Hollywood Moon: A Novel

Hollywood Station Series #3

by Joseph Wambaugh

Bestseller Wambaugh's entertaining third Hollywood Station novel (after Hollywood Crows) provides lots of laughs and gasps from all of your favorite characters.

There's a saying at Hollywood station that the full moon brings out the beast -- rather than the best -- in the precinct's citizens. One moonlit night, LAPD veteran Dana Vaughn and "Hollywood" Nate Weiss, a struggling-actor-turned cop, get a call about a young man who's been attacking women. Meanwhile, two surfer cops known as Flotsam and Jetsam keep bumping into an odd, suspicious duo -- a smooth-talking player in dreads and a crazy-eyed, tattooed biker. No one suspects that all three dubious characters might be involved in something bigger, more high-tech, and much more illegal. After a dizzying series of twists, turns, and chases, the cops will find they've stumbled upon a complex web of crime where even the criminals can't be sure who's conning whom.

Wambaugh once again masterfully gets inside the hearts and minds of the cops whose jobs have them constantly on the brink of danger. By turns heart-wrenching, exhilarating, and laugh-out-loud funny, Hollywood Moon is his most thrilling and deeply affecting ride yet through the singular streets of LA.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Audiobook, Procedural, Adult Fiction, Humor

560 pages, Hardcover

First published November 24, 2009

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

[David Putnam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. But I love anything Wambaugh writes. This story leaned more heavily in developing the antagonists. And they are some great characters, well developed. He also did a marvelous job slowly motivating Malcolm's character so when it came time for him to commit his heinous crime the reader could say, "All right I can see him doing that.
A good story plays on the emotions of the reader and there are huge emotions in play in this story.
If I had to make a critical comment it would be some of the prose, the choice of shifting into the third distant voice and also, shifting from character to character with in the same scene. These two things pulled me out of the fictive dream.

[Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph Wambuagh is a former LAPD detective and Mystery Writers of America Grand Master who practically introduced the idea of cops being actual human beings in novels like The New Centurions and The Choirboys by giving honest portrayals of police work and the toll it takes based on his experience in the ’60s. He has also written some great non-fiction true crime novels like The Onion Field. He took a long break from fiction after the mid-’90s, but his series of books based on a group of patrol officers in Hollywood have been a refreshing return by a writer who really knows what it’s like to be a cop.

Hollywood Moon is the third in this new series and features some new faces and returning characters from Hollywood Station and Hollywood Crows. There’s 'Flotsam' and 'Jetsam', the partners who manage to work their patrols around their surfing. 'Hollywood Nate' tends to worry more about his acting career than his police work. 'Compassionate Charlie' is a detective that only leaves the squad room for the truly gruesome or bizarre crimes so that he can display his own sick brand of humor that shocks even the most hardened cops.

Once again, the officers deal with the kind of bizarre issues that only police work in Hollywood can offer. In addition to the usual madness, there’s a budding psychopath who is starting to spread his wings by assaulting women. A married couple who can’t stand each other are working day and night on a variety of ID theft schemes, but some of the people they hire are starting to get greedy. Plus, the cops have to cope with an extra mountain of bureaucracy and political correctness due to federal oversight because of the scandals the LAPD has been known for.

Wambaugh has delivered another entertaining book laced with black humor that never lets you forget that real people have to struggle with all the craziness, stupidity and tragedy that makes up modern crime.

[P.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love police procedurals that are both funny and poignant then you have to read Hollywood Moon. But don't start there. Read Hollywood Station and Hollywood Crows, then get Hollywood Moon. This series is wonderful not only because it is well written, but because it does something few police procedurals do, and that's tell their story from the viewpoint of the front line cops. This is not another homicide detective novel following the exploits of a crime from beginning to end, this is about the guys out front who go on the 911 calls, who deal with potential violence on a daily basis, who are the real face of any police department but are often short shifted and relegated to the role of background characters in other crime novels.

Joseph Wambaugh is an ex-LAPD cop, but when he sets out to write a new novel, he doesn't just rely on his own experience, he goes out and interviews a lot of patrol officers and gets them to talk about their daily lives on the street. What results are often hilarious stories about the people they encounter on a day to day basis, the losers, the petty criminals, the domestics and tweakers who walk the streets they patrol. You'll meet the man so drunk when the police challenge him to count backward from 100 to 1 he immediately spins around and starts walking backward, asking over his shoulder where they wanted him to start counting.

The title comes from a full moon over Hollywood. Now every cop will tell you that a full moon always brings out the crazies, but a Hollywood Moon, in a district known for wackiness, is a phenomena unmatched by any other place on Earth.

A must read for anyone who loves a good cop story. I understand the Hollywood station series has been optioned for TV. I truly hope it comes to fruition. That is one TV show I won't miss.

[Kevin Allmaras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hollywood Moon is a fun fast paced novel based on the LA precinct located in Hollywood. I would say a little bit better than Hollywood Crows. Flotsam and Jetsam the two surfer Hollywood cops make a funny and serious return with Flotsam's fear of clowns and some other crazy antics. The storyline is based on a young latino male who is trying to get out from under his mothers control. As Malcolm the young latino is rebelling against his mother his anger towards her and other women of her age is mounting. The only relief he finds is at the expense of these older women and that is by attacking them. In the interim the author goes into detail about the lives and the superstitions that go on at Hollywood station. As Hollywood Nate an aspiring actor and his partner Dana Vaughn are the ones who are to locate Malcolm as his attacks are increasing in fury and damage. As Nate comes to grips with his acting career he also starts to develop an appreciation for Dana his older partner. Also a major part of the story is dedicated to Dewey and Eunice a couple of con artists. They hire local college kids and transients to help them steal information to get credit cards and then to buy merchandise with them. Eunice is the brains behind the scams and also one mean and nasty woman. She treats her husband Dewey like a dog by constantly comparing him to her ex-husband who is in jail. By now Dewey thinks Eunice has socked away almost a million dollars that he doesn't have access to. As Dewey becomes more paranoid two of the runners in his scams decide to turn the tables on him. Now the craziness really begins as everything comes to a crashing conclusion. Read this book you will enjoy it. The surfer dudes come to the rescue.

[Jeanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wambaugh does not fail! This book was filled with wonderful characters many of course on duty with LAPD and other on the wrong side of the law! His descriptions and details as well and conversations between characters are just fantastic - at times I truly found myself laughing out loud! I didn't know this was series - but now that I do, I will have to back track and move forward! I will be following "Hollywood Nate" from now on! Thanks, Wambaugh, for another outstanding book! For those of you who have not read his Non-fiction, I recommend The Onion Field

[Artsjunkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Wambaugh. Got an advance copy and finished the book in two sittings. I've been a fan since THE NEW CENTURIONS. Am glad he's still writing. This is the third in a series about Hollywood cops. I haven't read the other two, but will be picking them up asap.

Love the two surfer dude cops. Great way to give some kookiness to what you know is going to be a violent, sometimes graphic and sad story of a beat cop.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing wrong with Wambaugh's "Hollywood" series is that I can't make them last more than a couple days. They're immensely clever, funny, tragic, engrossing... With most authors who have multiple story lines in one novel, you get hooked on one and rush through the others to get back to the one that interests you. But with "Hollywood Moon" (and the other "Hollywood" books), I got completely hooked on every story line. I LOVE these books!

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun!

[Doubledf99.99 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 of Wambaugh's Hollywood Station series is a fun filled fast pace zany read with a cast of characters good and bad. Highly recommended if one is into police procedurals that puts you in the patrol car. At roll call: “There is a real Hollywood moon tonight. And as you know, a full moon over Hollywood brings out the beast rather than the best in our citizens. The car that comes back with the weirdest encounter of the night will get an extra-large pizza with the works.

Wambaugh, Joseph. Hollywood Moon (Hollywood Station) (p. 502). Little, Brown and Company. Kindle Edition.

[G.H. Eckel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This novel just wasn't for me. If you enjoy the exploits of petty thieves, you'll enjoy this novel. Police procedural... well, it just never happened in the first 100 pages. The writing is clean and some of the descriptions are great but I couldn't find a single character to like. With so many other books to read, I'll DNF this one.
http://bit.ly/2cUAtGv

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for the unabridged audio version which I actually won in a giveaway.

I listened to Hollywood Moon while on a road trip to California. It literally made the miles fly by. For me that is saying something. Some books on CD can literally pull you into their story so you almost forget where you are. Hollywood Moon was like that for me.

I had not read nor listened to the two previous books in this series, but I didn't feel lost at all. The story showed moments in the patrol life of the police at Hollywood Station, but also focused on the seedier side with the criminals, street hustlers and drug addicts. At times things were serious and others just humorous. Wambaugh's characters were all very well done and surprisingly sympathetic. I found myself with a torn loyalty with Dewey Gleason who was living his dreams as an actor by using his talents to portray several different characters he used for his various scams. It was hard not to sympathize with the guy considering his partner was his wife and his biggest critic. The police portrayed were as varied as all human beings are. There were some you could just love and some you tolerated, and really that is absolutely the way the world is. Nothing was sugarcoated nor too graphic.

Finally, the audio book was read by Christian Rummel who did a great job with distinguishing between the character's voices and bringing them to life. My only complaint was the surfer cops sounded like the ninja turtles, but then again, that is really probably one of the only ways to perform their dialogue.

All in all this book was well done, and it truly made me want to check out the rest of the series. I hope that it continues. I am also glad that I have found an author that is new to me as Joseph Wambaugh has a lot of great books under his belt.

[John Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know that I have read at least one of the Hollywood series many years ago, but not sure if I have read this one. Those stories began to sound a bit the same. At the time, I know I liked the Wambaugh books a lot, but I have changed since then.
Now, this very long book, with multiple threads that more or less come together at the end, no longer seems so attractive. In fact, the relentless misogyny and cynicism that I maybe once saw as "cool", now seem tiresome. It's possible to get to know the massive amount of cop slang and insider concepts, but that too can end up being a drag.
The author paints a picture of Hollywood which is very far indeed from the picture that many of us think of when we see that name. There's an overwhelming feeling of grime and criminality that is really depressing. Certainly, do not read this expecting a light-hearted romp.
Some of the cops are obsessed with smart repartee, but perhaps if they put more of that passion into their jobs, they would be more effective. There is a beaten-down feel to the cops, especially when they discuss unpopular political decisions which make their work harder.
There's a reasonable dose of strong violence, and a very large dose of bad language. Very few of the characters are even bearable, let alone likeable.
The book alternates points of view between various crims and police, and the story slowly drags its way towards the big climax.
There are a lot of negatives, so I decided on a rating of 3.4.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the cops from 6X63 precinct of the Hollywood Station are back in Hollywood Moon. There are surfer cops, Flotsam and Jetsam, “Hollywood Nate” Weiss, the lovely Dana Vaughn, and several other cops.

Things are never as they seem in Hollywood. The latest case involves a man by the name of Cue Dewey Gleason. Gleason is a man of many faces and names. He runs a big operation. Gleason may be a master of disguise but even he is having trouble keeping straight, who is double crossing whom. The forecast calls for a Hollywood Moon!

For anyone who has not tried Joseph Wambaugh, then I suggest checking out Hollywood Crows and Hollywood Moon. I first tried Mr. Wambaugh with one of his prior novels. While I found this work alright, I also found it a bit dry. I had the opportunity try out another one of his novels, Hollywood Crows in audio format and just fell in love. Christian Rummel is a very talented reader. He just brings these stories to life. Mr. Rummel has also starred in several episodes of Law & Order. Mr. Rummel does the voices for each character, in a way where you actually believe they are al different people and not just one person doing all the voice overs. I like all the characters. Listening o audio version of these books keeps me coming back for more. Be warned though that there is cussing and rude comments made by the characters.

[Jay Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has taken me a while to warm up to this new series from Wambaugh. "Hollywood Moon" is the third and by far the best of the "Hollywood Station" series. I loved Wambaugh and his characters all the way back to college and 1973's "The Onion Field" thru "The Golden Orange" onto the Harry Bright series even into the very weak "Floaters." But over this arc, plot and character were getting weaker and thinner. I believe Wambaugh would agree with me because he retired in the 90's. But for those of us who are looking for late career redemption, here is proof positive of the power of pulling back, adjusting, rejuvenating and coming back with a vengeance.

No one is better ... even my hero Michael Connelly ... in giving authentic insight to the idiosyncracies and heroism of the squad room. The nobility, quirks and human-ness of those that put their life on the line every shift is very compelling. I think Wambaugh has captured and ridden the wave of our post-911 regard for first responders.

Two threads which seem so appropriate for the New Year are: Wambaugh's resurgence as a craftsman and the interwoven nature of our individual failings and strengths as played out by the cops of this cacophonous precinct, known as Hollywood Station.

[Kathleen Hagen]

Hollywood Moon, by Joseph Wambaugh, b-plus, narrated by Christian Rummel, produced by Hachette Audio, downloaded from audible.com

This is the third book in the Hollywood Station series. We see many of the same cops: I particularly like the surfer cops, Flotsam and Jetsam, the cop with an agent to become an actor, three very strong women cops, with Dana being the most senior. I particularly find Rummel’s surfer accents to be laugh-out-loud funny. In this book, the cops are called to the scene of a woman who was attacked in a parking garage by a young man with a box cutter. They soon hear of another event involving this man and a box cutter, and finally a young shy teenage girl reports her ordeal with him. At the same time the cops keep running into a dual of a light-skinned handsome smooth-talking man and a fat mean biker. Wambaugh manages to spin the two stories together for an unforgettable and heart-wrenching climax. This book was darker than the first two. I don’t think I liked it as well because we spent too much time with the crooks and not enough with the cops, who I usually find entertaining. But I will definitely look for more books in this series, if they are written, and I hope they are.

[Bookmarks Magazine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, was Patrick Anderson of the Washington Post reading the same book as the other critics? He was not impressed by an endless stream of immature and highly offensive anecdotes. Was it the case of double necrophilia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery that sent him over the edge? Hollywood Moon was an undeniable hit with the rest of the critics, who thoroughly enjoyed its dark humor, finely drawn characters, emotional depth, and fast-paced plot. The hilarious beach duo Flotsam and Jetsam, "who shred the language as fearlessly as they cut the waves at Malibu" (New York Times Book Review), were particularly entertaining. No, the cops here can't put down a super bad guy with one punch to the gut--Jack Reacher is busy elsewhere--and that stuff shouldn't be happening in a police procedural, anyway. Overall, Hollywood Moon comes very highly recommended, particularly for those who don't mind their crime fiction with a liberal dose of political incorrectness. This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[melydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's never a dull moment for the cops of Hollywood Station. The overarching plot is about a master of disguise, a handful of con men, and a handsome teenager just beginning to embrace his inner psychopath. In addition, there are plenty of little asides along the way - funny and/or poignant conversations between the cops, bizarre incidents with criminals, and the like - which keep the action moving. All the characters were great, but I enjoyed the surfer cops the most. Something about the lingo makes me chuckle every time. As far as I can tell, this is the third Hollywood Station book, but I didn't ever feel like I was missing something. My only real complaint was that the ending felt a touch forced. However, the rest of the story was so good I can overlook that.

I listened to this on audio, read by Christian Rummell, who was absolutely excellent. Not only is he a great narrator, but he is also the man of a thousand voices. Even his female voices are convincing and distinct!

[Freda Mans-Labianca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one for me, was just another story. It didn't overwhelm me, or disappoint me. It did nothing for me. It did not stand out in any way, for me at all.
There was loads of filthy language, I guess to be expected by cops. Though one would like to live in a make believe world thinking cops are not vulgar. This story proves otherwise. The vulgarity didn't help keep my attention. The other bad thing, on audiobook the cd's end very abruptly.
There was also sensitive subjects throughout. Again to be expected in a cop story. This was the start of what I liked. Halfway through, the story picked up speed a bit. More dramatic and some romance too. Plus I really appreciate the comradery between officers. The narrator in this audiobook is clear and enjoyable to listen to, which helps. I also didn't realize this is the third book in a series.
All-in-all, I'm stuck in the middle. It didn't get too far off the ground for me.
(2.5/5)

[Alecia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last book I read in 2010, and it was a good one. It's hard to mix entertaining fiction with good writing, plotting, dialogue, and realistic characters. But, much to my delight, Joseph Wambaugh does just that. I read his latest book before this one, so I am actually going backwards with this LAPD crew. I will happily read the other two in this group that he wrote before Hollywood Moon. His writing reminds me a bit of Ed McBain's, except McBain placed his policemen in a fictional city, Isola. These cops work out of LA, and since Wambaugh was a former LAPD sargeant, he knows whereof he speaks (or writes).But experience as a policeman alone is not enough. Wambaugh writes well. I remember reading The Choirboys and The Onion Field years ago. I'm glad he's writing again.

[Mazola1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

With his latest book, Joseph Wambaugh proves once again that he is a peerless storyteller and a master of the cop novel. Hollywood Moon is typical Wambaugh -- a wild ride through some of L.A.'s meanest streets, featuring quirky and all too human cops and pathetic, twisted and all too human bad guys.

The plot is well crafted and has good pace. Wambaugh has the knack of writing books that build to a climax, leaving the reader hurriedly turning the pages to get to the end while at the same time wishing the book wasn't going to end so soon. Pick this one up and enjoy it.

[Nette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. So much great storytelling, so much bad writing! I've enjoyed his previous books, so either I'm getting crankier or he's getting lazier. Here's a random bit. "The information that legal entities such as convention centers or cruise lines acquired from customers for access cards that their machines could read often ended up in the hands of Eunice Gleason and others like her." My Dish Network User's Manual has more graceful prose.

[Jeffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its just not my cup of tea. As with the other Hollywood novels by Wambaught, there is one major plot line and a bunch of smaller vignettes. Although its clear that he knows cops and that he knows what is going on, I just didn't care about them as much as I wanted to and it all seems to unfold so very slow.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid outing by Joseph Wambaugh. His cast of LA's finest seem more like a group of misfits disguised a cops rather than actual cops. But they get the job done and done well. The story develops along several lines finally resolving itself with a tragic ending for one of the most endearing characters. Hollywood Moon is a great read.

[Sundry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a bunch of Wambaugh in the eighties and really liked his work. This is good as long as he stays close to the cops. When he gets more and more involved with the criminals, I care less and less. Sigh.

[Csmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for me..

I read the reviews and thought this would be a good book, but I had all I could do to finish it. It jumped around a lot and the characters were not very believable. I kept waiting for the story line to grab, but it didn’t. Can’t recommend.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book did not develop a central good character. Wambaugh spent more time developing the creepy bad people than the good ones. I would not recommend this one unless you really like creeps.

[Claudia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Didn't like the characters. Plot was slow moving.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish. The fake 'California/Hollywood' accents of the two cops in the first chapter would have been indicative of a beginning author... strange to find them here.

[Craig · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who reads this stuff? Oh I guess that was meant to be rhetorical. Action packed, weak story.

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was sooooooooooooo lost - tooo many characters and all over the place