On the Grind

Mystery, suspense, corruption, and a family torn apart are combined to create a riveting, fast-paced piece of crime fiction in "On the Grind" by Stephen J. Cannell. A veteran of the LAPD, Scully finds himself charged with felony misconduct in a high-profile murder-for-hire case. Accused of having an affair with the suspect and getting rid of evidence, Scully is faced with a tough choice: resign quietly or face prosecution. His wife, Alexa, the chief of detectives, asks for a divorce and his son, Chooch is so hurt he won't even talk to him. Unable to find work in any other police department, Scully seeks employement from the Haven Park P.D.--a department known for hiring cops other departments have rejected. He soon finds out that the Haven Park P.D. is as crooked as a dog's hind leg. His new partner, Alonzo Bell, might be the dirtiest cop ever to wear a badge. It soon becomes apparent that the entire department is merely the enforcer and collection agency for the town's mayor, Cecil Bratano. When a Mexican prizefighter decides to run for mayor of Haven Park and promises to end the corruption, Scully is ensnared in a plot to make sure that things stay just as they are. Under constant scrutiny by his new colleagues, the situation for Scully becomes critical, and his wife, Alexa, might be the only one who can ensure he makes it out of Haven Park alive. Already familiar with some of Cannell's television work--"The Rockford Files", "The A-Team", "Silk Stalkings" and "The Commish"--I eagerly agreed to review "On the Grind" when contacted by the author's publicist. This latest release in the Shane Scully series has left me wanting to collect all the previous books. "On the Grind" is not cluttered with a great deal of backstory, so it moves along at a fast pace, drawing the reader in immediately and leaving her hanging on the edge of her seat until the very last page. While some of Scully's past is interwoven into the current plot, the only details provided are those that assist the reader in connecting the dots, making this a great stand-alone book. The mystery deepens, the suspense builds, and the reader will unconciously find herself biting her nails as the story races along to its satisfying conclusion. Cannell's masterful storytelling is evident right from the start and never disappoints, keeping the reader engaged and pushing forward, afraid of what he might find, but unable to stop turning the pages. Some might classify this as a "guy" novel, as the writing is edgy and tough in many places; but I contend that many women will also be fans of Shane Scully after reading "On the Grind". If you are looking for crime fiction at its best, look no further than "On the Grind" by Stephen Cannell.

Cannell does not appear to be a very well known author as it seems that his name is not thrown around as much as some of the "bestseller" authors, who I might add are much worse writers. But Cannell is a very good writer. That might have something to do with his being a script writer, which means they have to be dumbed down for the audience. His books are very, very easy to read and I can typically go through his books in 2 days, and more importantly, I want to. They are well written and easy to understand, without jumping from one subplot to another, or starting in the middle of stories, which some other authors tend to (or try to do) in order to make their stories "more interesting". Cannell doesn't do any of that stuff, he just writes his books in a straight forward linear manner. The Shane Scully books are all LAPD books. They are not as exciting or gripping as the Michael Connolly books, which are the gold standard. The Scully books don't go into character development or suspense as much detail as those. One thing that stands out about the Scully series, especially this book is that it goes into much more detail regarding the current ethno-political situation in LA, which is to say the least, skirting a very fine line in political correctness, but which the author gets around by having the diverse characters in his book saying those things. The Scully books are all one of a series, which means, you should read them from book #1. The pros of this is that once you're into them, they're like old friends and you already know where everybody stands, who's good, who's bad. The character and story development is good, but not great, a more apt term might be that the characters and story is entertaining, after all, we're not reading this book to write a thesis, it's for entertainment. If you're wondering when I start talking about what's in the book, I typically don't get into the story in my reviews because I don't want to know what happens or even what the plot is. I just want to know if it's a good book or not. So to answer that, this is a good police book, it's easy to read and get into, and if you're a fan of Cannell, you won't need any encouragement, just get it. If you're not a fan of Cannell's, try it, it'll be a few day's worth or good reading.

If you're looking for some profound insight about the meaning of life, look elsewhere. If you're looking for arcane vocabulary and obscure references to plays, poems, and philosophers, look elsewhere. But if you want an exciting police adventure, you have it here. Author Stephen J. Cannell's story focuses on Haven Park, a one-square-mile city in Los Angeles County that is crowded with tens of thousands of mostly poor residents. The majority of them are undocumented immigrants. These people are exploited by a viciously corrupt city government. The police department provides the muscle, in return for kickbacks. Key Cannell character, Shane Scully, finds himself on that very police force. This book never slows down. The first seventy pages have you guessing about Scully's role on the Haven Park police force, and the remainder of the book tracks his perilous life there. The reform candidate for mayor of Haven Park is Rocky Chacon, a former prizefighter. The police thugs and their friends, the Eighteenth Street Locos gang, are determined to destroy Chacon. This book reflects the writing skills sharpened by Cannell in his long and distinguished career. I picked up this book largely because I had read his Riding the Snake, and hoped this would be equally exciting. I was not disappointed.

ON THE GRIND, the latest Shane Scully page-turner from Stephen J. Cannell, finds Shane's personal and professional life in shambles. The only way he can earn a living is to join a small-town police department in the L.A. Barrio which is rotten to the core with corruption which riddles the entire city government right up to and including the mayor. Never before has he been in such jeopardy, and the big question is, will he fight the corruption he encounters, or will he take part in it? I always read these Shane Scully books too quickly, because it's so hard to put them down, and that makes the wait for the next book longer. Somehow, Cannell gets better each time up to bat, so my expectations rise and are always exceeded. Some of the material in ON THE GRIND was inspired by actual events covered in various Los Angeles newspapers, which makes it all the more amazing. Don't miss this one!

It's 3 am, and I just finished Stephen J Cannell's latest entry into the world of Shane Scully. OMG! This book rocks! Get ready to lose some sleep, Scully fans... The book opens with Shane at home with his wife, Alexa, who is the Chief of Detectives for the LAPD. Two officers interrupt his evening at midnight, with warrants for his arrest. What follows next is 304 pages of a cornucopia of breathless, nailbiting suspense, from gangbangers in LA to the Mexican border, and everyone is in on the grind, a way to hustle, make some money and stay alive on the mean streets of L.A. We see Shane Scully in a way that we never have before, and it isn't pretty. He puts his family and friends through hell, and you don't know how he will be able to redeem himself this time. Grab this book, tell everyone to go away and leave you alone, so you can become submurged in this fantastic world of cops, creeps, crooked politicians, FBI, Homeland Security and yes! even the latest in technology that James Bond would be envious of! Mr. Cannell, you MORE than redeemed yourself, in my eyes at least, since writing At First Sight six months ago, which is not a Scully book and which I really didn't like at all... So, in closing, if you have enjoyed the rest of Stephen J Cannell's books, especially the Shane Scully series, you will not be disappointed.