Sharky's Machine

Rating:
Summary: If you like William Diehl's work,don't miss this great read!
Review: I have just read this as the hard cover is out of print and this came to life as a paperback. It is as good as ANY book he has written in his later years (I believe this was his first). While TAI HORSE still his best on my list, this is an exciting read. I finished it in two seatings. Great fun

Rating:
Summary: Fun but Mindless
Review: This is the book they made into a movie starring Burt Reynolds back in the early 1980's. The movie shares a lot with this book, which is usually pretty rare for Hollywood. I quickly got sucked into the story, even though I already knew the high points of the tale.

The book is about a cop named Sharky, who works the narcotics beat. After a shootout with a dealer, Sharky gets demoted to the vice department, where he quickly hooks up with several hard bitten cops that carry grudges because they are considered the lowest of the low in the police department. A phone tap on a prostitute leads to a rapid series of events that involves stolen gold, Mafia killers, a presidential candidate, and a shadowy figure that wants unlimited power. All of this activity unfolds in Atlanta, Georgia.

This book is absolutely overflowing with pornographic sex and gory violence. Heads get blasted off, fingers are chopped off and people get beaten to bloody pulps. The sex scenes are definitely X-rated stuff. It's one of the sauciest books I've read in a long time. Anyone looking for quick action certainly won't be disappointed with this book. I haven't read any other books by William Diehl, but if they're anything like this one, they'll raise eyebrows.

This thriller has several corny moments. The whole story unfolds in a very short time frame (a couple of days) and there are so many lucky breaks for the cops and amazing coincidences that it's impossible not to groan out loud a few times. I had to chuckle to myself when the vice squad investigates a murder and doesn't call the homicide department because they don't want them to take all the credit. Come on! Totally unbelievable! But these books aren't written as paragons of literature. They're a quick, fun and mindless diversion, and this book certainly fits that bill. Be sure and keep an eye out for Friscoe, the head of the vice department. He's hilarious and makes for effective comic relief.