This may be THE BEST POLICE PROCEDURAL EVER WRITTEN. Stuart Kaminsky flies under the radar compared to other mystery writers even though he has received his peers highest accolades and awards. His experiences: growing up in gritty Chicago; serving as a medic in the Army; on the Northwestern University faculty teaching film; and, writing over 50 novels.So, what's it to you? If you watch TV, you have had your fill of this genre since before The 87th Precinct featured Robert Lansing, Gena Rowlands, Ron Harper, Gregory Walcott, and Norman Fell (which was based on the books by Ed McBain). Great writers such as Joseph Wambaugh, Tony Hillerman and Georges Simenon have also focused on this type of detective fiction that often has a group of police trying to track down different criminals doing a variety of crimes while getting support from a variety of specialists to aid in their efforts to capture those "perps." If you like that stuff, Kaminsky has built his series around two detectives: Abe Lieberman and Bill Hanrahan. Both are tough, ethical cops who have challenging personal lives that they have to balance with work out of a precinct on Chicago's Northside.This is the third book in the series, but it can stand on its own. It focuses on 24 hours in Abe's and Bill's lives when they have the job of tracking down the killers of Abe's nephew. They are also involved in protecting a wife and child from an violently abusive father and finishing a sting of con artists who prey on the elderly. We get a very three-dimensional view of all of this including: the strategies of prosecutors and public defenders; the use of forensics; negotiation with informers; and the intrusion of home life. What makes this special is that Abe and Bill struggle, as we might, with the ethics of each piece. Does might make right? Does the end justify the means? Do you cut a deal with felons to get a killer? What is justice? And, can you sleep at night? These are "real" people, not cardboard heroes. That they get the job done is sometimes a miracle in itself. And, Kaminsky does not ignore the price that the police pay for doing their job --- something that their families may or may not accept. Abe and Bill have developed a unique working relationship. They spend more time with each other than they do with anybody else. They care about and support each other in ways that are often intuitive.Kaminsky brings us all this and the thrill of the chase while throwing in some humor and surprises along the way. Magnificent.
-#2 of the Abe Lieberman Series-The thing I like about these books is the characters. Abe, a Jew, is partnered with Bill, a Catholic. The setting is Chicago. This book is about a murder that hits close to home. Abe’s nephew is shot and killed and his pregnant wife Carol is seriously wounded. Intermingled with this investigation is some other ones Abe and Bill are involved in. This book definitely kept my attention until the very end. I enjoyed the banter amongst Abe and his family and friends. The story line was good although with the minor story lines intertwined, it was sometimes difficult to follow. The ending is good, although a bit unbelievable and there didn’t seem to be enough clues to figure make it legitimate. With that being said, I still enjoyed the book and will continue thru the series.
