Rating: 
Summary: Wags is a character straight out of central casting...
Review: Wags is character alright and fundamentally decent, if a bit flawed, man. His story reads like a novel or comedic film. I'm not quite sure where the truth was stretched, but his honest delivery is well worth the (very fast) read. He tells some wild stories--some are hilarious--some violent--some just out there (the one handed, parrot carrying, heiress). But, the tone works and the the world of the PI is exposed as it never was on Magnum PI.
Rating: 
Summary: 4.5 stars for Jimmy. Shade's of 'The Shield'
Review: Well, maybe a direct comparison to The Shield is a bit of a stretch, but the stories discussed within these pages about life and career of James Wagner (former NYPD) walks a fine line between legal and questionable.In this autobiographical look at his 'capers' post NYPD, you will be amazed that you keep turning the pages for his next installment. Mr. Wagner's (Wags) accounts are gripping, and his stories are arranged and written in a clean 'street-smart' way, that is very entertaining and right to the meat. He tells stories of being a hired body-guard for some middle-eastern princes visiting this country and looks the other way when they start using hard drugs. He goes out to 'collect' money for various employers whose names you won't find on any Fortune 500 list. In one story he finds himself looking for a kidnapped boy in the back streets of Turkey (blackmail and payoffs are common), another 'escorting' a middle-aged drunken heiress with a prosthetic hand and a parrot. There are other accounts that are just as amazing, sometimes very funny, other times down right scary. Throughout all his ordeals, one this is evident; he loves his family and would do anything for them, and proves it within the pages of this book. However, though being such a likeable character, the reader will soon discover that this former NYPD agent spends many of later days living in the gray areas of the law, and sometimes may have stepped over it putting his life and others in danger for cash. Mr. Wagner also has some very funny one-liners and metaphors that I will probably use as my own, they're that clever. The reason I gave this 4.5 stars instead of a solid 5 is I had to wonder if all these stories were actually 100% true. They sure sound like it, but with Wags seeing all this action, maybe some of them were slightly embellished? I hope not and I'll give him the benefit of any doubt. A little short, I would have liked a few more stories, but I was happy none the less.
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