Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You: Stories: An Edgar Award Winner

It's surprising that this debut collection of fictional stories by a former Baton Rouge, Louisiana, police officer has not made every best sellers list in the country. Laurie Lynn Drummond is a born story teller, even if some of the tales are chock full of brutality, death and mayhem. It's been a long time since I read fiction this good. Drummond has put together a collection of "police stories" told from five female officer's point of view: Katherine - Liz - Mona - Cathy and Sarah. Each woman has a distinct voice and each woman works out her issues in her own manner and timeframe. Yes, there are brutal crimes, body parts, victims and police procedure, but what sets Drummond apart from other "crime writers" is the way she peels back the layers of her characters. Drummond unfolds each one and presents it to her reader, like a gift. One of Katherine's stories, TASTE, TOUCH, SIGH, SOUND, SMELL is almost too difficult for a civilian to read, but Drummond somehow manages to pull you through the horror. Mona's CLEANING YOUR GUN is startling in its desperation. However, it was Sarah's WHERE I COME FROM that utterly transfixed me. Ex-cop Sarah Jeffries lands in a small town in New Mexico (population 986)and begins a new life after a series of events drove her to the brink of insanity. Drummond's ability to link Sarah's plight, small town life, Hispanic mojo, an old man's grief and a tragic accident displays a mastery seldom seen in a first book. I look forward to future work from this author. Enjoy!

Apparently, despite what streets we patrol, or whether we are male or female, police officers are all of the same faith, the blue religion. Ms. Drummond makes that poingantly clear in her book, "Anything You Say or Write." If anyone is interested in the daily trials and tribulations and frustrations of a real police officer, pick up a copy of Ms. Drummond's book.I read some of the other reviews and noted that several of the people who wrote the reviews made mention of Gina Gallo's book, Armed and Dangerous, " which I've also had the opportunity to read. Both books were extremely well written, extremely entertaining, and as a 30 year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, I can tell you both books hit home like a bullet hits the bone. If you pick up one, do yourself a favor and pick up the other.

INTRODUCTIONLaurie Lynn Drummond's book from start to finish, draws you deep inside her characters. You feel the weight of the policewomen's tool belt and the subtle changes in behavior that quickly mold the rookie cop into the seasoned professional. She doesn't just capture the voice of the woman cop, but that of the human being that has chosen an at times very de-humanizing job. This job, will affect their perceptions outside as well, forever. They will never look on normal day to day life quite the same again.BOOK IS IN 5 VERY UNIQUE VOICES:The book is broken up in 5 very unique stories, with one woman police officer as the focus. Some are cops earlier in their careers, others are after they have become jaded and looking back. Others are focused on a single riveting situation. Each brings in a voice very human and very real. Unique too are some of the family relationships that provoked the officer to pursue this line of work.The book is arranged in groups of stories.KATIE: The group of stories called Katherine, give you Katie Joubert's point of view. There are 3 stories where she tells you of the time she killed a man, her emphasis on training your senses to do the job, and the myth she became.LIZ:The second set of stories are about Liz, who is eventually no longer on the regular beat. Her story is not so much of one about policework, but of relationships.MONA:The third set is of Mona, a policewoman who has joined the force coming from the legacy of father who was a cop. Their relationship was not a good one and both this relationship and the hardness required from a job, are damaging her relationhips with her own family.KATHY:The forth set is of Kathy and her involvement in an unusual case over a long period of time. How first impressions can change and change again.SARA:The last set is about Sara, a woman whose involvement on a case became very personal and drove her to run away from all that is familiar, only to realize, it all comes with you.ALL SO DIFFERENT, BUT EASY TO EMPATHIZE:The author brings to life, the regimentation, the nerve racking tension and the at times visceral feelings many police officers face and puts it in terms any of us that have a routine can understand. Co-workers quirks, breaks, lousy coffee all are intimately painted in the character's palate of this very unique job.IN SUMMARY:I found this book hard to put down. It was well written and easy to read. Nice job, I'm hoping many more will follow.

In a stunning collection of short stories and novellas, author and former female cop Laurie Lynn Drummond describes life as experienced by female police officers. She writes of women who must come to terms with death, their first killing, the emotional overload of the violent, hard-drinking life of a cop, and of women who struggle for balance between following the rules and doing what's right. Drummond's writing is very strong, filled with imagery that packs an emotional wallop while strengthening rather than weakening the narrative story line. In many of the stories, not much is really happening. A woman cleans her weapon and thinks about her life--and ending it. Another woman remembers killing a man. In other stories, Drummond uses more conventional narrative structure. In every case, however, the real story is that of being a cop, a woman in a man's world, and a human forced to wrestle with silly little rules at the same time she is putting her life at risk. Every word in ANYTHING YOU SAY CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU feels real, packed with emotional impact, and heartfelt. This is one of those books you'll want to spend time with, savoring the stories and the feelings behind them. Well done, Laurie Lynn Drummond.

Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You is the best collection of short stories I have ever read about policewomen. In fact, they are among the best police stories I have read, as well. Unlike much of the popular fiction about women who are private detectives, Ms. Drummond deals with the gritty reality of real police work. Having been a uniformed officer for the Baton Rouge, Louisiana police department, she can draw on lots of experience to bring us into the reality of this line of work. More importantly, she is a gifted writer who is able to put sensory and emotional experiences into words in ways that will assault and overwhelm your own senses and emotions. It's an impressive first book by an author who has great things ahead of her. One of the strengths of her stories is that she engages you with five different police officers who have vastly different backgrounds and experiences. What they all have in common is that they are caring people who want to do the right thing, and are true to their female perspectives. These are not men masquerading as women, as much detective fiction is. I had to ration myself with the stories. I wanted to read them straight through, but knew that I would probably not read as fine a collection of stories this year . . . so I took one a night. The pleasure from each story was palpable. The stories have a tough edge. It's not possible to do police work without being affected by it . . . and facing up to limitations that will scar one both physically and emotionally. The last two stories about Sarah are as remarkable as any short stories I have read. I hope that Ms. Drummond turns them into a novel. I want to find out what happens next in Sarah's life.As I finished the book, I came away hoping that more fiction will honestly portray the real-life experiences of women in difficult jobs.