The Blue Knight

Rating:
Summary: NOT his best book
Review: although the usual elements are there--defender of the faithful searching the heart of darkness (his own) at a crucial point in life (middle age); the good-as-gold woman who gets away; the woman who doesn't--sprinkled with stories cops tell each other. But it drags, as if written to a formula not fully developed. Wambaugh writes well, part Hemingway, part Joseph Conrad. But this adventure story for men misses in all but the gastronomical department.

Rating:
Summary: Tremendous read, and it has held up
Review: I have never been in law enforcement, or lived in LA, but this book rings with the truth for me. I read it when it first came out and I reread it last week and it is still a powerful book.

Rating:
Summary: Wambaugh's best
Review: I read all of the Wambaugh books in the 70s when I was a kid, and wanted to be a cop. Now, after twenty years on the job, I re-read The Blue Night, and loved every page of it. This is Wambaugh's best. The most accurate, touching portrayal of a beat cop ever.

Rating:
Summary: As usual, Wambaugh delivers.
Review: Joseph Wambaugh never ceases to entertain me. 'The Blue Knight' is one of his earlier works, and so far it's a very close second to 'The New Centurions' for my favorite Wambaugh novel.

The novel tells the story of Bumper Morgan, a Los Angeles beat cop who is three days from retirement. Bumper is a big, fat, loveable glutton with a bit of a sadistic streak. We follow his last few days on the police force while he begrudgingly drives his patrol car through his long time beat in LA. Bumper explains that he prefers walking the beat, but since he's too old and fat he is forced to drive ' his legs aren't what they used to be.

Bumper tells his own story, and everything is told through his eyes. As usual, Wambaugh's gifted use of sharp, witty dialogue and scathing 'common-man' analysis of the streets brings Bumper's story to life. Everyone on his beat loves him. Restaurant owners pile heaps of culinary delights in front of him on a daily basis, and it's obvious Bumper LOVES to eat' many times my mouth started watering while reading the descriptions of a wide variety of foods laid out for this loveable cop.

When he's not eating (a rare occasion, or so it seems), Bumper meets with other locals: strip club owners, convenience store managers, even homeless bums whom he pays for info on the local crooks. Bumper is proud of himself for paying his informants out of his own pocket rather than paying out of the PDs 'kitty'; he thinks it keeps his sources anonymous and safe.

As warm, loveable and thoughtful our hero is, there is a sadistic side to Bumper Morgan as well. He's not above turning up the heat on the undesirables, and it seems to me that it's considered to be part of the job for him; certainly nothing to think twice about. Witness the bookie that nearly gets his arm broken after trying mail his 'book' back to himself. This bookie stands by a mailbox and as soon as he sees the heat coming, drops his stuff in the slot' this time, he didn't get his arm out of the box fast enough, so Bumper takes the opportunity to crush his arm into the box while pumping for info. You'd think incidents like this would make the reader dislike Bumper; not so. His matter-of-fact tone and the fact that he doesn't dwell on his use of physical force makes you feel as if brutality is a part of his status quo. It is this attitude that proves to be Bumper's undoing once you get to the surprise ending. There is another stunningly crafted scene in which Bumper embellishes the truth in court. He's not above fibbing a little to get these goofs behind bars.

Sharp witted, thoughtful, funny, human, brutal, warm, disturbing, violent, and truthful, 'The Blue Knight' is a bright spot for Wambaugh. His police stories are far beyond your average 'police procedural'; in fact, I haven't read any novel by Wambaugh which follows a set formula. Those unfamiliar with his writing style may note that Quinton Tarantino follows a similar vein when it comes to script writing. The difference is that while the wit is similar between the two, it is Wambaugh who has a more clear idea of how to make the slick verbiage work to establish realism, rather than Tarantino's more tongue-in-cheek approach. Bumper Morgan is REAL. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: As usual, Wambaugh delivers.
Review: Joseph Wambaugh never ceases to entertain me. �The Blue Knight� is one of his earlier works, and so far it�s a very close second to �The New Centurions� for my favorite Wambaugh novel.

The novel tells the story of Bumper Morgan, a Los Angeles beat cop who is three days from retirement. Bumper is a big, fat, loveable glutton with a bit of a sadistic streak. We follow his last few days on the police force while he begrudgingly drives his patrol car through his long time beat in LA. Bumper explains that he prefers walking the beat, but since he�s too old and fat he is forced to drive � his legs aren�t what they used to be.

Bumper tells his own story, and everything is told through his eyes. As usual, Wambaugh�s gifted use of sharp, witty dialogue and scathing �common-man� analysis of the streets brings Bumper�s story to life. Everyone on his beat loves him. Restaurant owners pile heaps of culinary delights in front of him on a daily basis, and it�s obvious Bumper LOVES to eat� many times my mouth started watering while reading the descriptions of a wide variety of foods laid out for this loveable cop.

When he�s not eating (a rare occasion, or so it seems), Bumper meets with other locals: strip club owners, convenience store managers, even homeless bums whom he pays for info on the local crooks. Bumper is proud of himself for paying his informants out of his own pocket rather than paying out of the PDs �kitty�; he thinks it keeps his sources anonymous and safe.

As warm, loveable and thoughtful our hero is, there is a sadistic side to Bumper Morgan as well. He�s not above turning up the heat on the undesirables, and it seems to me that it�s considered to be part of the job for him; certainly nothing to think twice about. Witness the bookie that nearly gets his arm broken after trying mail his �book� back to himself. This bookie stands by a mailbox and as soon as he sees the heat coming, drops his stuff in the slot� this time, he didn�t get his arm out of the box fast enough, so Bumper takes the opportunity to crush his arm into the box while pumping for info. You�d think incidents like this would make the reader dislike Bumper; not so. His matter-of-fact tone and the fact that he doesn�t dwell on his use of physical force makes you feel as if brutality is a part of his status quo. It is this attitude that proves to be Bumper�s undoing once you get to the surprise ending. There is another stunningly crafted scene in which Bumper embellishes the truth in court. He�s not above fibbing a little to get these goofs behind bars.

Sharp witted, thoughtful, funny, human, brutal, warm, disturbing, violent, and truthful, �The Blue Knight� is a bright spot for Wambaugh. His police stories are far beyond your average �police procedural�; in fact, I haven�t read any novel by Wambaugh which follows a set formula. Those unfamiliar with his writing style may note that Quinton Tarantino follows a similar vein when it comes to script writing. The difference is that while the wit is similar between the two, it is Wambaugh who has a more clear idea of how to make the slick verbiage work to establish realism, rather than Tarantino�s more tongue-in-cheek approach. Bumper Morgan is REAL. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Wambaugh's Best Novel
Review: Wambaugh's ability to put you in the novel is superb. You feel the heat of mid-day and the scratchy wool suit Bumper Morgan wares. Bumper hides from real relationships by being the great blue protector the people on his beat. He is running from the pain of the death of his yong son so many years ago. He does open his heart to his best friend who chides him "your soul's in danger if you do not love."

He lives in a world of good and bad that he controls and all makes sense until the final chapters. Does the Blue Knight really find love again?

Rating:
Summary: Wambaugh's Best Novel
Review: Wambaugh's ability to put you in the novel is superb. You feel the heat of mid-day and the scratchy wool suit Bumper Morgan wares. Bumper hides from real relationships by being the great blue protector the people on his beat. He is running from the pain of the death of his yong son so many years ago. He does open his heart to his best friend who chides him "your soul's in danger if you do not love."

He lives in a world of good and bad that he controls and all makes sense until the final chapters. Does the Blue Knight really find love again?

Rating:
Summary: A Journey Behind The Scenes.
Review: Who better to tell a cop's tale than an old cop? Wambaugh was there. He's able to translate his experiences in the LAPD into words we can feel and smell. The Blue Knight is a refreshing detour in the world of crime writing, a genre overloaded with static police procedurals and gory murder mysteries. The Blue Knight is a simple tale that humanizes a typical beat cop. At a time when cops were unpopular and routinely tagged as abusive Nazis or ignorant "fuzz" or "pigs," Wambaugh takes the other side, realistically describing the unique ups and downs of an LA beat cop by delivering his good-guy protagonist, Bumper Morgan.

Bumper is human, likeable. He walks his well-worn beat, meting out justice not by the book, but by common sense. This book works well at all levels. -- ....