Hollywood Crows

A Novel

By: Joseph Wambaugh

Narrated by: Christian Rummel

Length: 11 hrs

Publisher's summary

In Wambaugh's gripping new audiobook about life in the country's most sensational police force, the beloved Oracle has been replaced by thin-lipped Sgt. Treacle, but the setting is the same -Hollywood, "America's nut capital" - and some favorite personalities are still around.

When Nate and Bix Rumstead (a supposedly upstanding cop with serious sobriety issues) find themselves caught up with bombshell Margot Aziz, they think they're just having some fun. But in Hollywood, nothing is ever what it seems.

To them, Margot is a harmless socialite, stuck in the middle of an ugly divorce from the nefarious bar-owner, Ali Aziz. What Nate and Bix don't know is that Margot's no helpless victim: she's setting them both up so that she can get away with the perfect murder - and still stand to inherit her ex-husbands's ill-won fortune.

What SHE doesn't know is that Aziz has replaced her sleeping pills with a poison. And then there's Leonard Stillwater, a small time tweaker whose connection to Aziz is about to shoot him into the big leagues.

Complete with scams, cokeheads, and petty (and some not so petty) crimes, Hollywood Crows offers the very best of Wambaugh: impeccable plotting, acerbic humor, and plenty of flawed but lovable characters.

©2008 Joseph Wambaugh (P)2008 Hachette Audio

Who's At Fault? Another Shuddering Success

Wambaugh finds stories along civilization’s fault lines. He asks and answers questions about what’s going through the minds of guards along the wall separating the anti-social from the social. And he presents their frustrations as a perspective that’s missing from the smug policies flowing from 24/7 news cycles or academic ‘studies’ tediously designed to prove the convictions of their author's confirmation-bias.

There are whacky, weird, and bewildering sparks that crackle from walking the beat between what different communities prize as ‘normal’. And these are Wambaugh’s honey-loaded teaspoons that make his medicine go down.

I like these stories… Like the way they’re told and read by Christian Rummel. And I like the talent of Wambaugh to make me wonder whether the wall between the social and anti-social needs more than guards patrolling it’s perimeter, like serious maintenance or even redesign and new construction to fill its cracks and crumblings.

It’s above the pay-grade of guards to heal fault lines. It’s their job to alert us when shudderings increase. Wambaugh’s the guy who’s saying, “Houston, we’ve got a problem.” Enjoy this series from the first, “Hollywood Station: A Novel” then through “Hollywood Crows” and now “Hollywood Moon”. I’m downloading the apparent last of the epic, “Hollywood Hills” right now.

That’s the best recommendation I can give.

beginning to end good read - funny and exciting

- does he write any others like this? I want them!

Laugh out loud funny and deadly serious

Great and fun ride. The author brings in witty thoughtful and silly characters. At the same time crafts a good tale around it. This was my first of Joseph Wambaugh's books - now on to the next one!

Funny light weekend reading

All of Wambaugh's Hollywood series are simplistic comic views into the Hollywood division's diverse characters. I really enjoyed each of them and look forward to more from Wambaugh. Recommended for light reading.

Good to the last sentence!

I've always loved Joe's stuff, well, most of it. The two Hollywood Station books are great. Wish they would put Black Marble on Audio. That Rocks!

Joe your back!

This is one of the best books Joe has written in years. I laughed until I cried and then I really did get sad in the end. Joe please bring this entire crew back for another book. I actually felt like they were friends.

Awesome.

Great book and great series. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. This is truely written by a master.

This Crow Flew the Coop

I don't write many reviews; however, I had to comment on this book. I have long been a fan of Police mysteries and having been a cop in L.A., loved reading about them. Once a Waumbaugh fan, having loved his first two books, I was hoping this book would light that spark... but it is a dud! It was as if he had a deadline and just threw a bunch of characters together in a hat, and tried to somehow put it together in the end. Unless you just want to kill time, you'd be better off reading bulletin boards... at least they'd keep you entertained.

a very solid book wambaugh does it again.

The inside storys are truely wambaugh at his very best
we can only hope for more.

Hilarious!

It's an easy-going book has a good plot that keeps you wondering what will happen and it's always hilarious