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced, hypercharged thriller., January 2, 2002

By 

David Montgomery "Book Critic" (davidjmontgomery.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Viking Funeral: A Shane Scully Novel (Hardcover)

The creator of such classic television shows as "The Rockford Files," "The A-Team," and "Wiseguy" has returned with another page-turning thriller. LAPD Detective Shane Scully ("The Tin Collectors") has been placed on psychiatric leave for his loose cannon role in uncovering the corruption of the top department brass. His mental state isn't helped any when he spots his best friend--supposedly dead for two years--driving next to him on an LA freeway.

Detective Scully starts to dig and finds that his friend, along with five other not-so-dead officers, has gone deep undercover. The exact reason, and whether or not their actions are official, remains to be seen. What is immediately clear, though, is that this group of rogue officers (they call themselves "the Vikings") is going make a lot of trouble for Scully if he tells anyone of their existence.

Although some of the plot occasionally strays into silliness, and the prose isn't as polished as one might like, Cannell knows how to keep his audience interested and keep them coming back for more. As you'd expect from all his years writing cop shows, Cannell knows the territory very well and is skillful and knowledgeable about how the game works.

The author also does a good job of probing the shady world of money laundering, and the role of legitimate American corporations in that underworld operation. (Cannell explains in the introduction how he found out about this real-life corruption and it definitely makes you think.)

"The Viking Funeral" is a book that is meant to be read quickly and then largely forgotten; the literary equivalent of one of Cannell's TV shows. On that basis, it makes for a pleasant read.

Reviewed by David Montgomery, Mystery Ink

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shane's back, December 30, 2001

By 

Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Viking Funeral: A Shane Scully Novel (Hardcover)

Stephen J. Cannell brings back Shane Scully from his previous adventure in â€~The Tin Collectors’.

Scully lost his best friend and co-worker a couple years ago to an apparent suicide and it hit him pretty hard mentally. He is now suspended from the LAPD. While driving down the freeway, he has no doubt that who he sees is his dead best friend Jody Dean. Scully’s fiancée, Alexa, who happens to also be with the LAPD and is a recent Medal of Valor recipient, thinks Scully has lost his mind. Soon more evidence comes into play and it turns out that Scully was right. There is a group of rogue policemen, some of whom have faked there deaths, that are taking the law into there own hands, as well as making there own laws. Scully infiltrates this group. On the outside, Alexa is handling things.

Cannell takes you into the world of money laundering, drugs, and murder, while taking you into the deadly locales of South America. It was an entertaining and easy book to read. It’s not hard to picture a movie out of this story (obviously due to Cannell’s scriptwriting abilities). Good entertainment.

Recommended

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Adventurous Masterpiece From Stephen J. Cannell, January 14, 2002

By 

"dhealdjr" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Viking Funeral: A Shane Scully Novel (Hardcover)

Although I probably haven't read a novel in the past year or so, I have to commend Stephen J. Cannell for bringing the joy of reading a thriller back to me.

Shane Scully is a cop on the verge of a nervous breakdown due to his childhood friend commiting suicide and his girlfriend getting all the recognition for his work on a huge case he just cracked showing corruption in the L.A. Police dept., when he's driving down the highway one day and sees his supposedly dead friend driving next to him. After doing some investigative work he discovers that there is a rogue group of cops that have all faked their suicides so they could work off the books. Shane decides to infiltrate the group and delve into the shaddy underground known as the parallel market. In a wonderfully spun web of intrigue and suspense written by Stephen J. Cannell the reader is taken on an adventure that you won't soon forget.

I found the book imposible to put down for the 2 heart pounding days that it took me to read it. The book is very well written and easy to read. 2 thumbs up for Stephen J. Cannell on writing this soon to be best seller!!