The Killing Connection (Dirty Harry, 9)

Rating:
Summary: Dirty Harry is at it again.
Review: In the early 1980s Warner Books tried out several numbered Men's Adventure series in the vein of The Executioner and/or The Destroyer. Although none made it to a second year (i.e. past book 12), the ones that I could not read enough of were the Dirty Harrys. As far as I was concerned you CANNOT get enough Dirty Harry, ever!

Book #9 - The Killing Connection has Inspector Callahan investigating a series of killings in the San Francisco gay community, where there seems to be a serial killer preying on lesbians. Of course Harry meets a great deal of opposition on both sides of the law and from within the gay community itself, who want a gay police officer assigned to track the killer down. As with the film series, the action scenes heavily outweigh any real investigative footwork.

The Killing Connection was also the last of the Dirty Harry books that I read. At the time I found most of the action scenes far too similiar between the books and the plotting was quite sloppy (contrivance and/or last minute revelations from left field seemed the series stock handling of its 'mysteries'). Not helping matters in this entry was the sadistic note that mars the ending, making the killers seem almost humanitarian in comparison to Harry. Despite those weaknesses, I still find myself smiling whenever I think back on reading them. Sure they were dumb, but they were fun to read as well. Recommended to fans of the Numbered Adventure series only.

Rating:
Summary: Dirty Harry is at it again.
Review: In the early 1980s Warner Books tried out several numbered Men's Adventure series in the vein of The Executioner and/or The Destroyer. Although none made it to a second year (i.e. past book 12), the ones that I could not read enough of were the Dirty Harrys. As far as I was concerned you CANNOT get enough Dirty Harry, ever!

Book #9 - The Killing Connection has Inspector Callahan investigating a series of killings in the San Francisco gay community, where there seems to be a serial killer preying on lesbians. Of course Harry meets a great deal of opposition on both sides of the law and from within the gay community itself, who want a gay police officer assigned to track the killer down. As with the film series, the action scenes heavily outweigh any real investigative footwork.

The Killing Connection was also the last of the Dirty Harry books that I read. At the time I found most of the action scenes far too similiar between the books and the plotting was quite sloppy (contrivance and/or last minute revelations from left field seemed the series stock handling of its 'mysteries'). Not helping matters in this entry was the sadistic note that mars the ending, making the killers seem almost humanitarian in comparison to Harry. Despite those weaknesses, I still find myself smiling whenever I think back on reading them. Sure they were dumb, but they were fun to read as well. Recommended to fans of the Numbered Adventure series only.