The Secrets of Harry Bright

by Joseph Wambaugh

When wealthy, young Palm Springs resident Jack Watson is shot and then incinerated in his Rolls Royce, his father seeks revenge by calling on LAPD homicide detective Sidney Blackpool to sort things out

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Novels, American

345 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Joseph Aloysius Wambaugh Jr. was an American writer known for his fictional and nonfictional accounts of police work in the United States. Many of his novels are set in Los Angeles and its surroundings and feature Los Angeles police officers as protagonists. He won three Edgar Awards and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. Before his writing career Wambaugh received an associate of arts degree from Chaffey College and joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 1960. He served for 14 years, rising from patrolman to detective sergeant.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is pure Carl Hiaasen and the Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) with their off the wall cast of misfit characters fumbling along in a tale that makes no sense. In steps Joseph Wambaugh who writes an ending that pulls it all together to make a sense that rips into your heart. Too bad more people haven't read this book.

[WJEP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder mystery written in the style of The Choirboys: Every cop has a nickname and a jocular anecdote. Plenty of 80s allusions:

"more lizard-eyed than Geraldine Ferraro's old man"
"I'll date you when Jeane Kirkpatrick becomes a Playboy bunny"
"I shoulda put Boy George between those two gender benders"
"A spider just did a Greg Louganis in my chili!"

Then half-way through, the story becomes more somber. It turns out the father of the victim, the LAPD detective, and the perp are all sadsack dads. The only comic relief is the detective's fat sidekick Otto.

This whodunit didn't make me sleepy.

[Liz Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad magic; as always.

Read it. Then read it again.

It doesn't matter what genre you normally like; Wambaugh transcends genre with his ability to put you in his characters' hearts.

[Jackson Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secrets of Harry Bright is Joseph Wambaugh's best novel. He had moved beyond the police tales of urban LA, but had not become the chronicler of suburban crime. Wambaugh has never been a great prose stylist, but he is a tremendous story teller. This book explores the mutual tragedies of the investigator and of his wealthy client.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book years and years ago. Grabbed the e-version when it was on sale. It was delightful to read Wambaugh again. Laugh-out-loud moments are throughout the novel along with some remarkable insights into human behavior. I read most of Wambaugh's books a long time ago. Now, after read Harry Bright, I think I'll go re-read a few more.

[Theresa Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of his best books, but not as funny or simple as The Choir Boys, which is probably my all time favorite. Its funny, but disjointed, too many characters and hard to know who the protagonist is, who the lead is. Still, its classic Wambaugh, funny, cynical, and really original language. The cop lingo is spot on. I'm really enjoying it. And as usual, most of his cop characters have bad gas. You'll remember that from The Blue Knight and some others. LOL...Great book so far. You get hooked when you figure out in that first chapter about the secret, but you don't know what it is, and then you have to learn, what were those two cops looking at and what was "the kneeling man" trying to hide. Not quite as good as Choir Boys or the Blue Knight but still good.

[bruce fuller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wambaugh weaves together a mystery with a pathetic group of characters. The two main characters are experienced Los Angeles detectives-one a drunk, the other trying to hold on for his 20 years to get a pension. The supporting cast is a third rate police department filled with rejects from other departments. The story wanders until a semi plausible solution to the mystery is presented. A main character (the drunk), covers up for his fellow officers from the third rate department out of loyalty to his brothers in blue rather than the public whom he has pledged to serve and protect. In light of the recent waves of police errors, I keep trying to find something good to say about this book but cannot.
A depressing novel by an unhappy writer.

[Mark Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long time favorite

This is one of the first Wambaugh books I ever read. An it's one of my favorite. The characters are very defined and the plot is excellent. Highly recommended.

[Chuckles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel begins with a scene depicting the PSA flight 182 disaster over San Diego, where a passenger jet collided with a Cessna in mid-air, leading to the deaths of all persons on both aircraft and several persons on the ground.

The story follows LAPD Detective Sydney Blackpool who is investigating a spurious lead into a homicide cold-case outside the desert town of "Mineral Springs" (a fictional town near Palm Springs). The wealthy father of the young murder victim, Jack Watson, used this tenuous lead and his powerful influence with the city of Los Angeles to get Blackpool assigned to investigate due to his record of success and the fact Blackpool's own son died (drowned in a surfing accident) and therefore Blackpool might be personally motivated understanding a father's grief. Blackpool is also promised a primo retirement Job with the man's large corporation, and a large slush fund which he can use to play golf in Palm Springs (and consume ample amounts of scotch) while on assignment.

The trademark dark comedy and laughs in this novel are supplied primarily by scenes of Blackpool and his partner who alternate between exploiting this boondoggle to hit the links, booze it up, and occasionally work on the case; and also by the gaggle of misfit toys that make up the Mineral Springs PD, caricatures that populate Wambaugh's novels. They of course have their own local watering hole where Wambaugh is able to entertain the reader with their exaggerated crude behaviors and telling of offensive war stories. It is here that things accidentally come together and as they do the novel becomes darker and is more similar to Wambaugh's first few novels in that regard even though the themes here aren't about things unique to police work, but rather the emotions tied to father/son relationships and even more so, guilt of fathers who lose their sons.

Eventually Blackpool solves the murder, close to a manic state at the end, compelled to do so and in spite of his and his partner's growing suspicion doing so will ruin everyone's lives. But its only on the last page that Blackpool learns the "Secrets of Harry Bright", leaving the novel with a very bleak ending.

I read this for the first time in the 90s and have reread it at least twice over the years. I will admit it did not feel as impactful the subsequent times as this plot and story stayed with me, whereas with many other books the plot and story are completely gone within a few years. One of his better novels.

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I last read any Wambaugh and as usual I enjoyed it. His characters have the usual rich back stories and the Palm Springs based whodunnit plot is sufficiently complex to have kept me engaged. My only gripe is that contrary to the situational and character comedy laced throughout the rest of the story, the ending is a bit of a downer which I did not expect.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: a year ago a man was incinerated in the desert in a Rolls, a bullet in his head. Now LAPD's Sid Blackpool is called in. It's an obsession.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have been a fan of Joseph Wambaugh for years but finding his books is becoming more of a challenge. During one move maybe 15 to 20 years ago a few of my book boxes never arrived including the one containing most of my unread Wambaugh. For years have been haunting used book stores trying to pick up all of his books that went astray. This is one that I cannot remember ever having and was surprised when I ran across it.

There is something real about the stories Wambaugh writes and they obviously reflect his real world experience with the LA Police department. His first The Blue Centurions was one of the best police stories I have ever read (Im not a fan of police stories) and hooked me on his writings. His non fiction stories give one insight to understand the criminal investigation process and present a human side to those who are caught in and affected by crime including those who are doing the investigations.

As for this one while interesting was a disappointment it felt like it was being written to fulfill an obligation. The story was interesting and the crime intriguing, it was the writing and dialogue that wasn't up to Wambaugh's usual standards. The principle character was ok but felt tired and used up even as he was so described in the story. When we found Harry Bright it felt like he was there for an obvious solution to an occurrence that was far less than it appeared to be on the surface. The answer to all the questions was not a solution but a very sad human experience that left no one with what they wanted.

Would recommend this to a devoted Joseph Wambaugh fan but if you have never read Joseph Wambaugh it would not be the place to start.

[Serge]

First-rate mystery novel from the master of police fiction! The first half is a bit slow because the author enjoys telling episodes from the lives of fellow police officers. He also takes his time poking fun at the golfing crowd of Palm Springs, and the novel is very funny, provided you are familiar with American slang and events of the 1980s (anybody remember "Looking for Mr. Goodbar"?). Although nominally set in a fictitious town, the atmosphere of Palm Springs and the area is wonderfully conveyed. And the pair of investigators are extremely enjoyable as well as believable, although the tragic side of one of them does not come off all that well.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. My first from this author. The basics is a murder a year old in a small desert town. The rich father gets two detectives from LA to come down and look at the cases based on a tiny bit of new evidence. The firs half of the book introduces the great number of characters and the events of the crime. Ultimately the book is more about the characters than the crime.

[JJ C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilariously funny, until Wambaugh twists the knife and breaks your heart.

[Lynne-Felicity Highfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Wambaugh...brilliant; sharp, funny, insightful, fast-paced. Will read more.

[Buddy Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always loved reading detective novels, Ross MacDonald being my favorite and one of the best writers of any kind, period. I read this book at my wife's urging, primarily because of the role the desert plays in the story. I enjoyed that much, found the writing about police characters engaging and convincing, but the ultimate explanation of the crime left me disatisfied.

Spoiler alert: if you read beyond here, you'll get some information that might ruin the read for you.

I found it odd that the narrative seemed to have established a couple of "facts" that did not fit the final explanation of what happened. At one point, it was mentioned that the victim had been shot before being burned due to his lungs having no evidence of his breathing extremely hot air, but the final answer had the young man sitting in a burning Rolls Royce while a cop makes up his mind to kill him to limit his suffering. Problem is, he was surround by fire to his waist. There would be no cool air to breeathe.

The other weakness was the idea of the Rolls being taken to the canyon. It had been established that the victim had no good reason to be driving the Rolls into the Canyon. Then the solution is that he did?

[Debra Pawlak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 17-month-old murder investigation is practically a cold case until two LAPD detectives are called to the small city of Mineral Springs, CA. Sidney Blackpool and Otto Stringer arrive in the small town at the request of the very rich Victor Watson--the victim's distraught father. It's complicated and the small nine-man police force is stymied. Harry Bright, the officer in charge of hiring, holds the key, but he is in a coma in a nursing facility. As always, Wambaugh's characters are colorful and the story definitely holds a reader's interest. You just can't go wrong with a crime novel by Joseph Wambaugh.

[Judy Steiner Marino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again a fine cast

Wambaugh sure creates a great cast of characters to weave his story of solving a cold case. Palm Springs is a setting but also a character in this story ... Intriguing and mysterious with a wide array of townships and residents. He intertwines the stories of three men who all lost sons and each is affected in some heart wrenching way. There are a lot of humorous moments in the actions of Sid, Otto and O.A. A lot running from one side of the valley to the other finally ekes out the clues in order to give the answers that no one wants to hear. A great entertaining story that left me wanting to know more about the people in this tale.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange book. The title character does on appear until quite late in the book. The initial chapters involve humorous accounts of things alleged to have happened to cops or situations that have been brought about by cops acting outside the usual guidelines. When Harry Bright appears he is in the final days of his life having suffered a stroke months before his proposed retirement. He is beloved by all that work with him. Why?

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bunch of misfits cops all end up in one town where a young man has been killed. The two main characters are both drunks and cops on an expense paid vacation as a disguise to find out what happened to the young man who was killed. Some parts are funny, most of it is just plain dumb and even though I read it I'm still not sure how it ended.

[Carol L. Easley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed

I used to read Wambaugh's books a d enjoy them. I hated this one. In fact, everything about it. The plot was at first interesting but was so sidetracked by ridiculous, unrelated characters and antics that the 4 or 5 days seemed like a month. The ending was not worth the reading time either. If this is what Wambaugh is writing now, count me out!

[Janet Nast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too happy with the ending...

Just when I thought it all made sense and it was all good, a question was thrown in the mix. And it's not like there's enough of a story there to write a sequel. Bummer :(

[Bob Box · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in 1986. Raucous cops, outlaw bikers and suntanned celebrities collide in a steamy landscape swirling with natural beauty and unnatural death. Police procedural mixed with psychological thriller. One of my favorites that year.

[Sully Augustine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars out of 5 - I re-read a paperback that has been around here for a long time. There are some exceedingly clever and engaging parts, and the whole of the complex plot held my interest, but in the end this feels like a novel the author threw together in a hurry.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't ever escape this book. I wish I'd known how much it informed my own writing, and my own experience of the Morongo Valley

[Jess George · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Pretty good earlier Wambaugh set in the California desert. Did not enjoy as much as the Hollywood Station series. Strong sense of place and characters, but very dark.

[Chuck Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty usual good writing but the story ran in circles. Just could stay with it. I quit 125 pages in

[Lise Charpentier goddard]

Crappy ending!

[ED Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book...hated the way it ended.