Death on the Docks

Dirty Harry #2

by Dane Hartman

Vintage movie tie-in paperback

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1981

About the author

Following the release of the third Dirty Harry movie, The Enforcer, in 1976, Clint Eastwood made it clear that he did not intend to make any more Dirty Harry movies. In 1981, Warner Books (the publishing arm of Warner Bros., which made the films) began publishing a number of men's adventure series under its now-defunct "Men of Action" line. One such series features the further adventures of Inspector Harry Callahan. The books, written primarily by Ric Meyers and Leslie Alan Horvitz, appeared under the house name Dane Hartman. The series was brought to an end when Eastwood decided to direct, produce, and star in a fourth Dirty Harry movie, Sudden Impact, which was released in December 1983.

Reviews

[Bill]

I've always enjoyed the Dirty Harry films, but this is the first stand alone novel featuring Harry Callaghan that I've read.
There's plenty of shoot outs, violence and witty one liners. It's a workmanlike novel and although nothing great it would have made a pretty good Dirty Harry movie.

[Thrillers R Us]

Ominously heralding that in voodoo, the serpent represents earth and the rainbow symbolizes heaven, THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW in movie form hints that there are worse places to be stuck in between than between a palm tree and a Corona Light. Following James Bond's solo voyage to a Caribbean Island in LIVE AND LET DIE, all by himself and up against it, dealing with wicked drug traffickers, DEATH ON THE DOCKS takes the abbreviated travel brochure approach, minus the narcotics, tetrodotoxins, and zombies, but with more Union thugs than humanly possible to shake an axe handle at.

The brutal murder of Bernard Tuber and his fam, shotgunned to death for going up against preordained leadership for the control of Local 242 of the Brotherhood of Longshoremen, sees SFPD badge number 2211 on loan to Palo Alto, way off his turf, and on his day off. It's a time of 20c newspapers, clacking typewriters, indoor smoking, and tough cops like Harry Callahan. An old-school Inspector who's devoted to the principle of taking action with no time for politics, bureaucracy, or paper work. Plus, Callahan hates a good bottle of booze going to waste. Ever the picture of 1980s efficiency, an advanced computer system, PATRIC, grimly the future of law enforcement, is to be Harry's partner in solving the DEATH ON THE DOCKS. This comes in quite handy, as DiGeorgio, also Harry's partner in THE ENFORCER, can usually be found at Luigi's and always arrives at a scene after the event.

Most likely the inspiration for a host of action flicks, in particular HARD TO KILL, CODE OF SILENCE, and LETHAL WEAPON, DEATH ON THE DOCKS curiously features death, yet nowhere near the docks of San Francisco. Going the unconventional route, all normal police, court and DA procedures are suspended. It's a wild novel where anything goes. Ripped from the headlines of the late 70s/early 80s. and told in the voice of gruff and brusk Clint Eastwood in character doing Harry Callahan, DEATH ON THE DOCKS is pulp supreme, guilty pleasure reading of the highest degree. Sorta like studying #45 on Social media, DEATH ON THE DOCKS advances the principles of a Witchhunt and a 1981 version of a "Scaramucci". Indulging in a nod to make believe, albeit the SFPD being a superb LE outfit, it's unclear where good old Harry got a fake or forged passport to head south of the border. Probably the same Union Square hockshop that sold him the 'American Tourist' disguise. Despite featuring the most unusual way to break a case (with a lady's unwitting help--a woman scorned and all that), this story oozes action: a destroyed apartment, a liquor store shootout, a gigantic barfight, a car chase, an airport firefight, and an island in the Caribbean, DEATH ON THE DOCKS got it all, and Harry's all the way in it. Nowhere near the caliber of a Pulitzer or Edgar award candidate, DEATH ON THE DOCKS is a labor of love for those who stan the Callahan, packing a .44 Magnum punch. And then some.

[Beauregard Shagnasty]

A decent entry to the series.It benefits from a strong central villain and a well-established sense of political corruption. The ending is bit outrageous, but what the heck, it's pulp fiction.

[Aleisha Zolman]

again, happiness is dirty harry:)

[Mikepottz]

The Docks can be a nasty place. Union president candidate has his blood splattered through the air. His wife had her head nearly completely shot off. Then the kids dead. Dirty Harry on the case. Harry eats spicy Szechuan food. Didn't expect that. Harry can't even enjoy his food as some extortionists enter the restaurant with guns. Harry finishes them. Bullets through the neck. A hitman is paid to take out Harry. They pump bullets into Harry's apartment. His good bottle of Scotch shattered. This upsets Harry more than the bullets. Luckily the hitman fail. Harry causing trouble in a bar. The barman tries to Harpoon him but Harry with his best mate .44 in the chest, up the throat, out of his brain. Harry now in
a small Caribbean Island trying to bring an escaped prisoner back without his chain of command knowing. Harry is fighting the local army. Loads of death and destruction.

[Jon]

Wow. This book was so fun. The first Dirty Harry novel had left me wanting. I found it rather pedestrian. A Dirty Harry story you would come up with without trying very hard. The elements were there but it didn't quite work, so much ah that it took me a few years to try the second entry in the series.

This book was so much better. Fun and action filled. Definitely felt a bit more like a pulp novel than the first one. But it never felt like it wasn't staying true to the character from the movies. The other characters in the book were very engaging. The book is very violent, be aware of that going in.

If you grew up watching the Dirty Harry movies with your old man. Or if you just enjoy action filled tales about driven, uncompromising detectives. Then this is the book for you.

[I.D.]

Harry tries to bring down a crooked union leader who had a rival killed. There’s corruption from the top on down but a 44 magnum is obviously the best solution.
Occasionally very clunky in its writing the book has a couple of laugh of loud deadpan comments that had to be intentional. But it backed itself into a corner and had to do a real cop out ending that was way too rushed and hokey. Particularly for a story that had an interesting layer to it for the first half. Also, it’s extremely gory in an almost comical way.

[Timo]

Kyllä tämä aika kaukana oli yhdenkään Dirty Harry elokuvan tunnelmasta. Samalla Harrykään ei tuntunut samalta kuin elokuvissa. Jos tuon onnistuu sulkemaan mielestään, on tämä mies-kirjana ihan jees. Mutta en onnistunut.

[Garrison]

Did not enjoy this one as much as book 1. Be aware racial slurs used: "spade" and the "n" word. Reminded me of James Bond books by Fleming in time period racial vibes. Both do NOT travel well to today's sensibilities.

The ending has his guardian angel working over time. Good thing he is invincible.

[George K.]

Αυτό είναι το δεύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς Dirty Harry, έχω ήδη διαβάσει το όγδοο βιβλίο της σειράς, το "Σκοτεινή υπόθεση", και αναζητώ και τα υπόλοιπα μιας και δηλώνω φαν του Βρώμικου Χάρι και αυτού του είδους τα ανάλαφρα παλπ αστυνομικά.

Η ιστορία αρχίζει με την βίαιη δολοφονία του Μπέρναρντ Τούμπερ, υποψήφιου και με τις δημοσκοπήσεις υπέρ του, για την θέση του προέδρου της Ένωσης στο Σαν Φρανσίσκο, όπως και με τη δολοφονία της γυναίκας του και των δυο ανήλικων παιδιών του. Αρκετά βίαιη αρχή μπορώ να πω. Στη συνέχεια έχουμε τον Βρώμικο Χάρι να ερευνά την υπόθεση και να καταλαβαίνει ότι πίσω από αυτήν την δολοφονία βρίσκεται ο Ματ Μπράξτον, πρώην πρόεδρος της Ένωσης που λύνει και δένει στο Σαν Φρανσίσκο και που υποστηρίζει τον Τζον "Βούβαλο" Ράιαν, επίσης υποψήφιο για την προεδρία της Ένωσης και φυσικά μαριονέτα του Μπράξτον. Και φυσικά η έρευνα του Χάρι βρίσκει και εμπόδια μέσα στην αστυνομία, ακόμα και στην εισαγγελία, μιας και εκεί έχει απλώσει τα δίχτυα του ο Μπράξτον.

Κλασικό θέμα, διεφθαρμένοι πολιτικοί που κάνουν περιουσίες, αστυνομικοί και δικαστικοί που τα "παίρνουν", συνδικάτα που κλείνουν λιμάνια και ανοίγουν κεφάλια σε όποιον αντιστέκεται... και έναν Χάρι να προσπαθεί να βγάλει άκρη, σώζοντας πρώτα τη ζωή του. Πολλή δράση, με πάρα πολλές και δυνατές σκηνές, με μπόλικο ξύλο, ανταλλαγές πυροβολισμών και αιματοχυσία, με την αποκορύφωση να έρχεται στο νησί του Μπράξτον στην Καραϊβική, όπου ο Μπράξτον διέφυγε και ο Βρώμικος Χάρι τον ακολούθησε...

Οι ανατροπές πολύ λίγες και διόλου "συγκινητικές", κενά στην υπόθεση μπορεί και να υπάρχουν, όχι ιδιαίτερα σημαντικά, οι χαρακτήρες δίχως ιδιαίτερο βάθος, αλλά εμένα το βιβλίο μου άρεσε, η όλη παλπ ατμόσφαιρα της δεκαετίας του '80 στο Σαν Φρανσίσκο, το στιλ αυτό που θυμίζει Πολύ σκληρός για να πεθάνει, Φονικό Όπλο και φυσικά Βρώμικο Χάρι, και λοιπά, είναι πράγματα που μου αρέσουν αρκετά.

"Η μοιραία γυναίκα", εκδόσεις ΒΙΠΕΡ.

[Ken French]

A good, trashy read.