Cold Hit

If you're familiar with Cannell's work--especially his previous Shane Scully detective novels, you won't be disappointed with this one. It is classic Cannell: memorable characters, witty (and sometimes profane) banter, and a realistic story-line. The best fiction is based on real life. Given the liberties taken by the current government in the name of "security", it's not too difficult to envision someone rising to a position of power where real life could mirror this fiction! There were several items that weren't quite plausible, but overall, it's a fast-paced tale that is in-step with the best cop/detective stories you see on TV or the movies, and I found it very entertaining.

This guy's an entertainment tsunami, from TV shows-think Rockford Files, to movies and lately terrific novels. I enjoyed this one, but I enjoyed all of his work. Thanks, Mr. Cannell for years of enjoyment.

In spy story novels the James Bond or other good guy character often goes through the story leaving dead bodies all over the place. Then the spies move on with never a thought for what's left behind. In murder mysteries you have a detective who applies all kinds of deduction, logic, forensics and so on to catching a killer. And if you have a lot of bodies then you have a serial killer and you put a whole task force together to go find the guy. In this case Shane Scully with the LAPD is the detective, working on a serial killer case. There are all the usual kind of problems with the press, the chief of police, partner. But then the FBI, and the CIA, and the KGB (there's no KGB any more, the Colonel works to get ballets and other cultural activities from Russia to the US) start showing up. This book is a fun read. Interesting characters working on an interesting plot. Great literature, of course not. An nice little twist on the standard murder mystery, absolutely.

Stephen J. Cannell, with a mantle full of Emmy awards in his possession, seems to be concentrating these days on his relatively new career as a novelist. After a number of increasingly successful stand-alone works, Cannell has found his niche with Shane Scully, a maverick LAPD detective with a penchant for getting into trouble but nonetheless solving cases. COLD HIT, the fifth and latest of the Scully novels, is arguably Cannell's best. COLD HIT preserves the elements that have made Cannell's past Scully novels so enjoyable and injects new ones to keep things interesting and fresh. At the start of the book, Scully is beset simultaneously with a number of professional problems. His partner, Zack Farrell, is going off the boards as the result of domestic problems and alcohol abuse. To compound matters, Scully and Farrell are in the middle of a high-profile murder investigation involving a serial killer who is preying on the homeless of Los Angeles. The murderer follows the bizarre pattern of beating his victims, shooting them in the back of the head, and cutting off their fingertips before dumping them in the river. Under pressure from the public to solve the murders, the LAPD reluctantly forms a task force headed by an acerbic FBI agent who immediately is at loggerheads with Scully. Adding to the difficulty is Scully's belief that one of the killings doesn't appear to fit the pattern of the others, which is confirmed when a shadowy Homeland Security team removes that murder from Scully's investigation. To make things even more interesting, ballistic results from the murder produce a match linking that case to the unsolved murder of a Los Angeles policeman a decade before. That match --- called a cold hit --- causes Scully to dig deeper into both murders, even as federal agents take drastic measures to warn him off, and even as the investigation seems to inexorably lead Scully to one of the last people he ever would suspect of murder. Cannell seems to be reveling in the freedom that is provided with operating within the framework of an episodic novel, as opposed to a weekly television program. He is not afraid to rearrange the placement of pieces on the chessboard --- or, as you'll see, rearrange a piece itself. At the same time, Scully's family life, and the familiar passages therein, provide a nice counterpoint to the violence that is an unwelcome but necessary part of Scully's profession. Cannell also provides a fairly even-handed treatment of contemporary issues with respect to Homeland Security. While it's fairly clear where he stands on the issue --- with local law enforcement, the Feds are almost always the bad guys, as a matter of course --- he does, through at least one recurring character, give time for an opposing viewpoint. COLD HIT makes it clear that Cannell continues to create new and original characters and stories, regardless of the medium in which he is working. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

I really, really like this book! Moreover there's a LOT to like about this new Shane Scully outing from Mr. Cannell, and at the top of the list is that these novels keep getting better both in art, depth, complexity, and subject matter. It is worth noting that Mr. Cannell is continually improving his already noteworthy writing abilities, particularly when it seems that, sadly, many writers seem content to let past successes prop up less than worthy current releases. Mr. Cannell rises above formulaic repetition and simple rehashing of his past novels by writing with an intelligence and fierce electricity that is refreshing, but also by working in new and relevant ideas and then following these ideas to their natural conclusions. No easy task, but Cannell transcends past efforts with an easy panache and grace. Scully, a LAPD detective, is maturing into a very interesting and realistic character doing his best in a constantly evolving world of red tape, personal conflicts, bureacratic indifference and short-sightedness, and now, really scary federal powers of investigation that can neutralize local law enforcement and even persecute such local representation. This novel works on all levels; it is gritty and tough, with writing that paints setting and ambiance using words just as a master artist would lovingly brush details on canvas in oil, adds in a big dash of action, moral and ethical dilemmas, plenty of dead bodies, and helps us realize, map, and confront the dark side of the sweeping new federal powers enacted after 9/11. The misuse of these powers can be truly frightening as illustrated in this book, calling to mind harrowing recollections of the Gestapo or Orwell's 1984. This book, far more than most of the genre, will make you sit back and think, then pause, then think even harder. Go grab this one as soon as you can; this novel deserves some buzz, both own it's own merits and for the scary and thought-provoking abuse of power that it details. Then (sigh) we'll all just have to sit around and wait for the next installment in the Scully series.