A Must Read - Homicide - A Year on the Killing Streets

[lornemalvo]

I posted this in another thread but thinks it deserves a stand alone recommendation .
Every so often you come across an absolute gem of a book. I just discovered " Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets" by David Simon ( who created The Wire and Homicide - Life on the Streets). Described by Norman Mailer as the best book about homicide detectives by an American writer, it's certainly the best I've read. It's incredibly articulate and intelligently written. It reads like a cross between a thriller and a documentary. It includes cases in which a single piece of inspiration or clue solved a case. It describes what it must be like to be a homicide detective and the way different detectives have different approaches within set procedures and what they must think about at crime scenes. It could probably serve as a training manual for new detectives. It references real cases. It also gives a sharp insight into life in Baltimore and how policing changed over the years. I've never felt more compelled to recommend a book because it's truly brilliant.