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COP TALES 2000
by Liz Martinez et al editors
.38 Special Press, January 2000
230 pages
$18.95
ISBN: 0967574900


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Very few police officers have written and published crime fiction. There are the Joseph Wambaughs and the Joseph Macnamaras, but all in all, much of the work we read that features cops is written by non-cops.

CopTales 2000 is an attempt to remedy that. Many of the contributors to this collection write for their own audience - other police and law enforcement professionals. This anthology offers these works to a wider audience. And it's well worth reading.

Like any anthology, there's some variation is quality. What makes the stand-out work stand out is the honesty - the everyday descriptions and explanations of police life. These are not cop dramas, for the most part. Very few shoot-em-ups, very little NYPD Blue (for the record, a show I admire). There are stories about retired cops who can't quite give up the habit of watching people, stories of rookie cops on training rides. There are stories of police heroes and screw-ups. That these are all written by people formerly or currently either in uniform, or who have some direct connection with law enforcement gives a taste of reality to the writing that is unsurpassed.

Some of the more affecting works are the story "The Healing Game" by Marlene Loos, which talks about recovering from being shot. Another essay, Gina Gallo's "The Last Dirty Word" tells the reader what it's like to deal with fear as a police officer.

There are some amusing tales like Marilyn Olsen's non-fiction piece about the state troopers who catch speeders by driving Camaros (cops in Camaros?) and there are human dramas of 9-1-1 operators trying their best to do their jobs.

CopTales 2000 does have some unfortunate examples of what I call "dragnet-speak"; flat narration just giving the facts, ma'am.. I was very disappointed in a piece which had great potential - the standoff by multi-millionaire John DuPont back in 1996 when he'd killed David Schultz, an Olympic wrestler. I remembered the event, remembered the clearly paranoid and uncontrolled DuPont who seemed protected by his money. The tale, however, is very dull and I did not get a sense of what really happened.

On the other hand, one stand-out story which belongs in a "best of the year" anthology is Penny James' "CafÈ Midnight" - a fable where a police officer is helped out in his detecting of a crime by Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Sam Spade, Holmes and Watson, and Charlie Chan. Asta, Nick and Nora Charles all have walk-ons. It's affectionate, uncontrived and very well-written. The author, interestingly enough, is a forensic fire photographer who has worked in search and rescue.

The only names I recognized in this anthology were those of Ed Dee and of Paul Bishop, the creator of the fine Fey Croaker series. Bishop's story here, using the lead character of body builder Blue MacKenzie, was not what I had hoped (I'm not big on body-building) but it grabbed me anyway, offering well-presented character, clean plotting. As the last story, it's the icing on the cake.

The major and only drawback I find to complain about in this book is the editing and construction of it. There is information on the Police Writers Club which belongs at the front of the book, not the back, so you have more of an idea where these pieces came from. The grouping of stories in very arbitrary categories (some of which contain only one story) just doesn't work, and the separation out of award winners at the front of the book is unnecessary. I would have been a little heavier-handed with the blue pencil when it came to excising exclamation marks - to me, somewhat of a sign of an amateur writer. But these are quibbles. These essays and stories should be read by fans of crime fiction, police fiction and those who want to write the stuff. This is the real thing, and it's just as fascinating as fiction.

r

Reviewed by Andi Shechter, August 2001

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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