 | | | Violence Reflections
Laws History
| Homicide | 
 enlarge | Author: David Simon
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $1.46
You Save: $6.53 (82%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (62 reviews)
Sales Rank: 100355
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 640
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0804109990
Dewey Decimal Number: 364
EAN: 9780804109994
ASIN: 0804109990
Publication Date: January 23, 1993
Release Date: January 23, 1993
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Edgar and Anthony Award Winner
Selected by the Literary Guild
"Remarkable...A true crime classic."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Enter the workday of real policemen. Follow fifteen detectives, three sergeants, and a lieutenant, whose job it is to investigate Baltimore's 234 murders. You will get a cop's-eye-view of the bureaucracy, the highs of success, the moments of despair, and the non-stop rush of pursuits, anger, banter, and violence that make up a cop's life. Now an acclaimed television series, this extraordinary book is the insider's look at what you have always wondered about.
Amazon.com Review
This 1992 Edgar Award winner for best fact crime is nothing short of a classic. David Simon, a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun, spent the year 1988 with three homicide squads, accompanying them through all the grim and grisly moments of their work--from first telephone call to final piece of paperwork. The picture that emerges through a masterful accumulation of details is that homicide detectives are a rare breed who seem to thrive on coffee, cigarettes, and persistence, through an endlessly exhausting parade of murder scenes. As the Washington Post writes, "We seem to have an insatiable appetite for police stories.... David Simon's entry is far and away the best, the most readable, the most reliable and relentless of them all.... An eye for the scenes of slaughter and pursuit and an ear for the cadences of cop talk, both business and banter, lend Simon's account the fascination that truth often has."
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| Customer Reviews: Read 57 more reviews...
Great Book September 19, 2008
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.
Great book September 1, 2008
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.
Well written and very accessible, highly recommended June 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Like You Were There May 18, 2008
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.
Homicide May 12, 2008
great book - heard David Simon on NPR and he knows the streets of BMore
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