Night Dogs

Rating:
Summary: Kent Anderson is a skillful and creative story weaver.
Review: Kent Anderson's novel held me captive. Each time I got ready to set "Night Dogs" down, something else would develop. I wanted to find out what was going to happen to Hansen next. Hansen's honorable character constantly battled to stuff his demons below the surface. Mr. Anderson brought to light that we all have the power of good and evil in each of us. How we develop depends upon our choices and influences. This is one of the best novels that I have read. It certainly was a difference from the romance novels I've been reading. I would like to find a copy of "Sympathy for the Devil."

Rating:
Summary: Here is narrative thrust that won't quit.
Review: Maybe a picture's worth a thousand words, but you can't paint the smells and tastes that Anderson pulls out of your head and slaps you in the face with: the acrid odor of air escaping from a tire when you open a new body bag; the tang of salt and green tequila when you lick the tattoed thighs of a skinny biker woman; the stink of a patrol car's burning brakes and honeysuckle in a hospital parking lot. I hope they make a movie out of this book, not because I want to see it, but just so Anderson can make a few bucks and spend some time on his next novel. If anyone besides Quentin Tarantino (maybe) tried it, we'd wind up with Lethal Weapon IX, and another high speed, high explosive, high boredom threshhold circus, which we definitely don't need. What we need are more books like Night Dogs, stories with narrative thrust that won't quit, written by people like Anderson who can drag you into their world, like it or not.

Rating:
Summary: Very realistic
Review: Night Dogs caught me totally by surprise. I bought the book not knowing what to expect, and after I read the first 3 pages I knew I had found something unique. The book is not a dramatic account of the search for a serial killer or a drug lord, but instead gives an episodic glimpse into the life of a young cop who is still trying to make sense of his experiences in Vietnam as a Green Beret. The most influential people in my life have been vietnam vets, and the Hanson character has helped me understand what the young men of that generation who served went through. Anyone interested in police work or the Vietnam war should read this book and then read Sympathy For The Devil to better understand where the sometimes cruel Officer Hanson character is coming from. This is a fantastic book, I hope Mr. Anderson is getting the recognition he deserves.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Cop Novel Since Wambaughs Choirboys
Review: Night Dogs caught me totally by surprise. I bought the book not knowing what to expect, and after I read the first 3 pages I knew I had found something unique. The book is not a dramatic account of the search for a serial killer or a drug lord, but instead gives an episodic glimpse into the life of a young cop who is still trying to make sense of his experiences in Vietnam as a Green Beret. The most influential people in my life have been vietnam vets, and the Hanson character has helped me understand what the young men of that generation who served went through. Anyone interested in police work or the Vietnam war should read this book and then read Sympathy For The Devil to better understand where the sometimes cruel Officer Hanson character is coming from. This is a fantastic book, I hope Mr. Anderson is getting the recognition he deserves.

Rating:
Summary: A look into the life of a vietnam veteran turned cop
Review: Night Dogs takes you into the 70's where a lot of police where corrupt into the world of Hanson a vietnam war veteran whose thoughts are dark, disturbing, and ever more real. Night Dogs takes a brutal look into the sacrifices police officers make and more about the inner demons that they face. This is by far the darkest police novel I've ever read. It's also the most truthful and honest police novel I've ever read. I'm a big fan of Pelecanos, who praised this book highly and was the reason why I picked up this book in the first place.

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: ok let me start by saying crime/mystery books are not my usual reading material. but all the rave reviews for this book along with the interesting subject matter led me to give it a try. about 10 pages in i realized that this guy is not a very talented writer. did an actual person really write this? it reads like the output of some cop-story-writing computer somewhere. so cliche, so flat, ugh! but then again it was no worse than other crime/mystery stuff i read after crime/mystery book fans gushed about them to me. but if you are a reader who likes fresh, well-written novels-- this ain't it! here's one: The Contortionist's Handbook by Craig Clevenger (interesting, "edgy" subject matter AND well-written!)

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: ok let me start by saying crime/mystery books are not my usual reading material. but all the rave reviews for this book along with the interesting subject matter led me to give it a try. about 10 pages in i realized that this guy is not a very talented writer. did an actual person really write this? it reads like the output of some cop-story-writing computer somewhere. so cliche, so flat, ugh! but then again it was no worse than other crime/mystery stuff i read after crime/mystery book fans gushed about them to me. but if you are a reader who likes fresh, well-written novels-- this ain't it! here's one: The Contortionist's Handbook by Craig Clevenger (interesting, "edgy" subject matter AND well-written!)

Rating:
Summary: Shut off the TV and see what police work is really like.
Review: Raw, real and right on the money.

Rating:
Summary: Exquisite writing; ever word carefully chosen; icy clarity.
Review: This book is art. Each carefully chosen word flows within the phrases. Each phrase presents with icy clarity the stark reality of life in the mean streets. The pictures painted with words often induce physical reactions. Most of you won't get any closer to the truth than this.

Rating:
Summary: A bitter, tragic, beautifully written book.
Review: This book may suffer by somehow having ended up assigned to the mystery genre pile. It is not genre writing by any means,. In fact, it is almost anti-plotted--there is no great unraveling of mysterious deaths, no terrible villians revealed and brought to justice. Just page after page of real life crystalized by a expert chemist. What if Rimbaud was a Burnside cop? Or rather more what would an American version of the old French anti-Roman look like? Like this. Stunning book.