Review: A look into the inside
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 16, 2012
Superbia is a book that drags you through the emotional roller coaster of being a cop.  I loved the book because it peals back the thick panels separating the public from the police and I hated it because it brought back bad memories. It's a concentrated slice of the police world I lived in for 29 years.Although the characters are fictional, they are personalities that do exist in just about every law enforcement agency in the world. The character of Sgt./Chief Erinnyes brings back very bad memories. I've worked for guys like him and they are scary because they're all black and white in a profession that works mostly in the grey.I've seen dozens of Vics. Good men beat down mostly by the system, but also by the job. They're tough on the outside and easy prey inside. Their police work is sterling and their private life is a shambles. Pray for them.The Franks in this world make up the majority of cops. They work hard and believe in what they do. They manage to maintain some balance in their lives. They have a strong sense of justice and follow the rules...most of the time. Every once in a while, they rise up in indignation against the BS. When they do, there's hell to pay.Being a cop takes it's toll on every man and woman who accepts the truly awesome responsibility of the badge. Superbia makes you feel the constant stress, the confusion of no right answer and the deep satisfaction of nailing a truly bad criminal. Schaffer lays it out for us and pulls into this stark, blunt, roller coaster of a world and let's us sample the frustration, contradiction and tragedy that all to frequently messes with officers' minds.Bernard Schaffer is one the finest writers of our time. His writing is bold and courageous and shows us the truth about the world and ourselves. Superbia is no exception and it is a progression in Schaffer's already extraordinary writing career.