Review: Better than Grisham but no longer such a bargain
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2012
I gave the first book 5 stars mostly because it was free. This one is priced very reasonably and bit different but equally good. Not such a bargain, of course.I realize the author is apparently an active policeman and I happen to like police 'procedurals' written by real cops. Active cops - the police culture is undergoing significant changes, some good, some dubious. Except for speeding tickets I never had anything to do with police and it is useful to know how they operate now.I prefer these books to Grisham who, for some reasons, likes now (read his last book) non-violent convicts fighting violent ones and the federal justice system. Being quite old and old fashioned, I prefer Harrison Drake's approach - while dealing with the 'imperfections' (much worse than that, actually) of some policemen, he does not blast Canadian police as an entity. He is, apparently, still part of that police force himself.I am also waiting to prequels of the first two stories, this one seems to be kind of culmination - with the graphic conclusion that seemed to me plausible but very unlikely in real life. Then, as a policeman, the author possible based it on real events.I liked the very ordinary life of the hero - kind of suburban bliss interrupted, of course, by the villains.Both the author and Lincoln Munroe like astronomy (my hobby for the last 15 years) but have no time to pursue it more than stargazing without a serious telescope. It takes lot of time, the best thing is to be retired...Also, I happen to buy a bottle of Glenlivet each week. So, I may be biased for non-literary reasons.