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Floaters: A Novel
Who else but Joseph Wambaugh could write "a joy, a hoot, a riot of a book" that is also acclaimed as "one of this season's best crime novels"? That's how
The New York Times Book Review and Time, respectively, described his last novel, Finnegan's Week. Nobody writes a faster, funnier, more satisfying tale of cops and criminals, the high life and lowlifes than Wambaugh--and Floaters is his sharpest yet.
Mick Fortney and his partner Leeds manage to cruise above the standard police stress-pools of coffee and Pepto-Bismol--they're water cops in the "Club Harbor Unit," manning a patrol boat on San Diego's Mission Bay. A typically rough day's detail consists of scoping out body-sculpted beauties on pleasure craft, rescuing boating bozos who've run aground, jeering at lifeguards, and hauling in the occasional floater who comes to the surface.
But now their days are anything but typical, because the America's Cup international sailing regattas have come to town and suddenly San Diego is swarming with yacht crazies of every nationality, the cuppies who want to love them, and the looky-look tourists, racing spies, scam artists, and hookers who all want their piece of the action. It's the outstanding body and jaunty smile--full of mischief, full of hell--of one cuppie, a particularly fiery redhead named Blaze, that gets Leeds and Fortney's attention. First Leeds drowns in frustratingly unrequited boozy love from afar. Then, with her increasingly odd behavior, Blaze tweaks every one of their cop instincts, alerting them that something's not quite right on the waterfront.
Indeed, Blaze will soon lead Detective Anne Zorn and Mick Fortney along a bizarre criminal trail that would be hilarious if it didn't wind up just as nasty as it gets, with a pair of murders right on the eve of the biggest sailing race of all.
Filled with all of Joseph Wambaugh's trademark skills--laugh-out-loud writing, crackling dialogue, outrageous excitement, and, of course, plenty of raunchy
veteran cops who leap off the page--Floaters is Wambaugh at the very to of his form.
Cover Artist: Tom Hallman
The New York Times Book Review and Time, respectively, described his last novel, Finnegan's Week. Nobody writes a faster, funnier, more satisfying tale of cops and criminals, the high life and lowlifes than Wambaugh--and Floaters is his sharpest yet.
Mick Fortney and his partner Leeds manage to cruise above the standard police stress-pools of coffee and Pepto-Bismol--they're water cops in the "Club Harbor Unit," manning a patrol boat on San Diego's Mission Bay. A typically rough day's detail consists of scoping out body-sculpted beauties on pleasure craft, rescuing boating bozos who've run aground, jeering at lifeguards, and hauling in the occasional floater who comes to the surface.
But now their days are anything but typical, because the America's Cup international sailing regattas have come to town and suddenly San Diego is swarming with yacht crazies of every nationality, the cuppies who want to love them, and the looky-look tourists, racing spies, scam artists, and hookers who all want their piece of the action. It's the outstanding body and jaunty smile--full of mischief, full of hell--of one cuppie, a particularly fiery redhead named Blaze, that gets Leeds and Fortney's attention. First Leeds drowns in frustratingly unrequited boozy love from afar. Then, with her increasingly odd behavior, Blaze tweaks every one of their cop instincts, alerting them that something's not quite right on the waterfront.
Indeed, Blaze will soon lead Detective Anne Zorn and Mick Fortney along a bizarre criminal trail that would be hilarious if it didn't wind up just as nasty as it gets, with a pair of murders right on the eve of the biggest sailing race of all.
Filled with all of Joseph Wambaugh's trademark skills--laugh-out-loud writing, crackling dialogue, outrageous excitement, and, of course, plenty of raunchy
veteran cops who leap off the page--Floaters is Wambaugh at the very to of his form.
Cover Artist: Tom Hallman
291 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1996
292 people are currently reading
351 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Wambaugh
57 books757 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
November 5, 2014
Fortney and Leeds are two harbor patrol cops in San Diego. Blaze is a hooker enlisted by Ambrose, the Keeper of the Cup, to engage in a scheme to thwart the New Zealanders likely win of the America Cup. It’s a complicated plan involving making one crane operator sick so another can arrange for the boat with it’s slick design to fall as it’s being lifted into the water. Dawn is another hooker who happens to know Blaze and arranges to leave town before she can be murdered by her pimp. Then there are a couple of really smart cops, “Letch” (you can guess how he got his nickname) Boggs, and Annie Zorn formerly Bartlett and Sullivan, a homicide detective.
All of these characters come together.
Lots of humorous and cynical dialogue and scenes. I love the one where Fortney and Leeds see what is apparently a man walking on water (it *was* Easter Sunday so it might be allowed) only to discover it was a man walking on the top of his motor home at the boat ramp, screaming, “You fucking bitch. I told you to put it in gear.”
Leeds is a practical joker. “Two years earlier he’d gone to the trouble of capturing a ground squirrel and putting it in the bottom drawer of the sergeant’s desk. Recapturing it after it scared the crap out of the guy had nearly destroyed the entire office...These days Leeds was preoccupied with politics rather than practical jokes. A hobnailed Republican, he’d dedicated himself to purging the nation of President Clinton, whom he called the dude with the world’s worst taste in babes. Anything could bring on a political diatribe. When they cruised past the Youth Camp area on Fiesta Island and a boozy bunch of teenagers playing volleyball on the beach flipped them off, Leeds said, “I wanna retire to a place where everyone waves at cops with all their fingers.”
Humorous scenes abound with lots of biting social commentary and ridicule of the America’s Cup culture. Lots of fun. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Wambaugh and will now work (hardly work) my way through more of his books.
All of these characters come together.
Lots of humorous and cynical dialogue and scenes. I love the one where Fortney and Leeds see what is apparently a man walking on water (it *was* Easter Sunday so it might be allowed) only to discover it was a man walking on the top of his motor home at the boat ramp, screaming, “You fucking bitch. I told you to put it in gear.”
Leeds is a practical joker. “Two years earlier he’d gone to the trouble of capturing a ground squirrel and putting it in the bottom drawer of the sergeant’s desk. Recapturing it after it scared the crap out of the guy had nearly destroyed the entire office...These days Leeds was preoccupied with politics rather than practical jokes. A hobnailed Republican, he’d dedicated himself to purging the nation of President Clinton, whom he called the dude with the world’s worst taste in babes. Anything could bring on a political diatribe. When they cruised past the Youth Camp area on Fiesta Island and a boozy bunch of teenagers playing volleyball on the beach flipped them off, Leeds said, “I wanna retire to a place where everyone waves at cops with all their fingers.”
Humorous scenes abound with lots of biting social commentary and ridicule of the America’s Cup culture. Lots of fun. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Wambaugh and will now work (hardly work) my way through more of his books.
May 7, 2020
This is the last of Wambaugh’s books that I have read. It was the worst one that I ever read. A complete disappointment. I will always consider him to be one of, if not the best cop writers. I wish I just left this one alone. I don’t think I even smiled let alone laughed. Laughter is a hallmark of Wambaugh’s writing. If you are a fan, stay away from this one. Don’t tarnish your opinion of his writing.
May 26, 2017
A readable but completely forgettable novel. As a person who remembers well that America's cup (being a kiwi) it was interesting reading a novel set in San Diego at that time. Unfortunately it all felt a bit meaningless in the end the crime just fizzled out. The characters were somewhat memorable and relatable IE Fortney and Zorn but not ones I particularly cared about. Then there was the character of Boggs who was memorable but such a range of clichés.
In essence I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did.
In essence I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did.
May 18, 2018
Not one of the best books by this author. Moved very slow and was somewhat uninteresting in many parts. I hoped it would get better in the end, but no redemption.
August 25, 2019
Joseph Wambaugh can always be counted on to deliver a colorful cast of characters. This book is no different. It's set in Southern California during the America's Cup Race. We meet hookers who are down on their luck, cops who care, but don't want anyone to know and then there is the Keeper of the Cup--an eccentric older man who has little purpose in life except to keep that cup. There is murder and mayhem and lots of bawdy humor in between. After reading this particular book, I have read all of Wambaugh's novels. It may be time to start over!
September 30, 2024
Another great Wambaugh story.
May 23, 2019
I gave up halfway on this grungy and demeaning story full of boring, unfunny cliches. I got tired of reading about cops make insulting remarks about the general public they were protecting, and the sordid details of prostitutes massaging their white male clients’ prostate glands and the cop who happily commits adultery at the drop of a hat. Boring. Boring. No one, except the female detective introduced late in the game, is likable. Save your money.
October 1, 2023
Plying his trade with the TRAVELING WILBURYs for a spell in the late 80s, Roy Orbison saw a major posthumous uptick in career in the early nineties after the revival of his 1964 hit inspired by his wife Claudette. Somewhat mismatched thematically with the 1990 romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, PRETTY WOMAN showed great staying power on initial release, remaining on the Billboard charts for fourteen weeks in the mid 60s, and nostalgically helped the Garry Marshall directed RomCom become the fourth movie of the new decade to push past the magical one hundred million dollar mark. Not quite on the vicious level of the Iceberg Slim's seminal PIMP, FLOATERS drifts into America's Finest City on the work of a popular "outcall masseuse", the kind-hearted redhead Blaze and her obligatory needle chasing friend in the same business perpetually inviting trouble. Already on a dangerous perch, the seamy side of humanity is not kind to those working the trade, particularly mean pimps looking for easy money. As former LAPD detective Joseph Wambaugh's FLOATERS depicts, it's not a pretty business, most clients aren't like Richard Gere and people will stop at nothing to win--not even murder.
In the aftermath of MIAMI VICE, the world is one of California casual, windblown hair, stacked marinas, carefree tourists, and jaded locals. Before the internet and back when San Diego was the sixth largest city in the US but only the 24th largest media market. Mildly cool temperatures and decent breeze provide the perfect clime for America's Cup match races, the world's greatest regatta and a rich man's sport that is more corrupt than Uganda. 'Auld mug' is the oldest sporting trophy in the world, and since its creation by London's Garrards silversmiths in 1848, has been awarded to the winner of the agreed upon sailing matches. The draw of this cup is that it stands for history and tradition, things that America had apparently devalued in 1995. In the middle of the California real estate boom, the reader certainly gets an eyeful of San Diego, Coronado, Ocean Beach and Point Loma. From fiberglass hulls and westerly swell to southern chop, everyone is just floating and hoping, filling time and space with racing jargon and Cup politics, but you can't predict the out-of-town sailing crowd.
No one is more aware of this than the natives, neatly divided into cops, gentry, and flotsam; the criminal element indigenous to bilge soaked coastal areas and transient passageways. Quite natural for a Wambaugh book, the sooner get the primo treatment, namely a couple of PT boat cops that'd make Bruce Willis & SJP in STRIKING DISTANCE proud. Racking up about 30 combined years of experience, they're working the 4-10 plan and mainly serve as comic relief and running into trouble that happens to the main characters. Offset with a Vice Cop long on experience, years, and advice (the 'Shadow' knows), Wambaugh delivers great dialogue, probably a product of his long career of police work and listening to cops, perps, and the streets. The hefty inclusion of detailed courtesan life and work might be too much for some in 2023, though it does play into the loner gentry and his harebrained plan to keep America's Cup in SD and the incorporated inflaming social commentary, loaded humor, and ridicule where America is morally headed. Besides dazzling the reader with cuppies, Strawberries, green flash, demitasse, J Class, Universal Rule formula, and arbitrage larceny, FLOATERS features murder most foul, scheming most devious, human depravity at its worst, and police investigators at their best. If all you know are gravy boats, this America's Cup regatta cop thriller is the novel for you.
August 8, 2025
K Wambaughovi se pořád rád vracím. Jeho knížky bych přirovnal k 87. revíru… kdy byl složený jen ze samých Ollie Weeksů. Staví na kontrastu defektnosti policajtů, kteří jsou obvykle děvkaři, alkoholici, sexisti, a totální zkrachovalci… a na druhou stranu jsou dobří ve své práci, která fakt není vůbec hezká. Třeba takový Norman „Leech“ Boggs pracuje na mravnostním zřejmě jen proto, aby se mohl dívat na porno. Navíc je přesvědčený, že pojídání česneku zvyšuje jeho sexappeal a že na ženy zabírají lascivní sexuální narážky… což, vzhledem k tomu, že je dvakrát rozvedený, zřejmě občas zabírá. Ale když pasák zabije holku, která mu donášela, bere si to dost osobně a je rozhodnutý ho dostat za každou cenu. A to je jen jeden z problémů.
Obvykle jsou romány Josepha Wambaugha jen záminkou k vyprávění policejních historek a užívání si posedlostí hlavních hrdinů. Tohle je trochu atypické, má to dost pevný děj v elmoreleonardovském střihu. Sledujeme, jak se malé události postupně nabalují, a jak pomalu přechází od nápadu na malý zločin až k vraždě. A i když jsou tu pasáci a prostitutky, tak hlavně se to točí kolem přístavu v San Diegu, kde se chystá závod lodí. Sjeli se tu závodníci z celého světa se svými jachtami, aby svedli boj… a přitom se i snažili odhalit tajemství svých soupeřů. A kromě toho je tu činovník, jehož hlavním úkolem je být Strážcem poháru. Předmětu, který dává jeho život smysl, díky kterému je důležitý… aspoň do chvíle, než ho vyhraje jiný národ. Třeba ti zatracení Australané. Tomu je třeba za každou cenu zabránit.
A tak začíná příběh, ve kterém se setkávají postavy z těch nejnižších i těch nejvyšších vrstev, každý má své cíle a skoro nikdo pořádně nechápe, co se kolem něj děje. Takže jedna „masérka“ je zároveň součástí spiknutí, jak zničit australskou jachtu, svědkyně v případě vraždy, i objekt milostných tužeb říčního poldy.
Díky té klasičnosti je tahle knížka, alespoň zpočátku, pomalejší a spíš popisnější, první půlka se spíš šourá, ale čím blíž finále, tím více to nabírá na obrátkách… a konec je vyloženě Wambaughovský, správně sarkastický.
Není to rozhodně jedna z jeho nejlepších knih, epizodické věci mu sedí spíš – ale i průměrný Wambaugh je skvělý Wambaugh.
Obvykle jsou romány Josepha Wambaugha jen záminkou k vyprávění policejních historek a užívání si posedlostí hlavních hrdinů. Tohle je trochu atypické, má to dost pevný děj v elmoreleonardovském střihu. Sledujeme, jak se malé události postupně nabalují, a jak pomalu přechází od nápadu na malý zločin až k vraždě. A i když jsou tu pasáci a prostitutky, tak hlavně se to točí kolem přístavu v San Diegu, kde se chystá závod lodí. Sjeli se tu závodníci z celého světa se svými jachtami, aby svedli boj… a přitom se i snažili odhalit tajemství svých soupeřů. A kromě toho je tu činovník, jehož hlavním úkolem je být Strážcem poháru. Předmětu, který dává jeho život smysl, díky kterému je důležitý… aspoň do chvíle, než ho vyhraje jiný národ. Třeba ti zatracení Australané. Tomu je třeba za každou cenu zabránit.
A tak začíná příběh, ve kterém se setkávají postavy z těch nejnižších i těch nejvyšších vrstev, každý má své cíle a skoro nikdo pořádně nechápe, co se kolem něj děje. Takže jedna „masérka“ je zároveň součástí spiknutí, jak zničit australskou jachtu, svědkyně v případě vraždy, i objekt milostných tužeb říčního poldy.
Díky té klasičnosti je tahle knížka, alespoň zpočátku, pomalejší a spíš popisnější, první půlka se spíš šourá, ale čím blíž finále, tím více to nabírá na obrátkách… a konec je vyloženě Wambaughovský, správně sarkastický.
Není to rozhodně jedna z jeho nejlepších knih, epizodické věci mu sedí spíš – ale i průměrný Wambaugh je skvělý Wambaugh.
April 25, 2024
The story follows two San Diego Harbor cops who spend their days patrolling the bay, which makes for typical Wambaugh-esque opportunities for plenty of crude wisecracks, crazy events to transpire, and ogling of women. Meanwhile, the 1995 America's Cup is in full swing in San Diego bringing all the participants, hangers-on, groupies, and tourists. The "Keeper of the Cup" knows the Kiwi's will beat the American team (which happened) and comes up with a scheme to sabotage the Kiwi's boat his masseuse/call-girl Blaze (a vivacious red-head) who the boys in blue had been obsessing over.
This was one of my early Wambaugh fiction books, I bought it after having read a few of his older books and liked them so much I bought this one in hard back at full price, something I rarely do. Lesson learned, because it really fell flat with me. Really surprising because I enjoyed the rest of his "nineties books" (The Golden Orange, Fugitive Nights, and Finnegan's Week) and the new style he had come to with those stories. This novel really didn't have a clear lead character (I guess it was Fourtney but barely), it was more a small ensemble which felt like the worst of a combination of all of Wambaughs previous styles. Similarly the two barely connected plot-lines felt very weak and didn't really go any distance. It has its moments, it has Wambaugh's trademark crude dark humor and cops (Letch and Leeds especially) who are caricatures of the most extreme clichéd cops, but whereas that normally is backed up by a strong crime for the cops to solve story, with that strong story missing the rest just felt juvenile.
Even the ending was done poorly. One thing I like about Wambaugh has been that even when the cops solve the crime, they often get many aspects of it wrong, or don't identify everyone, or some even get away with it. That is more real to life than how it is portrayed in many books where the detective lays it all out at the end exactly how it happened, who did one, everything to the last detail, or when they catch the bad guy and they admit to everything and give the detective (and the reader) a play by play. In reality the suspect is more likely to lie about most of the details even when confessing to minimize what they did and give up only what the police already know and can prove; or they will just continue to deny it even when Police have evidence they committed the crime. Wambaugh has portrayed this well in many of his novels but here it is to the extreme. Everything about this book was a huge step back from how far Wambaugh had come as a writer.
All that said, it is not the worst book I have ever read, the best way to describe it is it was "ok".
This was one of my early Wambaugh fiction books, I bought it after having read a few of his older books and liked them so much I bought this one in hard back at full price, something I rarely do. Lesson learned, because it really fell flat with me. Really surprising because I enjoyed the rest of his "nineties books" (The Golden Orange, Fugitive Nights, and Finnegan's Week) and the new style he had come to with those stories. This novel really didn't have a clear lead character (I guess it was Fourtney but barely), it was more a small ensemble which felt like the worst of a combination of all of Wambaughs previous styles. Similarly the two barely connected plot-lines felt very weak and didn't really go any distance. It has its moments, it has Wambaugh's trademark crude dark humor and cops (Letch and Leeds especially) who are caricatures of the most extreme clichéd cops, but whereas that normally is backed up by a strong crime for the cops to solve story, with that strong story missing the rest just felt juvenile.
Even the ending was done poorly. One thing I like about Wambaugh has been that even when the cops solve the crime, they often get many aspects of it wrong, or don't identify everyone, or some even get away with it. That is more real to life than how it is portrayed in many books where the detective lays it all out at the end exactly how it happened, who did one, everything to the last detail, or when they catch the bad guy and they admit to everything and give the detective (and the reader) a play by play. In reality the suspect is more likely to lie about most of the details even when confessing to minimize what they did and give up only what the police already know and can prove; or they will just continue to deny it even when Police have evidence they committed the crime. Wambaugh has portrayed this well in many of his novels but here it is to the extreme. Everything about this book was a huge step back from how far Wambaugh had come as a writer.
All that said, it is not the worst book I have ever read, the best way to describe it is it was "ok".
June 7, 2019
Some novels are interesting when they’re first released because they deal with a contemporary event that’s fresh in the reader’s mind. Unfortunately, these novels do NOT age well as reader’s forget the significance of the event or never heard of the event. Such is the case with Floaters.
I remembered all the hoopla, intrigue, spying, etc. surrounding Dennis Conner and the America’s Cup. The news coverage was intense. It’s against this background that Joseph Wambaugh based his novel Floaters. If you don’t remember, don’t know, or don’t care about sailing and the America’s Cup, Floaters will probably be of no interest to you even though it’s a cop novel.
The first 10-11 chapters or 2/3 of the novel is a bit slow. The last 1/3 is more interesting.
Floaters is NOT one of the best novels by Joseph Wambaugh, but you might find it appealing if you have any interest in sailing and/or the America’s Cup.
I remembered all the hoopla, intrigue, spying, etc. surrounding Dennis Conner and the America’s Cup. The news coverage was intense. It’s against this background that Joseph Wambaugh based his novel Floaters. If you don’t remember, don’t know, or don’t care about sailing and the America’s Cup, Floaters will probably be of no interest to you even though it’s a cop novel.
The first 10-11 chapters or 2/3 of the novel is a bit slow. The last 1/3 is more interesting.
Floaters is NOT one of the best novels by Joseph Wambaugh, but you might find it appealing if you have any interest in sailing and/or the America’s Cup.
April 14, 2018
San Diego has the reputation of being "America's Finest City," and it lives up to that reputation in m.any ways--sparkling bodies of water, wide beaches, abundant vegetation--but there is a seamier side to the city, as there is to most cities today. Behind the warm weather and glitter of new buildings lies a world of prostitutes and pimps, sailing fanatics and those with money to burn on the sport, and a not always sterling police force. This seamy side is the focus of this novel. Although I was drawn to the book by nostalgia for my years in San Diego, I closed the book with my impressions of the city definitely tainted.
Wambaugh does not spare in-depth description of the topics he covers The story focuses on the intense rivalry between nations competing for the America Cup and the lengths some will go to win it.
More than that, it is a trip to the dark side of a city, with many interesting, unusual characters, most of whom this reader was not able to become engaged with. A relatively well told story depicted against a well described city, but all in all there are better uses for your time.
Wambaugh does not spare in-depth description of the topics he covers The story focuses on the intense rivalry between nations competing for the America Cup and the lengths some will go to win it.
More than that, it is a trip to the dark side of a city, with many interesting, unusual characters, most of whom this reader was not able to become engaged with. A relatively well told story depicted against a well described city, but all in all there are better uses for your time.
May 6, 2021
Floaters by Joseph Wambaugh 3/27/2021 Paper
Wambaugh takes us to San Diego at the time of the America’s Cup international races. Our hero is water cop Mick Fortnay who patrols Mission Bay with his partner Leeds. They spend most of their time ogling at bikini clad cuties, and cuppies, those groupie chicks hot after the crews of competing cup entrants. Top among these is Blaze, a flaming hot redhead everyone seems to love.
When the staid old Yacht Club keeper of the cup sees the trophy about to be lost, he enlists Blaze in a complicated plot to through the race to an American team. We bounce back and forth between the good guys and the bad guys in typical Wambaugh fashion, with great characters and fun dialog. We're also informed much about the century plus wealthy world of sail boat racing, and the obsessive people who fund it. Fun reading and definitely recommended.
Wambaugh takes us to San Diego at the time of the America’s Cup international races. Our hero is water cop Mick Fortnay who patrols Mission Bay with his partner Leeds. They spend most of their time ogling at bikini clad cuties, and cuppies, those groupie chicks hot after the crews of competing cup entrants. Top among these is Blaze, a flaming hot redhead everyone seems to love.
When the staid old Yacht Club keeper of the cup sees the trophy about to be lost, he enlists Blaze in a complicated plot to through the race to an American team. We bounce back and forth between the good guys and the bad guys in typical Wambaugh fashion, with great characters and fun dialog. We're also informed much about the century plus wealthy world of sail boat racing, and the obsessive people who fund it. Fun reading and definitely recommended.
July 2, 2019
Witty commentary on former days of Americas Cup racing and SoCal culture. Through earthy character, the author zings a culture where " when you dig deep, you find shallow".
Not to be taken seriously, this world revolves around sex and alcohol. A reader is almost certain to hear several new, colorful, and imaginitive expressions for masturbation.
Two murders anchor this balloon, and keep one in suspense until a satisfying resolution. along with the social commentary, the quality of dialog is another reason to read this book.
Not to be taken seriously, this world revolves around sex and alcohol. A reader is almost certain to hear several new, colorful, and imaginitive expressions for masturbation.
Two murders anchor this balloon, and keep one in suspense until a satisfying resolution. along with the social commentary, the quality of dialog is another reason to read this book.
May 22, 2019
I enjoyed the book, but I felt that the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I would have liked it to be. For me, that’s the difference between 4 and 5 stars. I don’t want to use spoilers, so I won’t say anything more than that about the story itself. The writing was good, the characters were believable, and the story line moved along well. Even though I didn’t like the ending, you should read this for yourself and make up your own mind.
May 9, 2020
It's been a long time since I read a Joseph Wambaugh book and it did not disappoint. Story based on The Americas Cup (sailing trophy), prostitutes and cops. Many main characters that flow in and out of the story and it all blends in together very well. The characters are all flawed, like we all are, and it makes more realistic.
Entertaining, mind-stimulating and a fun read all in one. Can't go wrong with Wambaugh.
Entertaining, mind-stimulating and a fun read all in one. Can't go wrong with Wambaugh.
May 3, 2025
Joseph Wambaugh is hilarious … the cynical views throughout the novel expressed from the characters reflects a life devoted to public service involving the real underworld characters roaming this planet … and the humor keeps one sane … kind of. Police men and women view life differently than all of the rest of us … Wambaugh is no different. I enjoy his work and will continue reading through his writings.
September 12, 2025
I got this book from a local outside box library. I thought it looked interesting. The copy I got was extremely water-damaged and moldy, yet this is probably one of the best books I've ever read. Despite being written in the 90s, it could have been written today. The women characters are so well written despite the fact that it was written by a male, which is hard to find in older books. This book is not well-known enough and deserves more attention.
June 24, 2018
Unless you are deeply interested in sailing, in particular in America Cup sailing, this novel will likely be more than you ever wanted to know about these topics, dressed up as a police procedural. The plot does have a nice twist at the end, but it wasn't worth the trouble of getting there, at least for me. And I do know a bit about both sailing and the America Cup. Ho hum.
March 16, 2019
SPOILER It was a four star book until that ending. The real criminal of the second murder got away (even though he committed suicide at the end) and the mean mean criminal (pimp) gets blamed for for both (he dies too of an overdose) and thanks to a one sided cop named Leech (or whatever) who like garlic with everything including maybe he he had his way. The overdose was maybe helped by the one sided cop getting justice over a poor girl named Dawn.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2019
Just what you would expect from a Wambaugh crime novel. The America's Cup is the center piece of the story, an unlikely plot line but it worked. The characters were realistic, especially Ambrose, the keep of the cup perfectly captured a person obsessed with the Cup he felt had a life of it's own. The story moved at a good pace, some very sad twists but all in all a very good crime novel.
December 31, 2020
Wambaugh scores again
Another funny yet poignant book by Joseph Wambaugh is helping to keep me entertained and coping with this pandemic mess that this country is in. I think I read this year’s ago but it’s always good to reread some of his books, They are always interesting and entertaining.
Another funny yet poignant book by Joseph Wambaugh is helping to keep me entertained and coping with this pandemic mess that this country is in. I think I read this year’s ago but it’s always good to reread some of his books, They are always interesting and entertaining.
December 22, 2022
I remember reading Joseph Wambaugh’s books as a young adult. They were usually very good and he always had a bit of a twist in them. This book was good they way. Methodical police work, exposure to the seedier side of humanity, wrapped around the America Cup race in San Diego in 1995. A good story.
February 1, 2019
One review for this claimed that Wambaugh was "in rare form" and "raunchy". I have to agree, but it was still the classic Wambaugh style that makes reading fun and easy to follow. You don't need to know anything about law enforcement to find his collection enjoyable.
Read it.
Read it.
September 11, 2019
Great summertime read!!
Love Wambaugh’s characters. They are human, real and true to form.
He clearly draws from his experience and stories from his years on the force. Easy reads with riveting story lines.
Love Wambaugh’s characters. They are human, real and true to form.
He clearly draws from his experience and stories from his years on the force. Easy reads with riveting story lines.
February 8, 2022
Wambaugh writes good enough stories, but none of his characters are likable - except maybe the ones he kills off. More to the point, the stories this time are utterly pointless. And a hooker pseudonym of "Dawn Coyote"? Does no one pronounce these names in their head?
May 18, 2022
A clever and even philosophical plot with interesting flawed characters, unredeemably marred by excessive and gratuitous racism, sexism, queerphobia, and smugness. Avoid at all costs. One star because I can’t give negative two.
September 3, 2022
I didn't like any of the characters in this book. I would call this a crime novel, but not a mystery, as there is never any doubt about who commits the crimes. (Not that this is a negative, it's not billed as a mystery).
July 15, 2023
Highly innovative use of language, especially when it comes to making fun of Froggies, Kiwis, and Aussies.
This book is extremely funny, that is, if you put aside the dead hookers. It's bit of a drag in the first half but don't let this deter you. This one is as good as it gets.
This book is extremely funny, that is, if you put aside the dead hookers. It's bit of a drag in the first half but don't let this deter you. This one is as good as it gets.
September 14, 2017
Lowlifes, nut cases and racing fanatics aplenty! A plodding read. Centered on the America's Cup race. Eminently forgettable.
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