Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets

BAZM8

i'm currently half way through this. It's a book by David Simon and it's like a series of the Wire on the page. Highly recommend it to anyone who's suffering withdrawal symptoms. (Some of the incidents in the the series were lifted verbatim from the book.)

Beans_On

So i take it its not recomended to read the book if u havent completed as seasons?

im currently waiting to get season 4 and 5.

tvnutz

The book has nothing to do with the story in the show. The show won't be spoiled if you read it.

godtabh

Bought this in Zavi yesterday for €8.99. Didnt realise it was such a big book. Its gona take me awhile to read it!

Jay Ru

yeah i picked it up there at the start of the year, well worth the read.

galwayfotogrfr

fantastic book. great to read about the lives these people live.

Johnny Storm

Great book. Actually many of the plots from season 1 and 2 of Homicide come straight from the book, including Edena Watson. I wouldn't say the book spoils the TV show though.
It's also interesting to work out which real life detective was the basis for which fictional tv detective. Also there are no female detectives in the book at all AFAICR.

PaulieBoy

Yeah a great book, will not in any way spoil the show if your not done watching it.

Dyr

I bought season 1 after reading the book and while the series is really good the book is way better.

Actually I'm watching season 2 now and so far it feels like a rehash of the first season to me, are the other seasons similar or better?

Johnny Storm

Bambi wrote: »

I bought season 1 after reading the book and while the series is really good the book is way better.

Actually I'm watching season 2 now and so far it feels like a rehash of the first season to me, are the other seasons similar or better?

If we're talking about Homicide then JIMHO all the series (except 7) are excellent. After series 1+2 the TV leaves the book behind and takes off on its own, bringing in new characters etc.

junior80

As someone who works in the area (albeit in Ireland) 'Homicide' leaves every other book written about life in any police force trailing in its' wake.

From start to finish it is absolutely outstanding in it's depictions of every aspect of the job.
Obviously police practices/procedures differ slightly in every country but the mindset of the officer(s), their wit, sense of humour and grim determination are characterised expertly.
I would defy any member of any police force to read it and not allow themselves a thousand wry smiles as they make their way through the book.
Like day to day life in the job the book doesn't follow any script, it meanders from investigation to investigation covering the 'dunkers' and the 'stone whodunits' - the hope the reader feels for cases like 'Latonya Wallace' mirrors the job perfectly even when the investigation is doomed to failure from the outset.

The book certainly wont ruin 'The Wire' which is incidentally the most outstanding police drama ever written, it is everything the book is. It is so challenging for the reader and the viewer to be taught that not every investigation is wrapped up neatly in an hour and some are never wrapped up at all. Absolutely brilliant.