Crows fly high

Author Joseph Wambaugh just misses with his sequel to Hollywood Station. Hollywood Crows picks up shortly after the events of its predecessor and follows all of the main characters.
The book is primarily a collection of short anecdotes, driven by Wambaugh’s readable and relatable dialogue. There is an overarching storyline that links all the characters together, but it lacks the intrigue and fun of the one in the first book.
Again Wambaugh targets the federal decree that he feels sabotages the effectives of the LAPD, and this time around it starts to wear on the reader. We get that the system is messed up, but enough already.
I’m not saying I want the story to delve into uncharted areas like the way The Wire tapestry expanded season after season. I would like to see him stay consistent in his storytelling and to that end a more interesting story would have been nice.
The fact that the mystery dominating the story is neither mysterious or entertaining is a testament to Wambaugh’s skill as a writer, because I would definitely recommend the book.
It blows my mind that these books haven’t become television shows. They offer episodic adventures with an overarching story. The dialogue is fascinating and it is easy to empathize with the characters.
When Southland came out on NBC it originally looked like an adaptation of Wambaugh’s stories. About 4 minutes of canned dialogue and unholy self-righteousness into the first episode it became apparent that Wambaugh had not been consulted, referenced or in any way involved with this project.
There is a third book in the series that I will read as soon as my dad buys it and until then you should try to catch up by reading Hollywood Station and Hollywood Crows.