Rating: 
Summary: the absolute best of its kind
Review: The television show was excellent, but HOMICDE the book is much better. It is perhaps one of the finest pieces of narrative non-fiction of the past 50 years. David Simon's background as a journalist for the Sun makes him uniquely qualified to examine the inner workings of a homicide unit, and to lay bare the shortcomings and serious flaws of Baltimore's city government (the action in the book takes place during the worst of the crack wars in the late 80s, but it's remarkable how little things have changed).
What's more, Simon writes with great deadpan humor and is able to find both humanity and wit in this true-life story of the "murder police." He is truly one of the most accomplished narrative writers of our time. I also highly recommend THE CORNER, another look into Baltimore's gritty urban landscape.
Rating:
Summary: Nonfiction that reads like a novel!
Review: This book follows a year with the Baltimore Police Deparment Homicide Unit. This is a thoroughly riveting novel which manages to allow you to emphathise with the detectives featured as they investigate cases ranging from the straightforward to the impossible. It describes the procedures and obstacles faced in bringing a felon to trial. I urge all crime fiction readers to read this book if they read any nonfiction, it's a bit heavy going in places but it's worth it (beware - you'll be able to see huge holes in your fictional detectives investigations afterwards!)
Rating:
Summary: Not just for fans of the show...
Review: This book is brilliant. As a would-be journalist, I would say "life-altering". Not only is the subject matter compelling, the style is sweet enough to make Ann Rule cry like a little girl. And to think I only bought it to play "Match The Composite" with the series.
Rating:
Summary: Not just for fans of the show...
Review: This book is brilliant. As a would-be journalist, I would say "life-altering". Not only is the subject matter compelling, the style is sweet enough to make Ann Rule cry like a little girl. And to think I only bought it to play "Match The Composite" with the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Contains Much Realism
Review: This is a very realistic account of a year in the lives of one shift of homicide detectives written by a newspaper reporter that reads as well as fiction. You are right there at the crime scenes with the primary detectives when they roll the body over looking for clues, when they interview the witnesses, fill out the paperwork and go out for drinks after work when the board is changed from red to black, signifying the case has been closed. You can get a real appreciation as to what it is like to be an underpaid, underappreciated and overworked homicide investigator in a major city. Interrrogation techniques are revealed in this unique book. Some trial action. Definitely worth the read. Contains real life violence. A good companion to the TV show.
Rating:
Summary: A harrowing look at police life in the big city
Review: This is an amazing book. Two people picked this out of my "To Read" list as their suggestion for what I should tackle next. Interestingly enough, I had already started it. I had heard about this book originally on a private list that I'm on, but never saw a copy at any bookstore that I went to. Then I heard that there was a TV show based on it, but I still couldn't find a copy anywhere. Just as I was about to give up, I passed through Powell's Books in Portland, and found a first edition hardcover for cheap--and it was worth three times that amount.Simon spent an entire year observing a squad of Baltimore homicide detectives. The result is an incredible page-turner, filled with humor, pathos, stupidity, politics, brutality, and, through it all, death. This is not Hill Street Blues, and especially not Barney Miller. As realistic as Hill Street Blues tried to be, it really can't touch the mundane uniqueness--the singular exciting boredom--that is the job of homicide investigation. To parody Dr. Seuss, "Ah, the things you'll see!" This is a travel book as much as any trip to a foreign land--an exploration into the world of police procedures and life. It's not a place many of us would choose to live in, much less visit. I much prefer to read about it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: This is an excellent book and should be required reading for all Americans!
Rating:
Summary: Much more enthralling than the TV show
Review: This is an excellent book! The characters in it are engaging. The dialogue is wonderful. And the situations are both scary and amazing: amazing in how so stupid some people are and how little it takes for someone to kill someone else, scary because it is all true. In case you weren't aware of that, this book is actually the story of one of Baltimore's homicide units in 1988. Simon went around with the detectives for the entire year and have put their stories down in this book. At times it is quite sad to read about the brutal atrocities that people are committing against each other. At times it is satisfying to read about the detectives tracking down or lucking in to catching those responsible for the many deaths. But it is always engrossing and fascinating to follow the process and the people involved in one of the uglier jobs possible. This book is a must for any fan of police stories, criminal investigations or anything related to law and order. And in case you further didn't realize it, this book was the basis for the tv show of the same name. It makes the show even scarier to know that not only is it based on real life, but many of the stories from the show are taken straight out of the book. If you were a fan of the show, you will easily recognize many of the exact same cases here in the book. (Or rather vice versa since the book was first.) Easily one of the best books that I've read in a while!
Rating:
Summary: an absolute masterpiece
Review: This is one of the most engrossing books I've ever read, more exciting and interesting than most novels. Also greatly enhances one's understanding of the fantastic TV series that grew out of this book. (I read the book after becoming a fan of the show). At the same time, it is somewhat depressing to have many illusions about the criminal justice system shattered. Specifically, it is scary to be told just how erraticaly juries can behave, and to learn how few murderers are actually caught and brought to justice.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This is the finest police procedural book you will ever read. A must have for fans of the show and a great read for those who have never seen it. Homicide is still the best damn show on television!
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