Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets | List Price: $18.00
Discount Price: $10.03
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Binding: Paperback
Release Date: 2006-08-22
Homicide [Posted on 2008-05-12]
great book - heard David Simon on NPR and he knows the streets of BMore
Like You Were There [Posted on 2008-05-18]
Homicide is one of the better of the crime reporting novels I have read. Simon was definitely at the top of his game.
He manages to write the book with more of a novel feel then a biography of the people involved. Other similar books, such as 'Homicide Special' try for the same thing, but you still feel the writer in their presence. Simon makes the reader feel as if they are there without feeling that the writer is intruding on anything.
The cases the officers work on are all interesting, and not all are slam dunks or even solvable. Many authors would feel a need to make their book have cases with endings. I applaud Simon for not giving in to that temptation.
Baltimore definitely plays a role in this book, and you get a real feeling for the city. You can see in this book the seed that would eventually sprout the series 'Homicide'.
If you are interested in detective work this is an excellent read. I highly recommend this book.
Well written and very accessible, highly recommended [Posted on 2008-06-05]
I read this book after watching - several times over - David Simon's most recent work, The Wire. I have always been interested in detectives and was drawn by this book because it is non-fiction. As well as being a highly enjoyable read, I would say there were three main takeaways. First, the detailed first-hand account of actual cases and methods of investigation (including related disciplines such as interrogation, medical examination, ballistics, trace evidence, etc. as well as the legal processes and challenges that lead to conviction) have made me much more familiar with the actual process of solving murders. Second, a basic understanding of the structure and organization of a homicide unit within the police department and how the system is incentivized to solve crimes. Third, an appreciation of how these detectives - through late-night drinking sessions and office humor - manage to make their lives livable when they are not dealing with the darker side of their profession. Simon's first book is really special, I look forward to reading it again someday.
Great book [Posted on 2008-09-01]
I had seen the the Homicide: Life on the Streets TV series before. Also was a big fan of David Simon's "The Wire".
This is an excellent book and I am looking forward to reading his other book, The Corner.
Great Book [Posted on 2008-09-19]
I'm only halfway through the book but I can already give it 5 stars. It's not really a tale where the ending matters, but more like a narrative of the day to day grind of being a homicide detective. The book has ruined my ability to watch Law and Order and similar shows as watching a show where murders are solved (seemingly one at a time) in a one hour show week after week seems silly now. David Simon is a great writer. I am also a big fan of "The Wire" television show.
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