What do you think?
Rate this book
Finnegan's Week
A toxic spill causes a lethal chain reaction for a San Diego cop in this “very funny” New York Times bestseller by the author of The Choirboys (Kirkus Reviews). Fin Finnegan, a San Diego police detective and wannabe actor heading straight for a midlife meltdown, is assigned a routine truck theft that turns into a toxic chemical spill, setting off a bizarre chain reaction of death and murder on both sides of the Mexican border. Fin is forced to team up with Nell Salter, a sexy female investigator, as well as an equally fetching US Navy investigator who wants to learn all that Fin can teach her—and that’s saying a lot. The New York Times Book Review called it “a frolic, a joy, a hoot, a riot of a book.” And Entertainment Weekly said, “superbly crafted and paced, deliciously funny, but fundamentally, as always, deadly serious.”
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
1550 people are currently reading
520 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Wambaugh
56 books753 followersJoseph 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
December 5, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is an old fun filled crime caper/police procedural. Serious issues and sad things happen, but boy can this author make you laugh!
Finbar Finnegan is a San Diego police officer. He aspires to be an actor, has had a few (very few) opportunities, and, at age 45, is in a mid-life crisis. He’s a three time loser in the marriage department. He gets mixed up with two female detectives - one is looking for a truck filled with super toxic waste and the other is looking for someone who stole 2000 pairs of boots from a Navy warehouse. In an unbelievable chain of events these two crimes are inter-connected and the three San Diego law officers end up doing some wacky surveillance duty in Tijuana - a fun quick read that is highly entertaining.
The 52 Club Reading Challenge - 2023
Prompt #42 - time in the title
This book is an old fun filled crime caper/police procedural. Serious issues and sad things happen, but boy can this author make you laugh!
Finbar Finnegan is a San Diego police officer. He aspires to be an actor, has had a few (very few) opportunities, and, at age 45, is in a mid-life crisis. He’s a three time loser in the marriage department. He gets mixed up with two female detectives - one is looking for a truck filled with super toxic waste and the other is looking for someone who stole 2000 pairs of boots from a Navy warehouse. In an unbelievable chain of events these two crimes are inter-connected and the three San Diego law officers end up doing some wacky surveillance duty in Tijuana - a fun quick read that is highly entertaining.
The 52 Club Reading Challenge - 2023
Prompt #42 - time in the title
August 3, 2011
A fun read with some interesting characters, but not nearly as good as Wambaugh's other crime novels.
April 16, 2019
Another winner by Joseph Wambaugh! From stolen shoes to hazardous waste, we ride along with Detective Fin Finnegan as he tries to solve the case--in between acting auditions. You can't help but like the forty-something cop as he struggles to get his life together and figure out whodunit! Lots of intriguing characters and laugh-out-loud scenarios--the way only Wambaugh can tell it.
September 25, 2019
This is a good non-serious funny read by Wambaugh along the Carl Hiaasen type humor or did Wambaugh do it first? The descriptions of hair, clothes, people and cars are hilarious! I suppose if you expect something deep in a book or if you need a learning experience...we can count the environmental issues...
November 5, 2018
I had missed this one some how. Wambaugh has always been excellent. This story, for me, was fresh. Great characters and enjoyable dialogue along with a few laughs.
December 30, 2008
Joseph Wambaugh's writing has changed. Finnegan's Week more resembles Carl Hiaasen. It's very cynical, filled with dark humor.
The plot's not terribly suspenseful: two truck drivers for a corrupt toxic waste hauler steal some shoes from a U.S. Navy warehouse to sell in Mexico. Their truck contains a fraudulently manifested drum of Guthion, a terribly toxic chemical that gets spilled and kills a child and another thief The owner of the waste disposal company, fearful that he will be caught for forging the manifest, plots to kill the employees after they threaten to blackmail him. In the meantime, two middle-aged detectives, one a San Diego cop and another an environmental crimes detective, and a U.S. Navy overactive female detective named Bobbie! (and nicknamed Bad Dog!) team up to solve the crime and their personal problems.
Wambaugh's middle-aged cynicism is fun.
The plot's not terribly suspenseful: two truck drivers for a corrupt toxic waste hauler steal some shoes from a U.S. Navy warehouse to sell in Mexico. Their truck contains a fraudulently manifested drum of Guthion, a terribly toxic chemical that gets spilled and kills a child and another thief The owner of the waste disposal company, fearful that he will be caught for forging the manifest, plots to kill the employees after they threaten to blackmail him. In the meantime, two middle-aged detectives, one a San Diego cop and another an environmental crimes detective, and a U.S. Navy overactive female detective named Bobbie! (and nicknamed Bad Dog!) team up to solve the crime and their personal problems.
Wambaugh's middle-aged cynicism is fun.
July 27, 2018
Wambaugh/Finnegan week
First time reading this author style of writing. I was pleasantly surprised. Loved the character fin Finnegan a neurotic cop, the investigator nell, with some men issue along with the young navy detective Bobbie. Both women and Finnegan involved with supplies missing from navy that somehow involved with hazarous waste and Mexico and their big boss crime lord. Need I say more. It is a making of a good story for those who enjoy a good crime solving mystery.
First time reading this author style of writing. I was pleasantly surprised. Loved the character fin Finnegan a neurotic cop, the investigator nell, with some men issue along with the young navy detective Bobbie. Both women and Finnegan involved with supplies missing from navy that somehow involved with hazarous waste and Mexico and their big boss crime lord. Need I say more. It is a making of a good story for those who enjoy a good crime solving mystery.
November 23, 2018
This was my first book by Wambaugh, and it makes me want to read more. It is somewhat in the style of Carl Hiaasen, but not quite as humorous, and without a message. But as an adventure, Fin, Nell, and Bobbie made a good team investigating the thefts, contamination, and deaths caused during the mayhem. A fun and entertaining novel.
April 23, 2009
Meh...I'm done reading his books.
September 30, 2019
Joseph Wambaugh novels are impregnable to critics’ negative barbs; the author is that good. I started out expecting to rate Finnegan’s Week at five stars and ended the same way. This novel is entertainment that fans of “cop” novels will like. Sure, there are some mysteries. Who would steal two thousand pair of specialized US Navy boots? Who killed the various characters, and what were the motives behind the deaths? (No spoiler, not all the deaths were intentional). What is HAZMAT, and why should you care? (OK, HAZMAT means hazardous materials and, much like climate change, you should care about terms associated with HAZMAT very much.)
Finnegan’s Week is for fun and entertainment. Most of the fun is contained in the snappy dialogue that takes place in the workshops associated with law enforcement. Squad rooms, briefing rooms, laboratories, and morgues all contribute to different types of humor. Viewers of CSI, Homicide Hunter, and NCIS may not believe this kind of humor exists or may not want to. How could the folks who protect us be so cynical? A brief reflection shows the logic of extreme cynicism.
Law enforcement professionals are everyday people with the same desires for a family, security, and a good life as the general population. They do have one great motto that is repeated often no matter the level of the force; municipal, county, state, or federal. Our goal: Everyone goes home safe tonight. Law enforcement officials (LEF) deal with a variety of smart, intelligent, imaginative individuals who seek a shortcut to riches. Schemes are intricate and sometimes illegal, plans that can ignore morality and exhibit horrors the general population hopefully will not meet. This almost daily exposure to aberrations which exists in an overall context of 24 hours per day watchfulness for personal security results in some very dark humor. Outsiders can be shocked. Readers can be entertained. Finnegan’s Week contains a lot of dark humor; it is realistic.
Finbar Brendan Finnegan is a wannabe actor who did NOT go to Hollywood and spend a lot of time bussing tables while waiting to be discovered. Instead, he became a police detective who worked a routine, dreary day while waiting to be seen. Only five years away from a police pension, things were not looking good. The mirror told him he was aging faster than the number of employment opportunities. Aging, humor, and dark humor propel this novel.
Jules Temple occupies the ne’er do well spot. Son of a wealthy father, Dad thought giving him a monthly allowance for the rest of his son’s life should do the trick of forcing maturity on the wild son. If he couldn’t survive on a meager allowance, Jules would have to work. The son, a wastrel, found his future in the Waste Management industry, an ever-developing sector that came with a faster developing regulatory bureaucracy. Illegal shortcuts meant big profits but could be more dangerous than the inherently insecure products being transported to designated dumpsites. Wasn’t there a closer, concealed stream nearby? Jules would not go so far, but he would falsify shipping documents so that waste could be dumped in sites not certified for the level of hazard indicated on shipping labels.
Once some regulations were ignored, the door was open to further abuse of annoying rules. Why pay legal workers when workers du jour could be paid in cash? The workers could further deliver material to other owners less compliant with the law who would kickback cash payments to Jules. Life was good, and Jules was getting rich, so rich that he could legitimately sell the business and retire (before getting caught.)
Abel Durazo and Shelby Pate were two drivers for Jules who saw an opportunity when they became aware Jules was going to sell Green Earth Hauling and Disposal. In one of their final runs into Mexico, they would steal a shipment of US Navy shoes, throw it on the back of the truck carrying mislabeled waste, sell the shoes to an agreeable reseller in Mexico, sell the truck to another entrepreneur, and report the theft to Jules. Jules might be able to file for insurance reimbursement. To be safe, Abel and Shelby did not inform Jules of their plan.
Abel and Shelby are favorites of the law enforcement community. They are stupid and high on alcohol or drugs most of the time. Little known to the public, law enforcement routinely waits for these types of evildoers to catch themselves. Sometimes, in the case of imminent public danger, there must be a chase, as in Finnegan’s Week.
Fin will be able to raise himself from the doldrums of being unable to get an acting job. He will team up with Detective Bobbie Ann Doggett (Bad Dog) who is not a police detective but is young and cute in a stout sort of way, and Nell Salter, a DA Investigator. Nell might be prettier than Bobbie, maybe due to the previously broken nose, but her real appeal for Fin is the shared relationship experiences. Fin had al least three ex-wives and looked upon marriage as a hobby. This scared Fin about Nell; he was not looking for the next adventure. Nell had had lots of short-term relationships, one bad long-term relationship, and was suffering from relationship fatigue.
These personal concerns had to give way to a search for a boy with ringworm.
Finnegan’s Week is fun. I don’t list examples of the hilarious humor because what is funny to me might not be entertaining to less demented readers. Finnegan’s Week retails for USD 8.99 on Amazon. I purchased the Kindle edition for USD 0.99. It is unusual for me to find a 352-page novel that I read in one session. Joseph Wambaugh is good.
Finnegan’s Week is for fun and entertainment. Most of the fun is contained in the snappy dialogue that takes place in the workshops associated with law enforcement. Squad rooms, briefing rooms, laboratories, and morgues all contribute to different types of humor. Viewers of CSI, Homicide Hunter, and NCIS may not believe this kind of humor exists or may not want to. How could the folks who protect us be so cynical? A brief reflection shows the logic of extreme cynicism.
Law enforcement professionals are everyday people with the same desires for a family, security, and a good life as the general population. They do have one great motto that is repeated often no matter the level of the force; municipal, county, state, or federal. Our goal: Everyone goes home safe tonight. Law enforcement officials (LEF) deal with a variety of smart, intelligent, imaginative individuals who seek a shortcut to riches. Schemes are intricate and sometimes illegal, plans that can ignore morality and exhibit horrors the general population hopefully will not meet. This almost daily exposure to aberrations which exists in an overall context of 24 hours per day watchfulness for personal security results in some very dark humor. Outsiders can be shocked. Readers can be entertained. Finnegan’s Week contains a lot of dark humor; it is realistic.
Finbar Brendan Finnegan is a wannabe actor who did NOT go to Hollywood and spend a lot of time bussing tables while waiting to be discovered. Instead, he became a police detective who worked a routine, dreary day while waiting to be seen. Only five years away from a police pension, things were not looking good. The mirror told him he was aging faster than the number of employment opportunities. Aging, humor, and dark humor propel this novel.
Jules Temple occupies the ne’er do well spot. Son of a wealthy father, Dad thought giving him a monthly allowance for the rest of his son’s life should do the trick of forcing maturity on the wild son. If he couldn’t survive on a meager allowance, Jules would have to work. The son, a wastrel, found his future in the Waste Management industry, an ever-developing sector that came with a faster developing regulatory bureaucracy. Illegal shortcuts meant big profits but could be more dangerous than the inherently insecure products being transported to designated dumpsites. Wasn’t there a closer, concealed stream nearby? Jules would not go so far, but he would falsify shipping documents so that waste could be dumped in sites not certified for the level of hazard indicated on shipping labels.
Once some regulations were ignored, the door was open to further abuse of annoying rules. Why pay legal workers when workers du jour could be paid in cash? The workers could further deliver material to other owners less compliant with the law who would kickback cash payments to Jules. Life was good, and Jules was getting rich, so rich that he could legitimately sell the business and retire (before getting caught.)
Abel Durazo and Shelby Pate were two drivers for Jules who saw an opportunity when they became aware Jules was going to sell Green Earth Hauling and Disposal. In one of their final runs into Mexico, they would steal a shipment of US Navy shoes, throw it on the back of the truck carrying mislabeled waste, sell the shoes to an agreeable reseller in Mexico, sell the truck to another entrepreneur, and report the theft to Jules. Jules might be able to file for insurance reimbursement. To be safe, Abel and Shelby did not inform Jules of their plan.
Abel and Shelby are favorites of the law enforcement community. They are stupid and high on alcohol or drugs most of the time. Little known to the public, law enforcement routinely waits for these types of evildoers to catch themselves. Sometimes, in the case of imminent public danger, there must be a chase, as in Finnegan’s Week.
Fin will be able to raise himself from the doldrums of being unable to get an acting job. He will team up with Detective Bobbie Ann Doggett (Bad Dog) who is not a police detective but is young and cute in a stout sort of way, and Nell Salter, a DA Investigator. Nell might be prettier than Bobbie, maybe due to the previously broken nose, but her real appeal for Fin is the shared relationship experiences. Fin had al least three ex-wives and looked upon marriage as a hobby. This scared Fin about Nell; he was not looking for the next adventure. Nell had had lots of short-term relationships, one bad long-term relationship, and was suffering from relationship fatigue.
These personal concerns had to give way to a search for a boy with ringworm.
Finnegan’s Week is fun. I don’t list examples of the hilarious humor because what is funny to me might not be entertaining to less demented readers. Finnegan’s Week retails for USD 8.99 on Amazon. I purchased the Kindle edition for USD 0.99. It is unusual for me to find a 352-page novel that I read in one session. Joseph Wambaugh is good.
October 29, 2023
Fun story with a big amount of humor. The ending was surprising. I have only read Wambaugh's non-fiction book, The Booding. I enjoyed this one. I didn't know he was capable of such laughs and storytelling.
May 14, 2017
Fun read, not great literature. I enjoyed it as much for the fact it took place in 1992 and it has some 'time capsule' elements. Wambaugh has written far better books.
January 10, 2019
Great Characters!
I'd read another of Wambaugh's books earlier this year, so I really looked forward to this book, which I understand is one of his most popular. At first I thought I would be disappointed. It didn't hit me out of the shoot like the other book did. But as soon as the 3 main characters got together the chemistry exploded. All of the characters, even the bad guys, are amazing! The dialogue in this book is witty and will at times make you laugh out loud. The distinct voices are crafted to a T.
The plot is also well planned out and executed. When drivers from a toxic waste disposal company decide to steal from their boss and the Navy, but instead get stolen from, things take a turn for the crazy and worse. A navy cop, a San Diego detective who wants to be an actor, and an assistant DA team up to crack the case. Soon, the bodies start dropping North and South of the border. Will anyone be left standing by the time it's over?
I recommend this book despite the frequent cussing from the bad guys. If that bothers you, then pass on this one.
I'd read another of Wambaugh's books earlier this year, so I really looked forward to this book, which I understand is one of his most popular. At first I thought I would be disappointed. It didn't hit me out of the shoot like the other book did. But as soon as the 3 main characters got together the chemistry exploded. All of the characters, even the bad guys, are amazing! The dialogue in this book is witty and will at times make you laugh out loud. The distinct voices are crafted to a T.
The plot is also well planned out and executed. When drivers from a toxic waste disposal company decide to steal from their boss and the Navy, but instead get stolen from, things take a turn for the crazy and worse. A navy cop, a San Diego detective who wants to be an actor, and an assistant DA team up to crack the case. Soon, the bodies start dropping North and South of the border. Will anyone be left standing by the time it's over?
I recommend this book despite the frequent cussing from the bad guys. If that bothers you, then pass on this one.
November 29, 2023
I used to be a big Wambaugh fan in the 80s and 90s and hadn't read anything by him in a very long time. Reading this '90s effort in 2023, I came away with mixed feelings. The man can certainly spin a yarn filled with funny characters and lots of police banter that rings true for its time, but the dialogue is now also quite dated and sometimes jarring. Police are no longer those esteemed 'serve and protect' centurians with licence to do as they see fit, and now, with increased scrutiny and body cams, probably could no longer behave the way these characters do. With lots of stereotypes, both among the 'good guys' and the 'bad guys,' the plot moves along quickly with frequent breaks for humourous character development. The prominence given to the female characters was probably cutting edge for a police procedural back in the day, but in today's climate, these women would be seen as caricatures. Time has passed both Finnegan and Wambaugh by. Were half stars available, this would be 2.5.
May 6, 2021
Finnegan’s Week by Joseph Wambaugh 3/24/2021 Paper
This author’s characters are always fun to read and this edition is no exception. We have Finn Finnegan, a San Diego cop who is only plodding through his years on the job before his acting skills are discovered. He teams up Mad Dog, a female Navy investigator while chasing down two different crimes. There’s a stolen truck and the death of an innocent child across the border in Mexico. I forgot to mention the hijacking of scores of Navy shoes. We’re led back and forth across the border, following a lead to the cover up and later, the shipments of toxic waste.
While the plot and police investigations are not too exciting, the story moves along at a quick and entertaining pace, with welcome splashes of humor tossed in. All in all, this is a fun read I would easily recommend.
This author’s characters are always fun to read and this edition is no exception. We have Finn Finnegan, a San Diego cop who is only plodding through his years on the job before his acting skills are discovered. He teams up Mad Dog, a female Navy investigator while chasing down two different crimes. There’s a stolen truck and the death of an innocent child across the border in Mexico. I forgot to mention the hijacking of scores of Navy shoes. We’re led back and forth across the border, following a lead to the cover up and later, the shipments of toxic waste.
While the plot and police investigations are not too exciting, the story moves along at a quick and entertaining pace, with welcome splashes of humor tossed in. All in all, this is a fun read I would easily recommend.
May 19, 2017
I have simply never been so upset at myself for finishing a book before in my life. This was literally the worst example of dialogue I have ever read. Joseph Wambaugh, who has written books I've enjoyed, delivers such a goofy, unrealistic display of how people speak. Every line was a bad local comedy club line....at best. No one speaks the way the writer makes them out to. It was tragically bad. Then, added to that, pop culture and topical references always make a book seem dated at this is a perfect example of that. Ross Perot quips for the sake of nothing. Just bad. The plot was pedestrian and predictable but the severe reason to avoid this is the dialogue. Unbelievable.
May 17, 2017
Finnegan's Week was an enjoyable if somewhat cynical police story set at the time the first George Bush was running against Bill Clinton. The American mindset toward politicians at the time was interesting. Set in San Diego, the story of Fin Finnegan, a full-time detective and part time actor, follows the 45 year old through his mid life crisis and work with two female investigators as they follow the trial of thousands of pairs of stolen Navy boots and toxic chemicals left in Tijuana. No one takes the case too seriously until a Mexican man is killed and a child dies from exposure to the chemical.
September 9, 2010
Another very solid police/crime novel by Joseph Wambaugh. The story moves from San Diego to Mexico, toxic waste fraud to navy warehouse ripoff. The main character is a 3 times divorced veteran cop who is also a small-time actor. Funny one-liners are toned down a bit compared to the previous novel (Fugitive Nights) but still very effective and funny. Story and characters are first-rate and very well fleshed out. Heroes and villains have enough complexity and quirks to make the reader care about them. Also interwoven is a sweet/conflicted love story.
March 30, 2019
What happens when two hazardous waste workers decide to steal a load of Navy work boots, then ditch their work truck loaded down with chemical barrels loaded up with poison in Tijuana to make it appear like a robbery? Chaos. The crime will obvious be solved by our main police officer/ detective characters. I just wonder if Finnegan is related to Hollywood Nate? Same MO of chasing Hollywood and any female that gets in between.
great read.
great read.
March 5, 2021
Another masterpiece blast from the past
You would be hard-pressed to find another writer who writes in the style of Joseph Wambaugh. His books are full of humor, pathos and in your face police work. This is yet another of his books that I have reread.
You would be hard-pressed to find another writer who writes in the style of Joseph Wambaugh. His books are full of humor, pathos and in your face police work. This is yet another of his books that I have reread.
September 28, 2010
Nothing spectacular.
January 2, 2012
One I missed first time around, this has all the hallmarks of a classic Joseph Wambaugh novel - humour, relationships (not always disfunctional), and a credible storyline.
May 8, 2017
Finnegan
Good book. I have found all of Wambaugh's books are good and interesting and well written. I look forward to reading more.
Good book. I have found all of Wambaugh's books are good and interesting and well written. I look forward to reading more.
June 10, 2017
Great cop novel
Been a Wambaugh fan for years. Somehow I missed this one long ago. Great book with a good plot, and enough cop quips and one liners to make you laugh regularly.
Been a Wambaugh fan for years. Somehow I missed this one long ago. Great book with a good plot, and enough cop quips and one liners to make you laugh regularly.
March 7, 2019
An enjoyable read. Maybe it’s not his best but still a very goo read.
August 18, 2020
Hilarious
January 3, 2021
Solid entertaining cast of characters
Good book, easy read, made me want to finish. What more can you ask for? Managed to have characters you liked and disliked.
Good book, easy read, made me want to finish. What more can you ask for? Managed to have characters you liked and disliked.
March 21, 2021
Classic Joe
Once again, Joe doesn't disappoint. This was a good one. Wish I would have heard how BAD Dog handled the ending!
Once again, Joe doesn't disappoint. This was a good one. Wish I would have heard how BAD Dog handled the ending!
January 18, 2022
Never Disappoints
What can I say, nobody does police procedurals better than Wambaugh. Finnegan’s Week is fresh and fun, great characters and a brilliant storyline.
What can I say, nobody does police procedurals better than Wambaugh. Finnegan’s Week is fresh and fun, great characters and a brilliant storyline.
May 4, 2020
Forty five, three divorces under his belt, and still searching for his big acting break, Fin Finnegan is half-hearted in life and his work as San Diego cop. His life though is about to get a bit more interesting – there’s a television show shooting in town and he knows he’ll be perfect as the hitman, and a case comes his way that sees him partnering with a Navy detective, Bobbie, and an environmental crimes cop, Nell, neither of whom think he’s a total loser. The crime involves the theft of some shoes by two truck drivers who were picking up hazardous waste from the Navy yard. They take the truck south to Mexico to offload their haul, dumping the waste and selling the truck. After two kids prize open one of the drums their perfect plan starts to unravel. As does the plan of the waste company boss who’d falsified the manifest, omitting the inclusion of Guthion, a lethal chemical. Fin will be pleased to solve the case; landing a part in the television show and one of the women would be the icing on the cake. Wambaugh spins the tale as a darkly comic caper, with plenty of humour, banter dialogue, and dashes of violence, though with few twists or turns. The truck drivers’ mismatched double act, and the Fin, Bobbie, Nell triangle provide strong character dynamics, and there’s a good sense of place and juxtaposition of San Diego and Tijuana. An engaging, often amusing procedural.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews