On the Grind

A Shane Scully Novel (Shane Scully Novels)

 
4.00 based on 21 reviews.

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Hardcover Book, 320 pages

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On the heels of Three Shirt Deal, a New York Times bestseller, comes an electrifying new thriller from Stephen J. Cannell in which Lt. Shane Scully is accused of evidence tampering and his wife, Alexa, discovers Shane’s been having an affair with a beautiful movie star.

Charged with felony misconduct in a high-profile solicitation of murder case, Lieutenant Scully is faced with an impossible decision: either quietly resign from his job as a detective for the LAPD, the work he loves, or face criminal prosecution. Rather than smear the department’s reputation and his own, Scully chooses to leave. His colleagues of years feel betrayed to learn that a dirty cop has been in their midst. His wife, Alexa, the chief of detectives, leaves him, seeking a divorce for his dalliance with the accused in the case, a beautiful, well-known Hollywood actress. His son, Chooch, horrified by these events, won’t even speak to him. Life as Scully knows it is over. Or so it seems . . .

In order to make a living the only way he knows how, Shane seeks employment from a police department that has been known to hire rejects from other departments: the Haven Park PD. Haven Park is an incorporated city near downtown Los Angeles, just one square mile in size and populated almost entirely by Mexican immigrants, most of them illegal. The department is a hotbed of corruption, in effect the personal goon squad and collection agency of the town’s mayor, Cecil Bratano. Ushered into the department by his new partner, Alonzo Bell, Shane takes his lessons in policing from one of the dirtiest cops around.

But things in L.A. are hardly ever what they seem. Relentlessly harassed by an over-zealous FBI agent, the alluring Ophelia Love, and under the constant, violent, and hyper-paranoid scrutiny of his new comrades-at-arms, Shane finds himself in snare a far greater than any he could have expected. His estranged wife may be the only one who can get Shane out of this mess alive. The question is: Is she willing to do so?

Product Details

  • Subtitle: A Shane Scully Novel (Shane Scully Novels)
  • Media: Hardcover Book, 320 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press (January 06, 2009)
  • ISBN-10: 0312366280
  • ISBN-13: 9780312366285
  • Dimensions: 6.5 x 9.3 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.55 lbs
  • Note: Some of this information came from Amazon.com

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Customer Reviews

  • Rating More Trouble for Shane, Less Sleep for the Reader  Jan 13, 2009 (4 of 4 found this helpful)

    ON THE GRIND, the latest Shane Scully page-turner from Stephen J. Cannell, finds Shane's personal and professional life in shambles. The only way he can earn a living is to join a small-town police department in the L.A. Barrio which is rotten to the core with corruption which riddles the entire city government right up to and including the mayor. Never before has he been in such jeopardy, and the big question is, will he fight the corruption he encounters, or will he take part in it?

    I always read these Shane Scully books too quickly, because it's so hard to put them down, and that makes the wait for the next book longer. Somehow, Cannell gets better each time up to bat, so my expectations rise and are always exceeded. Some of the material in ON THE GRIND was inspired by actual events covered in various Los Angeles newspapers, which makes it all the more amazing. Don't miss this one!

  • Rating A Real Page Flipper!!  May 2, 2009 (2 of 2 found this helpful)

    When you are looking for a book that will not confuse or confound you, a Stephen J. Cannell novel is just what the doctor ordered. Fast paced, cleverly written and page flipping good, this latest of the Shane Scully novels continues to deliver action and excitement which is about all you can ask for a story of this sort.

    The Haven Park PD is a haven of lawlessness on the edge of LA and the only place a disgraced LAPD officer can go to find employment. Shane Scully has been given a one way ticket out of the LAPD after a felony misconduct charge involving solicitation of murder. His wife is divorcing him. His son has disowned him. He is at the bottom of the barrell which adequately describes the HPPD.

    As you might expect and soon find out, all is not as it seems as Scully is pulled into an underover role that is as dangerous as they come. These cops play for real.

  • Rating Tight tale of danger and escalating violence  Mar 26, 2009 (2 of 2 found this helpful)

    Shane Scully is in disgrace. Turned out of the LAPD because of an alleged affair with a suspect, rejected by his wife, and broke, Scully turns to the one police force in the L.A. area that doesn't ask questions. Working with some of the most corrupt cops in the country, Scully soon learns that, in Haven Park, money flows uphill--but a lot of it sticks. Starting with towing legally parked cars, but going up from there, the entire city has turned into a piggy bank for the mayor and his cronies--with the cops serving both as enforcers and as legal protection.

    From the mayor's perspective, there's one fly in the ointment--a former boxer is mounting a clean-up campaign. If he wins, the Haven Park P.D. will be out of their jobs, the money line stops, and the mayor will probably end up in jail. The mayor sees Scully as the perfect man to solve his problems.

    Scully's options are limited. The other cops on the force don't trust him, he's constantly searched for wires, and they always seem to know where he goes when he's off duty. Letting the opposition candidate be murdered isn't in the cards--but neither can Scully figure out a way to keep himself, or the candidate, safe no matter what he does. When the police go wrong, all of the options are bad.

    Author Stephen J. Cannell delivers a tight thriller with escalating stakes, and plenty of action. Scully's world, filled with illegal immigrants, smuggled guns, friction between the Feds and local law enforcement, and opportunists, is intriguing and convincing. I would have liked to see a few more twists and plant/payoffs, but Cannell definitely delivers a story that's easy to get caught up in and hard to put down.

  • Rating Remember to breathe!  Jan 11, 2009 (2 of 2 found this helpful)

    It's 3 am, and I just finished Stephen J Cannell's latest entry into the world of Shane Scully. OMG! This book rocks! Get ready to lose some sleep, Scully fans...

    The book opens with Shane at home with his wife, Alexa, who is the Chief of Detectives for the LAPD. Two officers interrupt his evening at midnight, with warrants for his arrest.

    What follows next is 304 pages of a cornucopia of breathless, nailbiting suspense, from gangbangers in LA to the Mexican border, and everyone is in on the grind, a way to hustle, make some money and stay alive on the mean streets of L.A.

    We see Shane Scully in a way that we never have before, and it isn't pretty. He puts his family and friends through hell, and you don't know how he will be able to redeem himself this time.

    Grab this book, tell everyone to go away and leave you alone, so you can become submurged in this fantastic world of cops, creeps, crooked politicians, FBI, Homeland Security and yes! even the latest in technology that James Bond would be envious of!

    Mr. Cannell, you MORE than redeemed yourself, in my eyes at least, since writing At First Sight six months ago, which is not a Scully book and which I really didn't like at all...

    So, in closing, if you have enjoyed the rest of Stephen J Cannell's books, especially the Shane Scully series, you will not be disappointed.

  • Rating Crime Fiction at Its Best  May 11, 2009 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

    Mystery, suspense, corruption, and a family torn apart are combined to create a riveting, fast-paced piece of crime fiction in "On the Grind" by Stephen J. Cannell.

    A veteran of the LAPD, Scully finds himself charged with felony misconduct in a high-profile murder-for-hire case. Accused of having an affair with the suspect and getting rid of evidence, Scully is faced with a tough choice: resign quietly or face prosecution. His wife, Alexa, the chief of detectives, asks for a divorce and his son, Chooch is so hurt he won't even talk to him.

    Unable to find work in any other police department, Scully seeks employement from the Haven Park P.D.--a department known for hiring cops other departments have rejected. He soon finds out that the Haven Park P.D. is as crooked as a dog's hind leg. His new partner, Alonzo Bell, might be the dirtiest cop ever to wear a badge. It soon becomes apparent that the entire department is merely the enforcer and collection agency for the town's mayor, Cecil Bratano.

    When a Mexican prizefighter decides to run for mayor of Haven Park and promises to end the corruption, Scully is ensnared in a plot to make sure that things stay just as they are. Under constant scrutiny by his new colleagues, the situation for Scully becomes critical, and his wife, Alexa, might be the only one who can ensure he makes it out of Haven Park alive.

    Already familiar with some of Cannell's television work--"The Rockford Files", "The A-Team", "Silk Stalkings" and "The Commish"--I eagerly agreed to review "On the Grind" when contacted by the author's publicist. This latest release in the Shane Scully series has left me wanting to collect all the previous books.

    "On the Grind" is not cluttered with a great deal of backstory, so it moves along at a fast pace, drawing the reader in immediately and leaving her hanging on the edge of her seat until the very last page. While some of Scully's past is interwoven into the current plot, the only details provided are those that assist the reader in connecting the dots, making this a great stand-alone book. The mystery deepens, the suspense builds, and the reader will unconciously find herself biting her nails as the story races along to its satisfying conclusion.

    Cannell's masterful storytelling is evident right from the start and never disappoints, keeping the reader engaged and pushing forward, afraid of what he might find, but unable to stop turning the pages.

    Some might classify this as a "guy" novel, as the writing is edgy and tough in many places; but I contend that many women will also be fans of Shane Scully after reading "On the Grind".

    If you are looking for crime fiction at its best, look no further than "On the Grind" by Stephen Cannell.

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