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4.0 

Homicide

By David Simon
Homicide by David Simon digital book - Fable

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Publisher Description

From the creator of HBO's The Wire, the classic book about homicide investigation that became the basis for the hit television show

The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the center of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit, a small brotherhood of hard men who fight for whatever justice is possible in a deadly world.

David Simon was the first reporter ever to gain unlimited access to a homicide unit, and this electrifying book tells the true story of a year on the violent streets of an American city. The narrative follows Donald Worden, a veteran investigator; Harry Edgerton, a black detective in a mostly white unit; and Tom Pellegrini, an earnest rookie who takes on the year's most difficult case, the brutal rape and murder of an eleven-year-old girl.

Originally published fifteen years ago, Homicide became the basis for the acclaimed television show of the same name. This new edition—which includes a new introduction, an afterword, and photographs—revives this classic, riveting tale about the men who work on the dark side of the American experience.

211 Reviews

4.0
“David Simon's approach to the turmoils of homicide detectives is pretty poetic when writing about the harsh realities of their occupations and how there can be no good resolutions in some cases. His portrayal of the murder cases responsible for providing the plots within the narrative is engaging, making you feel like you are being let past the yellow tape and into the crime scenes. Simon's detailed descriptions of logical methods within the interrogation room, the courtroom, or the medical examiner's office never bore, always managing to compound detail. He writes about the actions and quotes of detectives such as Jay Landsman, Gary D'Addario, and the rest of their squads, not just to humanize them and give insight into their styles of solving homicides, but also to integrate their sense of dark humour in a way that's plausible when dealing with so much senseless tragedy. The book balances so much senseless tragedy within a coherency that doesn't allow the cases to overshadow each other in documenting every step in concluding or trying to conclude each case. This balance of tragedy and realism adds a layer of complexity to the narrative. While it could be argued that Simon could be too close to the detectives, which could lead to a bias within his reporting of the facts, I believe that his portrayal of the Baltimore Homicide Department within his writing made the cops out to be imperfect and flawed beings who deal with the issues of politics, overworking, and underfunding rather than making them out to be crime-fighting superheroes who always triumph in the end. The flaws help to negate any glazing for these men so that I can appreciate Simon's stance in the novel.”
“Homicide A Year On The Killing Streets is an upclose and personal look at a group of Baltimore police detectives. I have many thoughts about this book. On the positive side it encouraged me to start watching the show that was later adapted from this book Homicide Life On The Streets. The author also later created show I have seen many times The Wire. On the not positive side, I think the author was entirely too pro police. To me it further proof that access journalism is bad. Overall I'm happy I read this book and I got to learn about couple more injustices committed by the police.”

About David Simon

David Simon's Homicide won an Edgar Award and became the basis for the NBC award-winning drama. Simon's second book, The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood, co-authored with Edward Burns, was made into an HBO miniseries. Simon is currently the executive producer and writer for HBO's Peabody Award–winning series The Wire. He lives in Baltimore.

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