HOLLYWOOD STATION is a series of tales about several cops
and crooks whose lives collide in one of the most famous
police jurisdictions of all time -- Hollywood, California.
Filled with colorful characters galore encountering
situations ordinary people would never see is both
disturbing and entertaining. Wambaugh masterfully captures
the seedy underbelly of Tinseltown and paints a picture of
meth addicts, petty criminals, hookers, pimps, surfer-dude
cops and some washed up has-beens longing for the good old
days...just to name a few. These characters are so colorful
they nearly pop off the pages like in a comic book.
Every storyline in this book is interesting and gritty,
however, I had difficulty keeping up with the multiple
story lines and found myself overwhelmed by so many
characters. The reader has to delve deep into the book to
finally understand how all the story lines connect.
Overall, it's an engaging read that will hook the reader
from the beginning, may require some patience in the
middle, but will satisfy in the end.
They call their sergeant the Oracle. He's a seasoned LAPD
veteran who keeps a close watch over his squad from his
understaffed office at Hollywood Station. They are: Budgie
Polk, a 27-year-old firecracker who's begrudgingly teamed
with Fausto Gamboa, the oldest, tetchiest patrol officer.
Andi McCrea, a single mom who spends her days studying at
the local community college. Wesley Drubb, a USC drop-out
who joined the force to see some action. Flotsam and
Jetsam, two aptly named surfer boys who pine after the
petite, but intrepid, Meg Takara. And Hank Driscoll, the
one who never shuts up. Together they spend their days and
nights in the city's underbelly, where a string of
seemingly unrelated events lures the cops of Hollywood
Station to their most startling case yet: Russians,
diamonds, counterfeiting, grenadesa reminder that nothing's
too horrific or twisted for Los Angeles. Here, it's
business as usual. For the first time in 20 years, Wambaugh
revisits the kind of story he tells best: life in the LAPD.
Not only have his fans been waiting for this comeback, but
readers of the new generation of crime writing will have
great interest in this book
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