On the Grind -- Stephen J. Cannell

I've enjoyed any number of Stephen J. Cannell's TV series (particularly and Tenspeed and Brownshoe and The Rockford Files), but until now I'd never read one of Cannell's novels. I have to say that On the Grind hits the ground running and never lets up.

Shane Scully is apparently booted out of the LAPD for so many serious indiscretions that it's hard to count them all. The next thing you know, he's hired to work for the department in Haven Park, a small incorporated city within Los Angeles. It's the dirtiest department you'll ever read about with the crookedest cops you can imagine. Scully seems to take to the graft like a natural.

Cannell tells his story in stripped-down prose that carries things along at warp speed. There's not a lot of time for reflection and angst; just pure storytelling. Check it out when you're in the mood for something fast, furious, and fun.