What do you think?
Rate this book
Shane Scully #8
On The Grind
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?
331 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 6, 2009
29 people are currently reading
384 people want to read
About the author
Stephen J. Cannell
68 books268 followersStephen J. Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist, and occasional actor, and the founder of Cannell Entertainment (formerly Stephen J. Cannell Productions) and the Cannell Studios.
Cannell created or co-created several successful TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s. Creations included The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish. He was an Emmy winner and was awarded The Eye - Lifetime Achievement Award by the Private Eye Writers of America.
Cannell created or co-created several successful TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s. Creations included The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish. He was an Emmy winner and was awarded The Eye - Lifetime Achievement Award by the Private Eye Writers of America.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
June 8, 2021
This book got me hooked after the first coupla chapters. I love the fact that Shane Scully has a family and a life outside being a peace officer. He has "ideals" about himself that he honors. He isn't perfect and doesn't profess to be. He struggles along with his wits and socks. It delivered everything I expected in this series of books.
May 2, 2023
When I first started reading this novel, my thought was that the author certainly turned Shane Scully into a very unlikeable character until he revealed that Scully was working undercover and the charges against him were fabricated. This was cheating the audience because the story is written in first person point of view, so it was disingenuous that the viewpoint character would narrate this novel and not refer to the whole working undercover part.
After that rough start, I thought the story got better. Scully got himself into some pretty difficult situations working to bust an absurdly corrupt police department and mayoral office in a town located just outside of Los Angeles. The complete and utter corruption in the city of Park Haven wasn’t terribly believable, at least not in a country that isn’t run like a banana republic. Getting past that, there was a good bit of tension in the novel as Scully had to work his way out of one predicament after another.
The novel was a quick read and it flowed pretty well. It’s the sort of novel that you can read in a few sittings and enjoy it for its entertainment value and take it for what it is.
Carl Alves – author of Beyond Ragnarok
After that rough start, I thought the story got better. Scully got himself into some pretty difficult situations working to bust an absurdly corrupt police department and mayoral office in a town located just outside of Los Angeles. The complete and utter corruption in the city of Park Haven wasn’t terribly believable, at least not in a country that isn’t run like a banana republic. Getting past that, there was a good bit of tension in the novel as Scully had to work his way out of one predicament after another.
The novel was a quick read and it flowed pretty well. It’s the sort of novel that you can read in a few sittings and enjoy it for its entertainment value and take it for what it is.
Carl Alves – author of Beyond Ragnarok
July 14, 2016
Ace policeman Shane Scully goes undercover in the most corrupt city in the LA area, which is really saying something.
It's got all the usual stuff that happens in a TV movie, as Scully gets inside the organization.
Pretty good, albeit shallow and predictable.
It's got all the usual stuff that happens in a TV movie, as Scully gets inside the organization.
Pretty good, albeit shallow and predictable.
December 11, 2019
I've gotten attached to the Shane Scully character, which affected my reading of On The Grind.
Of course a cop thriller has to put the protagonist in harm's way, but golly, I became so scared for Scully. I had to coach myself not to panic, that the author was going to get him through it, to just relax and enjoy the ride. And I did enjoy the ride. Each "set back" took the reader through another side adventure, and I so love Cannell's give for cop talk and tough guy slang. And the big-honcho pride before a fall dynamic. Still, rarely has a protagonist been so scathed.
Of course a cop thriller has to put the protagonist in harm's way, but golly, I became so scared for Scully. I had to coach myself not to panic, that the author was going to get him through it, to just relax and enjoy the ride. And I did enjoy the ride. Each "set back" took the reader through another side adventure, and I so love Cannell's give for cop talk and tough guy slang. And the big-honcho pride before a fall dynamic. Still, rarely has a protagonist been so scathed.
July 29, 2021
Unless you've worked as a Los Angeles police officer, don't bother reading this book. You won't understand most of the off-color, off-beat terminology. It's almost as though the writer wants to impress his readers with the slang.
I didn't buy into the plot right from the beginning. Everything is so over-the-top and stereotyped that my groaning soon became too much for my girlfriend. Thankfully, I bought this for only three-bucks used. I'm going to try one Cannell's more recent offerings, just to see if he's changed.
I didn't buy into the plot right from the beginning. Everything is so over-the-top and stereotyped that my groaning soon became too much for my girlfriend. Thankfully, I bought this for only three-bucks used. I'm going to try one Cannell's more recent offerings, just to see if he's changed.
February 18, 2014
This was an okay book but I think it would make a better movie, it has a lot of shoot em up, action scenes that I would prefer to watch. The beginning had an interesting character driven storyline and then it just fell into lots of guns and gangsters. If you like that kind of thing, you will love this.
December 12, 2017
great book - even though it makes business men look like creeps, politicians look like creeps, law enforcement like creeps - except for a few exceptions.
Great the way it snuck in Jesus as a force in today's life.
Great the way it snuck in Jesus as a force in today's life.
January 31, 2009
I may be od'ing on this stuff.
July 8, 2019
Not perfect, but still excellent, particularly if you already like the main characters.
January 31, 2009
http://miamisunpost.com/archives/2009...
Bound Miami SunPost Jan. 29, 2009
L.A. Storyteller
Stephen J. Cannell Keeps It on the Grind
The Interview: by John Hood
One might think that after writing for, creating and/or co-creating some of television’s most enduring shows, among them Adam-12, 21 Jump Street, The A-Team, Wiseguy and — yes! — The Rockford Files, a cat might be content to sit back in the cut and rake it all in.
Not so Stephen J. Cannell, who’s followed up his inimitably illustrious television career with a fuselage of best-selling fiction, including eight in a series featuring interminably troubled LAPD Detective Shane Scully, a man who never met a mess he didn’t wanna wade into and make worse. The latest salvo is entitled On the Grind (St. Martin’s Press, $25.95), and, like its predecessors, it’s about as raw and entertaining as the city in which it’s set.
As always, I shan’t spoil the story (buy the book!), but read my chat with the extremely gracious L.A. storyteller as he gets to the root of his bad boy/good guy, and touches upon such subjects as Jack Webb, Michael Connelly, Elmore Leonard and the murder of Biggie Smalls.
Who’s Shane Scully and where did he come from?
Well, Shane Scully is a homicide detective who works out of Homicide Central. I kind of reverse engineered this guy. When I wrote the first book, which was The Tin Collectors, it was about the Internal Affairs Division of the LAPD. And I wanted him to be a cop that was busted by Internal Affairs.
I always like to take a character on a journey. So he starts off … it’s very dark, he has an alcoholic past, he was an orphan, left in an orphanage, he has no real close connections in his life, he’s sort of at loose ends. At the beginning of the novel he’s asked to take in and be a role model to this 14-year-old boy by a woman who works as a confidential informant for him, a very beautiful Hispanic, kind of ex-call girl.
That’s where Chooch comes from?
Yes, it turns out that he is Chooch’s dad and she has never told him that.
I wanted the whole story to be about this kind of dark guy who’s struggling to find himself, and through the circumstances of this book, and this internal affairs investigation, falls in love with the person [Alexa:] who’s investigating him for the department — the advocate, they call them down there — and ends up marrying her in the end of the second novel [The Viking Funeral:]. Then all of a sudden these different qualities start coming into his life. He becomes a different guy as we go through the telling of that tale.
I knew where I wanted him to end up. And I was trying to come up with a character that was dark and lonely and morose at the beginning, so he could make that journey.
Was he based on any particular person, a composite, perhaps, of people you might know?
I kind of don’t do that. It’s funny, one of the truly really wonderful things about being a writer is these characters become such real people in my head. And they aren’t based on people that I know, or characters that I saw in a movie or read in somebody else’s book. I don’t borrow pieces from here and there.
I had something that I was trying to accomplish with [Scully:]. He starts to sort of grow in my head, and I give him these elements. Like, for instance, sometimes it’s an interesting thing to give a character a secret. So I gave Shane a secret at the beginning of [The Tin Collectors:]. He starts off writing a letter to his dad — ‘I really enjoyed the, you know …, we need to spend more time together …’ — he talks about things that he would share with his father. And he writes this series of letters – and there are about six of them throughout the novel, they start chapters and things like that – and you sort of think, as a reader, that he has this father. Well, he doesn’t. We find out as we go through this book that this guy was left in a hospital. He was given a number. He was Infant 378. And he was named by the nurses, who were fans of the Dodgers, and who named him after [Hall of Fame sportscaster:] Vin Scully. That’s his secret.
The thing is, Scully keeps getting into trouble. I mean, he even asks himself in On the Grind, “How do I keep doing this to myself?,” you know, “What the hell’s wrong with me?”
You know it’s interesting. I have a friend — and I actually dedicated [The Viking Funeral:] to him, because he gave me the whole idea for the story — his name is Bill Gately. He’s a retired customs officer, and this guy has balls the size … I mean, what this guy has done is just unbelievable. And I talk to him sometimes and say, “What the hell?” He’s gotten into adventures you wouldn’t believe, risked his career and put his nuts on the line, all because he’s a good cop and wants to bring bad guys to justice.
The noble warrior with flaws — a lot of flaws.
Exactly. So I think there is a sense that he looks at himself askance and asks, “What am I doing this for?” But the fact of the matter is there’s a deep part of him that wants to give back in some way because that’s the identity he kind of grew into.
It’s one thing to say “Protect and Serve” on your squad car door, but what does it really mean?
He’s got a kinda Jack Bauer-like resilience, I mean, this guy goes through everything — he’s tortured, he’s shot, he’s stabbed — and still he keeps popping back up. How long do you see this guy enduring?
Well, I’m enjoying writing the character, so as long as I … you know, I’ve been writing some stand-alones in between, so that’s fun for me too. But I like this guy. And I like Alexa and Chooch.
If the bestseller lists are any indication, I think a lot of other people like him too.
Yeah.
I know I like him, and I like following series, like [Dave:] Robicheaux…
I like Robicheaux too, and I like [James Lee:] Burke’s work. I like Elvis Cole, and I like [Robert:] Crais’ work. And I like Harry Bosch and [Michael:] Connelly’s work.
Yeah, there are a few good guys out there, and once you get hooked on them, you don’t want to let them go.
Right.
You must have friends on the force; do you get a lot of background from them?
Yeah, I do have friends on the force and they duke me into situations when I need to get close to things.
Do you do ride-alongs and things like that?
You know, I have, but not so much recently. I did a bunch of ’em when I was on Adam 12. I had to be in the back seat of a squad car once a week; that was [creator/producer/actor:] Jack Webb’s edict. I did like 40 or 50 ride-alongs; I felt like I should have had special health insurance!
I interviewed Joseph Wambaugh for [the now-defunct:] CrimeBeat years and years ago and he didn’t seem to like Jack Webb very much. Was he really that unlikable?
You know what? He was one of a kind. The word icon is thrown around a lot, and there really weren’t that many icons — Jack Webb was an icon.
I guess you can’t blame a guy for being who he is.
Yeah, they broke the mold after they made that guy. There was nobody like him. Yeah, he could be a dick. But on the other hand he could be very funny. And on the third hand he could be a good friend. He wasn’t one thing or another. He was just a bunch of kind of conflicting emotions and ideas. At the end of the day, if you draw a line under it all and tabulate it: I liked him.
Do you have friends on the other side of the law as well?
I’ve had a few, yeah.
I know Elmore Leonard, for instance, seeks out bad guys for information. Do you do likewise?
I certainly have some friends who’ve done time, if that’s your question. But Dutch, well, Dutch is crazy.
Are you friends with Leonard?
I’ve met him. I wish I could say that we were friends. We’ve met and spoken several times. I am friends with Michael Connelly, and Robert Crais.
(continued on the site)
Bound Miami SunPost Jan. 29, 2009
L.A. Storyteller
Stephen J. Cannell Keeps It on the Grind
The Interview: by John Hood
One might think that after writing for, creating and/or co-creating some of television’s most enduring shows, among them Adam-12, 21 Jump Street, The A-Team, Wiseguy and — yes! — The Rockford Files, a cat might be content to sit back in the cut and rake it all in.
Not so Stephen J. Cannell, who’s followed up his inimitably illustrious television career with a fuselage of best-selling fiction, including eight in a series featuring interminably troubled LAPD Detective Shane Scully, a man who never met a mess he didn’t wanna wade into and make worse. The latest salvo is entitled On the Grind (St. Martin’s Press, $25.95), and, like its predecessors, it’s about as raw and entertaining as the city in which it’s set.
As always, I shan’t spoil the story (buy the book!), but read my chat with the extremely gracious L.A. storyteller as he gets to the root of his bad boy/good guy, and touches upon such subjects as Jack Webb, Michael Connelly, Elmore Leonard and the murder of Biggie Smalls.
Who’s Shane Scully and where did he come from?
Well, Shane Scully is a homicide detective who works out of Homicide Central. I kind of reverse engineered this guy. When I wrote the first book, which was The Tin Collectors, it was about the Internal Affairs Division of the LAPD. And I wanted him to be a cop that was busted by Internal Affairs.
I always like to take a character on a journey. So he starts off … it’s very dark, he has an alcoholic past, he was an orphan, left in an orphanage, he has no real close connections in his life, he’s sort of at loose ends. At the beginning of the novel he’s asked to take in and be a role model to this 14-year-old boy by a woman who works as a confidential informant for him, a very beautiful Hispanic, kind of ex-call girl.
That’s where Chooch comes from?
Yes, it turns out that he is Chooch’s dad and she has never told him that.
I wanted the whole story to be about this kind of dark guy who’s struggling to find himself, and through the circumstances of this book, and this internal affairs investigation, falls in love with the person [Alexa:] who’s investigating him for the department — the advocate, they call them down there — and ends up marrying her in the end of the second novel [The Viking Funeral:]. Then all of a sudden these different qualities start coming into his life. He becomes a different guy as we go through the telling of that tale.
I knew where I wanted him to end up. And I was trying to come up with a character that was dark and lonely and morose at the beginning, so he could make that journey.
Was he based on any particular person, a composite, perhaps, of people you might know?
I kind of don’t do that. It’s funny, one of the truly really wonderful things about being a writer is these characters become such real people in my head. And they aren’t based on people that I know, or characters that I saw in a movie or read in somebody else’s book. I don’t borrow pieces from here and there.
I had something that I was trying to accomplish with [Scully:]. He starts to sort of grow in my head, and I give him these elements. Like, for instance, sometimes it’s an interesting thing to give a character a secret. So I gave Shane a secret at the beginning of [The Tin Collectors:]. He starts off writing a letter to his dad — ‘I really enjoyed the, you know …, we need to spend more time together …’ — he talks about things that he would share with his father. And he writes this series of letters – and there are about six of them throughout the novel, they start chapters and things like that – and you sort of think, as a reader, that he has this father. Well, he doesn’t. We find out as we go through this book that this guy was left in a hospital. He was given a number. He was Infant 378. And he was named by the nurses, who were fans of the Dodgers, and who named him after [Hall of Fame sportscaster:] Vin Scully. That’s his secret.
The thing is, Scully keeps getting into trouble. I mean, he even asks himself in On the Grind, “How do I keep doing this to myself?,” you know, “What the hell’s wrong with me?”
You know it’s interesting. I have a friend — and I actually dedicated [The Viking Funeral:] to him, because he gave me the whole idea for the story — his name is Bill Gately. He’s a retired customs officer, and this guy has balls the size … I mean, what this guy has done is just unbelievable. And I talk to him sometimes and say, “What the hell?” He’s gotten into adventures you wouldn’t believe, risked his career and put his nuts on the line, all because he’s a good cop and wants to bring bad guys to justice.
The noble warrior with flaws — a lot of flaws.
Exactly. So I think there is a sense that he looks at himself askance and asks, “What am I doing this for?” But the fact of the matter is there’s a deep part of him that wants to give back in some way because that’s the identity he kind of grew into.
It’s one thing to say “Protect and Serve” on your squad car door, but what does it really mean?
He’s got a kinda Jack Bauer-like resilience, I mean, this guy goes through everything — he’s tortured, he’s shot, he’s stabbed — and still he keeps popping back up. How long do you see this guy enduring?
Well, I’m enjoying writing the character, so as long as I … you know, I’ve been writing some stand-alones in between, so that’s fun for me too. But I like this guy. And I like Alexa and Chooch.
If the bestseller lists are any indication, I think a lot of other people like him too.
Yeah.
I know I like him, and I like following series, like [Dave:] Robicheaux…
I like Robicheaux too, and I like [James Lee:] Burke’s work. I like Elvis Cole, and I like [Robert:] Crais’ work. And I like Harry Bosch and [Michael:] Connelly’s work.
Yeah, there are a few good guys out there, and once you get hooked on them, you don’t want to let them go.
Right.
You must have friends on the force; do you get a lot of background from them?
Yeah, I do have friends on the force and they duke me into situations when I need to get close to things.
Do you do ride-alongs and things like that?
You know, I have, but not so much recently. I did a bunch of ’em when I was on Adam 12. I had to be in the back seat of a squad car once a week; that was [creator/producer/actor:] Jack Webb’s edict. I did like 40 or 50 ride-alongs; I felt like I should have had special health insurance!
I interviewed Joseph Wambaugh for [the now-defunct:] CrimeBeat years and years ago and he didn’t seem to like Jack Webb very much. Was he really that unlikable?
You know what? He was one of a kind. The word icon is thrown around a lot, and there really weren’t that many icons — Jack Webb was an icon.
I guess you can’t blame a guy for being who he is.
Yeah, they broke the mold after they made that guy. There was nobody like him. Yeah, he could be a dick. But on the other hand he could be very funny. And on the third hand he could be a good friend. He wasn’t one thing or another. He was just a bunch of kind of conflicting emotions and ideas. At the end of the day, if you draw a line under it all and tabulate it: I liked him.
Do you have friends on the other side of the law as well?
I’ve had a few, yeah.
I know Elmore Leonard, for instance, seeks out bad guys for information. Do you do likewise?
I certainly have some friends who’ve done time, if that’s your question. But Dutch, well, Dutch is crazy.
Are you friends with Leonard?
I’ve met him. I wish I could say that we were friends. We’ve met and spoken several times. I am friends with Michael Connelly, and Robert Crais.
(continued on the site)
January 17, 2024
Great twists and turns !
At first I couldn’t believe what I was reading but as usual the truth came out and I was amazed by the turn the story took !
I am not surprised though because I love the “Scully” stories. I am always impressed and pleased with how the story twists and turns.
Another great read !
At first I couldn’t believe what I was reading but as usual the truth came out and I was amazed by the turn the story took !
I am not surprised though because I love the “Scully” stories. I am always impressed and pleased with how the story twists and turns.
Another great read !
November 4, 2017
Cannell spins a good tale with off beat LAPD detective Shane Scully. Usually a good read with unusual twists and turns, though a few in this one were of the "oh really" category. Good 11 book series for entertainment reading, for me, 3 more to go.
January 1, 2022
Love this whole series. Fast reading. Great characters.
October 14, 2022
Read in 2009. A riveting fast-paced piece of crime fiction.
March 14, 2023
Shane Scully is an old style hard nosed cop/detective. Cannell carry’s off the type and the story with aplomb. The audio reader gets the characters right. Yup, I love the series v
June 2, 2024
I like Mr. Cannell's TV show characters more than this book. It was okay for a sick day read.
March 18, 2018
I started this book after more or less binge reading the previous Scully books over the last month or so.
I was immediately drawn into the story, and found it great at first, but it seemed to loose my interest a bit in the middle somewhere.
I don’t want to give any spoilers so won’t say anymore, but once I got over the middle bit, I finished the book in one sitting.
I did enjoy it, but maybe not as much as th3 provirus ones in the collection, therefore only 4*
I was immediately drawn into the story, and found it great at first, but it seemed to loose my interest a bit in the middle somewhere.
I don’t want to give any spoilers so won’t say anymore, but once I got over the middle bit, I finished the book in one sitting.
I did enjoy it, but maybe not as much as th3 provirus ones in the collection, therefore only 4*
March 15, 2017
This is #8 in the Shane Scully series, about a detective in the LAPD. Shane has always struck me as a bit of a whiner and I find it hard to warm up to him, but the stories are full of action and fairly complex.
Read
March 7, 2022BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Print: 1/6/2009; St. Martin's Press, First Edition; ISBN 978-0312366285; 320 pages.
Audio: 1/6/2009; Brilliance Audio; Duration 7:12:00; Unabridged
Feature Film or tv: Not that I know of.
SERIES: Shane Scully book 8
Major characters (recurring):
Shane Scully--LAPD
Alexandra (Alexa) Scully—LAPD
Chooch—Shane’s son, Alexa’s step-son
SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
My husband and I enjoyed this 8th book in the Shane Scully series which begins with Shane having to seek new employment and move out of his house due to behavior unbecoming an officer, or a husband, or a father. What’s up with THAT? We found out and if you’ve been following this series up to this point, you should too.
AUTHOR:
Stephen Cannell (February 5, 1941 – September 30, 2010). According to Wikipedia, Stephen “was an American television producer, writer, novelist, and occasional actor, and the founder of Cannell Entertainment (formerly Stephen J. Cannell Productions) and the Cannell Studios.
After starting his career as a television screenwriter, Cannell created or co-created several dozen successful TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s, often with his creative partner Frank Lupo. Cannell's creations included The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish. He also wrote novels, notably the Shane Scully mystery series.”
This book merits my reading the entire series. 😊
NARRATOR:
Scott Brick. (January/30/1966).
Sn excerpt from IMDB:
“Actor, screenwriter and audiobook narrator Scott Brick definitely gives new meaning to a hyphenate career with credits in film, television, stage and radio. Born on January 30, 1966 in Santa Barbara, California, Brick studied both acting and writing at UCLA, and joined the ranks of working professionals upon leaving school in 1989.”
Scott’s “and THEN, would you believe . . .” edgy tone is perfect for this series.
GENRE:
Mystery; Fiction; Thriller; Detective; Suspense; Crime; Police Procedure
LOCATIONS:
Los Angeles, Venice Beach, (Haven and Fleetwood—fictitious Los Angeles communities)
TIME FRAME:
Contemporary
SUBJECTS:
Corruption; Gangs; Los Angeles; Bad Cops;
DEDICATION:
"This book is dedicated to Reuben Cannon, my old friend and brother from another mother. He makes me laugh, insists I pray before meals, and always makes me look to my better self.
Love you, Reub."
SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 1:
“Five minutes later I was in Lieutenant Matthews’s car with the two IOs. One was named Stan. I didn’t catch the other guy’s name. Not much talk as we headed to Parker Center, with Alexa following us in her silver BMW a few car lengths behind. I had fallen from respected member of society and guardian of the public trust to detestable scum in the eyes of the three men riding in that maroon Crown Vic with me. In their eyes, I was a turncoat. A cop gone bad.
I thought I knew what to expect, but the truth was I had little idea of what lay before me, little understanding of the mess I had so willingly stepped into.
But that’s life. I guess if you could see all the dead ends and blind turns, it wouldn’t be as interesting. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
The windshield wipers on the detective plain-wrap slapped at the rain as we rushed along the 10 Freeway in the dead of night, the tires singing in the rain cuts. No red light, no siren. Just a maroon Ford with four stone-faced cops. All of us in the diamond lane, heading toward the end of my career at breakneck speed.”
RATING:
4 stars. Always entertaining.
STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
2-25-2022 to 3-5-2022
Print: 1/6/2009; St. Martin's Press, First Edition; ISBN 978-0312366285; 320 pages.
Audio: 1/6/2009; Brilliance Audio; Duration 7:12:00; Unabridged
Feature Film or tv: Not that I know of.
SERIES: Shane Scully book 8
Major characters (recurring):
Shane Scully--LAPD
Alexandra (Alexa) Scully—LAPD
Chooch—Shane’s son, Alexa’s step-son
SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
My husband and I enjoyed this 8th book in the Shane Scully series which begins with Shane having to seek new employment and move out of his house due to behavior unbecoming an officer, or a husband, or a father. What’s up with THAT? We found out and if you’ve been following this series up to this point, you should too.
AUTHOR:
Stephen Cannell (February 5, 1941 – September 30, 2010). According to Wikipedia, Stephen “was an American television producer, writer, novelist, and occasional actor, and the founder of Cannell Entertainment (formerly Stephen J. Cannell Productions) and the Cannell Studios.
After starting his career as a television screenwriter, Cannell created or co-created several dozen successful TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s, often with his creative partner Frank Lupo. Cannell's creations included The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish. He also wrote novels, notably the Shane Scully mystery series.”
This book merits my reading the entire series. 😊
NARRATOR:
Scott Brick. (January/30/1966).
Sn excerpt from IMDB:
“Actor, screenwriter and audiobook narrator Scott Brick definitely gives new meaning to a hyphenate career with credits in film, television, stage and radio. Born on January 30, 1966 in Santa Barbara, California, Brick studied both acting and writing at UCLA, and joined the ranks of working professionals upon leaving school in 1989.”
Scott’s “and THEN, would you believe . . .” edgy tone is perfect for this series.
GENRE:
Mystery; Fiction; Thriller; Detective; Suspense; Crime; Police Procedure
LOCATIONS:
Los Angeles, Venice Beach, (Haven and Fleetwood—fictitious Los Angeles communities)
TIME FRAME:
Contemporary
SUBJECTS:
Corruption; Gangs; Los Angeles; Bad Cops;
DEDICATION:
"This book is dedicated to Reuben Cannon, my old friend and brother from another mother. He makes me laugh, insists I pray before meals, and always makes me look to my better self.
Love you, Reub."
SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 1:
“Five minutes later I was in Lieutenant Matthews’s car with the two IOs. One was named Stan. I didn’t catch the other guy’s name. Not much talk as we headed to Parker Center, with Alexa following us in her silver BMW a few car lengths behind. I had fallen from respected member of society and guardian of the public trust to detestable scum in the eyes of the three men riding in that maroon Crown Vic with me. In their eyes, I was a turncoat. A cop gone bad.
I thought I knew what to expect, but the truth was I had little idea of what lay before me, little understanding of the mess I had so willingly stepped into.
But that’s life. I guess if you could see all the dead ends and blind turns, it wouldn’t be as interesting. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
The windshield wipers on the detective plain-wrap slapped at the rain as we rushed along the 10 Freeway in the dead of night, the tires singing in the rain cuts. No red light, no siren. Just a maroon Ford with four stone-faced cops. All of us in the diamond lane, heading toward the end of my career at breakneck speed.”
RATING:
4 stars. Always entertaining.
STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
2-25-2022 to 3-5-2022
May 11, 2009
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.
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.
April 9, 2012
This book has a special place in my heart. It is one of the few hardbacks I have. And it is special for two reasons. Firstly, because I got it from the late Stephen Cannell himself. My best-friend and sister Jen and I went all the way to Pasadena CA to see him in 2009, and in fact if you look at his book tours pictures you will see us both posing with him. When he found out that two of his youngest fans had come all the way down to Pasadena to see him, and to visit the station where Shane scully worked he gave us free hard bound copies of ON the Grind.
The story over all. I love the story, but poor Shane once again gets the crap beaten out of him. Once again his career is threatened in the name of saving others.
For those who read closely the information 'revealed' in chapter 13 is hidden in plain sight in the first chapter, and for anyone who has read any of Cannell's Shane Scully Series it is very obvious as soon as the charge sheet comes what is going on. Or at least you hope and pray that what you think is true, really is and that Poor shane has not finally gone around the bend.
While it is true that people say because it is part of a series that the MC cannot die, Cannell has no big problem inflicting GBH and serious trauma on the MC, so much so that a book like this sometimes makes the fans wonder if Shane has finally broken. Good pacing, good plotting, more of what I would expect from Stephen Cannell
The only problem I have with the entire shane scully series is how shane keeps going. With everything that has happened to him in the other seven books, I'm surprised constantly that he hasn't just gone EOW yet.
I try to stay away from spoilers in reviews, but what I will say is that in this one he brings the drama. And beware the citrus orchard. Stephen Cannell was always 'on the grind' when it came to telling stories, always looking for a way to keep us in suspense. With shane scully he found it.
The story over all. I love the story, but poor Shane once again gets the crap beaten out of him. Once again his career is threatened in the name of saving others.
For those who read closely the information 'revealed' in chapter 13 is hidden in plain sight in the first chapter, and for anyone who has read any of Cannell's Shane Scully Series it is very obvious as soon as the charge sheet comes what is going on. Or at least you hope and pray that what you think is true, really is and that Poor shane has not finally gone around the bend.
While it is true that people say because it is part of a series that the MC cannot die, Cannell has no big problem inflicting GBH and serious trauma on the MC, so much so that a book like this sometimes makes the fans wonder if Shane has finally broken. Good pacing, good plotting, more of what I would expect from Stephen Cannell
The only problem I have with the entire shane scully series is how shane keeps going. With everything that has happened to him in the other seven books, I'm surprised constantly that he hasn't just gone EOW yet.
I try to stay away from spoilers in reviews, but what I will say is that in this one he brings the drama. And beware the citrus orchard. Stephen Cannell was always 'on the grind' when it came to telling stories, always looking for a way to keep us in suspense. With shane scully he found it.
February 20, 2010
I've been a fan of Stephen J. Cannell since Greatest American Hero, and I've been reading his books since he started writing novels. Like his previous Shane Scully novels, On the Grind is an exciting read, with some truly dark and nasty moments. The police procedures and jargon feel authentic without being confusing or gratuitous, and Cannell does a fantastic job creating vivid characters that you care about.
Unfortunately, the longer the Scully series goes on, the less suspenseful it's becoming. While earlier books had Scully develop from a loner into a married man with a family, they now seem to have settled into fairly self-contained crime stories, with nothing really changing by the end of the book, and no long-term consequences for the characters.
Cannell has written several stand-alone novels (most noteably The Devil's Workshop and In Plain Sight) where he doesn't play it anywhere near as safe, and they're much more compelling as a result. At this point, no matter how dire a situation Shane Scully finds himself in, I can't get really worked up or worried. Instead, I find myself just waiting for him to escape, or for someone to show up and rescue him.
I'm still looking forward to the next Scully novel, but it would be nice to see Cannell infuse the series with a bit of the dangerous edge seen in the earlier books in the series, or in his other novels.
Unfortunately, the longer the Scully series goes on, the less suspenseful it's becoming. While earlier books had Scully develop from a loner into a married man with a family, they now seem to have settled into fairly self-contained crime stories, with nothing really changing by the end of the book, and no long-term consequences for the characters.
Cannell has written several stand-alone novels (most noteably The Devil's Workshop and In Plain Sight) where he doesn't play it anywhere near as safe, and they're much more compelling as a result. At this point, no matter how dire a situation Shane Scully finds himself in, I can't get really worked up or worried. Instead, I find myself just waiting for him to escape, or for someone to show up and rescue him.
I'm still looking forward to the next Scully novel, but it would be nice to see Cannell infuse the series with a bit of the dangerous edge seen in the earlier books in the series, or in his other novels.
December 23, 2016
Pretty good. Enjoyed. Will read another.
Nmkt library.
Nmkt library.
March 1, 2009
Scully, a LAPD detective, has been charged with misconduct during a murder by solicitation case. He slept with a high profile actress seeking to kill her husband and then lost the evidence in the case. He has a choice of prosecution, creating bad press for the LAPD yet again or resignation. He choses to go quietly. His colleagues are stunned. His wife now wants a divorce and his son won't talk to him.
Scully then tries to find a police job in neighbouring cities only to be rejected as the word gets out of his misdemeanor. The only job left is with the Park Haven police department, near Los Angeles.
Scully quickly gets trained on how corrupt and crooked the Haven Park police are. They are the personal goon squad for the mayor and collect his bribes and protection money. Furthermore, they plan to kill off the man who is running in opposition to the mayor. A gang calls Haven Park home and the mayor welcomes them and drives out any other gangs trying to encroach on their territory.
Although parts of this book were predictable, lots weren't and that is what made this a great nail-biting police procedural mystery.
Scully then tries to find a police job in neighbouring cities only to be rejected as the word gets out of his misdemeanor. The only job left is with the Park Haven police department, near Los Angeles.
Scully quickly gets trained on how corrupt and crooked the Haven Park police are. They are the personal goon squad for the mayor and collect his bribes and protection money. Furthermore, they plan to kill off the man who is running in opposition to the mayor. A gang calls Haven Park home and the mayor welcomes them and drives out any other gangs trying to encroach on their territory.
Although parts of this book were predictable, lots weren't and that is what made this a great nail-biting police procedural mystery.
November 9, 2010
Cannell is someone who has the tough cop story honed to a "T". This version is a good example of the genre.
Shane Scully, an L.A. detective, often tapped for undercover work, is forced to take a plea-bargain and resign because he supposedly hid evidence and had a sexual relationship with the suspect he was trying to catch. He ends up joining the totally corrupt police force of Haven Park, an Hispanic ghetto community in the L.A. basin. I can't say much more without spoiling the story for new readers.
The characters are very much what you would expect to find: an amoral mayor, a bunch of brutal cops who delight in brutalizing suspects and terrorizing honest citizens, a pair of slime ball brothers operating and controlling things from behind the scenes, various honest law enforcement types from feds to locals, and a popular mayoral candidate who needs to be taken out of the picture.
The plot has a few twists and surprises in it, the suspense is built up nicely and the ending, though not entirely believable, ties up all the loose ends.
This book is not serious reading but provides an enjoyable way to spend some leisure time.
Shane Scully, an L.A. detective, often tapped for undercover work, is forced to take a plea-bargain and resign because he supposedly hid evidence and had a sexual relationship with the suspect he was trying to catch. He ends up joining the totally corrupt police force of Haven Park, an Hispanic ghetto community in the L.A. basin. I can't say much more without spoiling the story for new readers.
The characters are very much what you would expect to find: an amoral mayor, a bunch of brutal cops who delight in brutalizing suspects and terrorizing honest citizens, a pair of slime ball brothers operating and controlling things from behind the scenes, various honest law enforcement types from feds to locals, and a popular mayoral candidate who needs to be taken out of the picture.
The plot has a few twists and surprises in it, the suspense is built up nicely and the ending, though not entirely believable, ties up all the loose ends.
This book is not serious reading but provides an enjoyable way to spend some leisure time.
July 28, 2012
This is one of those books that reads like butter cuts (smooth and simple). On the Grind is an action packed thrill ride and an easy read. I wanted to rate this book 4.5 stars (almost five stars) but alas there are no half stars. The characters are big and bold and there is that magic the reader experiences when a writer successfully paints villains with a streak of subtle likability which all the principal antagonists herein possess. There are two reasons I didn't rate On the Grind 5 stars. One is because the book is barreling down the freeway at 90 mph then at the very end of the book screeches to a halt with a jolt as the calvary arrive to save the day. The ending was an expected, very predictable ending. Not sure what alternatives might have been available but would have been nice to have experienced a twist at the end. Secondly, why is the young hispanic police officer thought to be a clean cop not explored more. Was he clean or dirty? We hear about this cop several times then the main character, Scully, meets this him at a party but nothing is ever resolved and we don't hear about this police officer again.
December 15, 2012
Scully is a detective who got caught doing the wrong thing so he is totally humiliated, forced to take a deal so he wouldn't go to jail, his wife wants him out the house, and his son doesn't want to talk to him. So he moves to a town called Haven, where if you are crooked, you are welcomed. At first when he got there, he was being being judgmental, and I was saying to myself, you have lost your whole way of being for being just like the people you are judging. But as the book, went on, we learn that it was a set up, he was working a case, and being discharged was the only way he could get in on the Haven force. There were several moments where I thought Scully was a goner, but it all worked out in the end. Several of those instances he brought upon himself. How you gonna play good cop bad cop and you are undercover
December 25, 2011
This is the first book I've read by Stephen J. Cannell. I liked it alright, but I can't help but compare every Los Angeles cop novel to Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch. Connelly IS Los Angeles, they should name the airport or Dodger Stadium after him, he OWNS it. The difference is characters. Connelly's Bosch books make you want to know what makes Bosch tick, I don't get that from Cannell.
Cannell's book is good, has a lot of who's a good guy and who's a bad guy questions in it. Some of the action gets a little over the top, but sometimes that's the point in the genre.
I may be back to read more by Cannell, but as long as Connelly is pumping out books, he's my first choice.
Cannell's book is good, has a lot of who's a good guy and who's a bad guy questions in it. Some of the action gets a little over the top, but sometimes that's the point in the genre.
I may be back to read more by Cannell, but as long as Connelly is pumping out books, he's my first choice.
May 26, 2013
On The Grind takes you on a tour of LA and the culture of it's citizens that only Stephen J. Cannell could give. After leaving the LAPD on corruption charges, Scully takes a job with Haven Park PD a small incorporated city within LA and home to many Mexican immigrants. There he partners with corrupt cops. But in any good novel, all is not what it seems. Oh, and his wife leaves him because he's having an affair and his son won't talk to him. I enjoyed it.
Reviewed by, David Feeney, author; Terror on the high seas
Reviewed by, David Feeney, author; Terror on the high seas
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews