On the Grind

Shane Scully, Book 8

By: Stephen J. Cannell

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Charged with misconduct in a high-profile solicitation of murder case, Scully is forced to resign from the LAPD or face criminal prosecution. His wife Alexa leaves him, seeking a divorce for his alleged dalliance with the accused in the case, a well-known Hollywood actress. His son, Chooch, horrified by these events, won't speak to him.

In order to make a living, Scully seeks employment where he can: the Haven Park, California PD. Haven Park is a small, incorporated city near downtown LA, populated largely by illegal immigrants. The department is known for its corruption, in effect the Mayor's personal goon squad and collection agency. As Shane gets involved, he learns that things are rarely what they seem.

Relentlessly harassed by an over-zealous FBI agent, the beautiful Ophelia Love, and under the constant, sometimes violent, extremely paranoid scrutiny of his new comrades-at-arms, Shane finds that Alex may be the only one who can get him out of this new mess alive. But is she willing to?

©2009 Stephen J. Cannell (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Too Predictable

I've been a huge fan of the Shane Scully series and this new book continues the themes set forth from the earlier works but seems like a novel conceived and written with too much haste. It has its moments of suspense and action but doesn't evoke a since of accomplishment. It's good enough to keep me interested in the series but not enough to make me want to rush out to get the next, when and if it ever comes out.

Enjoyable listen

I enjoyed this book which just happened to be narrated by my all time favorite narrator Scott Brick. Worth your time and credit.

As Good As TV

What made the experience of listening to On the Grind the most enjoyable?

I purchased this book as Scott Brick was the reader. I am his new fan and I am trying new authors' books he reads. He did an excellent job on this story.
I have watched many TV scripts written by Stephen J. Cannell and this story would have been right for TV.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

This was a dark drama, so how humor could have been added, I don't know, but that is the only element that could have lighten this story up a bit.

Which scene was your favorite?

When our two heroes are on the lam, it was cool how they spurred each other on to not give up.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was sad to see how bad cops operate and make the good ones fade out.

Any additional comments?

Not sure if I would try another story from this author. Good story to be sure, but it was a dark subject.

great series

Would you listen to On the Grind again? Why?

If I had it to do over again, I certainly would listen to this one again. Cannell always leaves you guessing as to what might happen to Scully, and this book goes even further than usual.

What other book might you compare On the Grind to and why?

I enjoy many of the mysteries and thrillers. Of course, there are vague parallels between Cannells' Scully, Connelly's Harry Bosch and DeMille's John Corey, but all are interesting to get to know.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Scott Brick is consistently high caliber with his narrations, and this is no exception. It's just great how he's able to handle many different voices and accents.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I don't ever get a chance to listen to a book all the way through, but this was one of the better ones for making me want to get back to it.

Fun But Basic

Fun story but a bit predictable and bad guys who are all black with no shades of gray. Scott Brick, the reader, is one of the masters. Basic fun but nothing deep.

Another great twist!

Cannell always keeps you in your toes, and this book is no exception! Each Shane Scully book gets better and better.

A fun read...

No one would guess that I am addicted to gritty police and legal thrillers, but I am. This was my first Shane Scully book and it was a fun read. No, it wasn't in the category of the Harry Bosch series, but I am familiar with the author's TV series so I expected as much. I was a bit confused in the beginning by the main character's role as a dirty cop but it was explained quickly. The plot of an entire police force being corrupt with no oversight was a stretch but I enjoyed the book nevertheless. I will definitely check out the other books in the Scully series.

Character development over the series.

I am a huge fan of this series of books. I only have three left to read, and I will be sad because there will be no more since the author has passed away. I only hope somebody will take a chance and make a series like Bosch or Reacher. I’m still trying to pick an actor to be the main character of Shane Scully. Haven’t come up with one yet. But I’m still searching through actors online to find one that fits my idea of Scully. It would be very important to get the right actor. Tom Cruise was horrible as Reacher. Alan Ritchson was such a better choice. I’ve been watching season two of Reacher and it’s just as good as season one. I can’t wait for Friday nights! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👍👩🏻‍🦰

Weak entry in the Scully series

I am about 10 years late to this series but enjoying working my way through the Shane Scully stories. The first few are pretty terrific. Interesting characters and plot twists to hold your interest. On The Ground doesn't add anything to the series. To me, feels like it was written on autopilot while Cannell was attending to TV scripts. Not that this book is bad, it just repeats plot ideas from earlier in the series which you can spot beginning on page one.

Again, I marvel at Scott Brick's ability to elevate most everything he narrates. This guy is the gold standard for audio books.

"I love it when a plan comes together"

Stephen Cannell has brought the same expertise to this series about Shane Scully as.he did to the "A Team"! Every books just builds in suspense as the stories are told. The books in this series can stand alone, but they are so much more impressive when listened to in order. The characters build in complexity. The story line are believable. What a great adventure!