The Pallbearers (Shane Scully)

Description

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Customer Reviews

Feeding Your Inner Wolf
This was a fast and entertaining read for the better part of an afternoon into evening.

My single favorite idea put forth by Cannell in the Pallbearers came late -- in Chapter 58 -- during a dialogue between Scully and Mesa. MESA: "...he had this Zen lesson for me...two wolves fighting over my soul...one evil...wants to eat my heart...the other good...wants to protect my spirit. I remember getting more pissed by the minute. He was patronizing me...So I finally asked him, Okay, if these wolves are fighting, which would will win? You know what he told me?" SCULLY: "Yeah...he said the wolf you feed will win...I remembered the story well. Walt had told it to me the second week I'd been there. The day he'd caught me stealing money from the office." In spite of their similar school of hard knocks childhoods, Mesa (the guy who chose to feed his evil wolf) became an individual who lacked heart. Scully, though a perennial rule breaker and no angel himself, chose to feed the wolf who protected his spirit and lived life with a great deal of heart (and also regret, guilt and finally atonement).

I liked Scully's speculation about why they (Scully, Vargas, Diamond, Straw, Cotton and Lavicki) were chosen to be the Pallbearers. SCULLY: "All of them had started right where I had, all had come out someplace completely different. Six graduates of Huntington House. Pop's favorites. Or at least, that's what I thought at the time." Cannell didn't leave us hanging too long -- in Chapter 9, Alexa (Scully's wife) gives her take on the reason. The reader can accept Alexa's analysis or look for deeper reasons and keep thinking right up 'til the end. I thought that in addition to Alexa's take, each of the pallbearers brought his/her own area of expertise to help solve the case. Most of the names are nouns -- I couldn't figure out if that was of significance. (Scully means herald, Vargas means slope or fenced. Lavicki means???)

TYPOS: kneeding (should be kneading) on page 120 and waiver (should be waver) on 189.

2010-07-17 | she reads xyz (Sarasota, FL) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Not to be missed
Up until now, my favorite novel by Stephen J. Cannell had been AT FIRST SIGHT. This stand-alone work was so different from his Shane Scully books that its considerable merits flew under the radar of many. Several years after its publication, I still recommend it to people and will continue to do so. But now it has company at the top of my list of Cannell must-reads; make way for THE PALLBEARERS, the latest installment in the Scully mythos.

THE PALLBEARERS succeeds because it incorporates so many wonderful elements --- protagonist motive, interesting characters, riveting mystery and adult relationships. The driving force behind the book's events is the death of Walter "Pop" Dix, the manager of Huntington House, a group home for parentless children. Scully, an abandoned youth full of bitterness and anger, was one of Huntington's "yo-yos," shuttled into and out of foster homes only to return to Huntington. Dix was the one constant in Scully's life, the tipping point but for whom his fate might have been far different. Dix would often take his charges surfing early in the morning, and Scully was able to take the thread of love and care that Dix provided and make something of himself.

Unfortunately, the adult who Scully grew up to become has been long out of touch with Dix, so the news that Dix has inexplicably committed suicide raises feelings in him of sorrow and regret in equal measure. He is puzzled when he learns that Dix selected him, as well as five fellow "graduates" of Huntington, to be pallbearers at his funeral. The others --- a wiseguy biker, a defense attorney not far removed from his clientele, an Iraq war veteran, a pistol-packing accountant, and the current Secretary-Treasurer of Huntington --- are to varying degrees convinced that Dix, an eternal optimist for whom surfing was an avocation secondary only to his young charges, was in fact murdered.

All of the evidence suggests otherwise. Scully, driven partially by his guilt over having neglected his relationship with Dix, reluctantly begins an examination of Dix's death, which already has been ruled a suicide by the L.A. Coroner's office. No one is more surprised than Scully when it is discovered that Dix's death was foul play after all.

Scully's new acquaintances all bring very different strengths to the table and are reluctant to play follower behind Scully's leader, particularly because they are motivated more by revenge than by the prospect of building a case against the murderer. Scully is reluctant to relinquish control, yet as their partially official, partially off-the-books investigation continues, the team is able to conquer its initial uneasiness and make progress. It may all be for naught, however; what they uncover is a scheme to steal millions of dollars, and they are up against a mighty foe who has some very powerful foot soldiers. In a climax that takes them far from the surf that Dix loved, the pallbearers make a desperate attempt to bring Dix's murderer to justice. Whether or not their best will be good enough will keep you guessing practically to the last page.

THE PALLBEARERS grabbed me within its first few pages. Cannell introduces Dix right away, and in just a couple of paragraphs, he makes the reader love him as much as the pallbearers did. By the second chapter, one can't help but feel the same righteous anger over Dix's death and to be just as certain as the team that there is no way the man could have committed suicide. It takes a superior talent to do this, and Cannell, creator of some of television's best-loved series of the late 20th century, is up to the challenge. Whether Cannell is on your must-read list or is an author you only sample occasionally, THE PALLBEARERS is not to be missed.

2010-06-07 (New York, New York) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Gelati's Scoop
Happy Monday to everybody; only five days to Friday, Oops sorry, that sounds depressing. Thanks for all the kind words on the addition of Graphic Novel Friday. I will take all your suggestions to heart and do as much with them as possible. We are starting two new things this week. First we are adding a new tab to the site titled "Facebook/ Goodreads Writers". Pressing on the tab will get you to a new page that contains friends that are writers we have made on Facebbok / Goodreads. We like to support our friends. Check them out, friend them if you don't know them and try their books. I always enjoy finding new stuff to read, why not a new friend's stuff. On Thursday, I will begin to feature a new book from that tab and post on it. To get the ball rolling in that direction I am currently reading "A Real Basket Case" by Beth Groundwater.
Today's book is The Pallbearers. I love the title, love Shane Scully and just love this book. I have read all Cannell's work, Scully and non-Scully. I have also enjoyed the different television series he has written. The Pallbearers is an excellent read for many reasons:
-We the reader really get into the head of Scully and find out more about his youth and who helped him thru it, even though he was an orphan.
- The other Pallbearers are excellent characters in their own right. I am guessing we haven't seen the last of them. I am looking forward to reading about them in future books.
-Scully can now have a Yodi like presence in his life.
-Maybe Scully can finally remove the big chip on his shoulder he has been carrying around. This would mean one less secret and a bit less guilt for him to carry.
-For once we don't find Scully battling his wife and City Hall but a force held deep within himself.
-Finally he relies on others and is a team player.
-Cannell offers another book that is a fast, crisp ride that would make any roller coaster ride proud. The story from beginning to end is strong, fast and in your face. Give it a try. What are reading today? Check us out on Facebook, Goodreads, Linkedin, Blog Catalog,and Twitter.
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2010-06-03 | Gelati's Scoop (LEVITTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, US) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Scully & Pallbearers Kick Butt
The Pallbearers by Stephen J. Cannell

Shane Scully doesn't believe that Pop Dixon committed suicide neither do the other pallbearers at his funeral. They form a "murder club" and seek answers to this mystery.

Cannell's Scully is explained in this book. Shane is a reoccurring character that frequently flies off the grid and exhibits a lot of anger. I haven't read too many of the books featuring him but in this one you find out the source of his anger. The colorful characters literally illuminate the book. Each one is a bright source of enlightenment. Jack is the loveable rogue and of course Alexa is the steadfast love and partner. Chooch, the son, is barely seen but offers some very thoughtful advice as to Scully's pain.

I really liked the book. I identified with the tenacity shown by Scully especially since it was maintained in the face of so much pain. Alexa's support epitomizes the strength a good relationship can offer to the participants in the relationship. This is a good mystery but it is also a journey of redemption.

I highly recommend the book.

2010-05-29 (Bucks County, PA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Misrepresentation
This book totally misrepresents law enforcement officials of the Tohono O'odham Nation as not cooperating with their federal counterparts. This is not the case. If the author could not come up with a better plot device he should have used an imaginary group rather than slandering the Tohono O'odham

2010-05-16 | GeoC (Quad-Cities, IL) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 1

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Three Shirt Deal: A Shane Scully Novel

Product Details

• Mould: New
• Notes: BUY WITH Assurance, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and aid to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• ISBN13: 9780312945312

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Customer Reviews

Another Guilty Pleasure!
As a retired cop, I love great crime fiction. Michael Connelly's work is particularly outstanding, especially for its authenticity. Then there's the stuff which isn't very realistic, but is very enjoyable as an escape. That's where I place Mr. Cannell's "Shane Scully" series. I found one of his books left abandoned on a bench at our airstrip here in Iraq, and starting reading. Next thing I knew, I was hooked, and ended up buying the rest of the books in the series from Amazon. (No library on our small forward base, so Amazon is the best option.)

Here's what I liked about this book: I didn't solve the mystery by the end of the first chapter; Shane Scully is generally a sympathetic character; The bad guys (and girls)usually meet a bad end, but not through vigilantism. The use of convict language was interesting...

Bottom line: I recommend reading Mr. Cannell's novels. They were all worth the money I shelled out, though I finished all 5 that I purchased within a week of their arrival.

2009-10-03 (Steilacoom, WA United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Three shirt deal ain't a laundry bargin.
Great Shane Scully, while investigating a motorcycle gang off the 'time' with an IA officer, Shane gets in deeper than he could ever imagine after he finds that a 'three shirt deal' is street lingo for killing three people. Great Book, fast moving with a lot of twists and turns. Eric Bollinger. May15, 2009.

2009-05-14 | Eric Bollinger (Roanoke, Virginia) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Shane Scully takes his career to the edge
While Shane and Alexa Scully are trying to sort out their lives, both personal and professional, after Alexa's head trauma (from White Sister - the 6th Shane Scully novel), Shane is approached by Detective Secada "Scout" Llevar, an Investigating Officer with Professional Stardards (part of the I.A. Division) with an interesting case. A young meth-addict named Truit Hickman is serving twenty-five-to-life in California's notorious Corcoran Prison for killing his mother, and Scout believes the boy is innocent. She asks Shane to help her investigate the case even though there's a confession from Tru, and it's been closed by hard-nosed Captain Jane Sasso.

What Shane discovers is Miguel Iglesia, who now goes by Mike Church, is a far more likely suspect. But Church, Tru's friend, has some serious ties to power, through millionaire Wade Wyatt. Wyatt is the spoiled son of big-time attorney Aubrey Wyatt, and a Police Commissioner of a tiny police force for the tiny North Van Nuys Transit Authority. Both Church and Wyatt have ties to Prosecutor and Mayoral Candidate Tito Morales and Head of Van Nuys Homicide Division Brian Devine. Why would there be such power behind the prosecution of a small-time meth-addict murdering his mother over a simple six-pack of beer?

Facing suspension and a Skelly hearing over his investigation of Tru's case, Shane must also deal with the changes in Alexa's behavior. Because of her head injury, Alexa isn't the same emotionally, and Shane discovers she's on medication for seizures. Dealing with Alexa's emotional detachment from him, Shane finds himself attracted to Scout, jeopardizing his marriage.

This 7th book in Cannell's 'Shane Scully' series is again written in first-person from Shane's POV. I'm hoping for Stephen Cannell to go back to third person so I can find out more about what's in Alexa's mind. The plot in this mystery is good, the dirt just goes deeper and deeper until Shane is in way over his head. But the sub-plot of Shane and Alexa's relationship was, in my humble opinion, too simplified. In a complex head injury the chances of Alexa and Shane's problems being put into a nutshell would be impossible; I feel Cannell should have explored the complexities and complications further than he did. Of course this was stymied by his writing in Shane's POV again instead of third-person. Some of the sideline characters didn't feel fully developed either, like Church and Tito. Cannell paints such a perfect portrait of the LA mix that I was a little disappointed at the shallowing of some personalities. Chooch, Shane's son, was all but missing, and some further development with his challenges at college would be welcomed.

Over all, this is another great Shane Scully addition, despite it's shortcomings. The novel is fast-paced and quick to read, an easy over-nighter. I can't wait to see further growth with Shane's marriage and family. Enjoy!

2009-01-07 | Schtinky (California) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Shane Schully, the Bionic Man
My husband and I thoroughly injoyed this latest novel, as usual. Frequently Shane seems to miraculously escape injury, but not in this book. He is seriously injured serveral times and appears to show amazing recuperative ability. His conflicting feelings regarding his wife Alexa's changing personality, as a result of the near fatal head trauma in the previous book in the series, was realistically and sympathetically dealt with. And, again, as before, he is bucking the entire police department, including his wife, Acting Head of the Police Detective Bureau. But Shane is our favorite crime and corruption fighter and we anxiously await the next book in the series. As we watch football on TV we actually talk about the possibility of Coach Pete Carroll putting Shane's son Chooch in as quarterback for USC.

2008-10-13 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Fast paced and.....
Slow, too. Sounds weird but true. I got through it, but stayed bored throughout. Also the dialogue is worse than usual.

2008-09-10 (Richmond, Va.) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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Vertical Coffin: A Shane Scully Novel (Shane Scully Novels)

Product Details

• Stipulation: New
• Notes: BUY WITH Self-assurance, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and usage to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• ISBN13: 9780312934798

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Customer Reviews

What a disappointing plot!
This was the first book I've read in the Shane Scully series. The writing is good, and the plot pulls you in. The primary characters are interesting, although there is included a side story about Scully's son Cooch that contributes little to character development and nothing to the main plot. There comes a point where the reason for the villain's problems with gender identity is revealed, after which the story just goes downhill. That's an understatement--the plot turns ludicrous and asks the reader to believe ever more incredible developments. Action takes precedence over intelligence. Cracking into secure military computers becomes easy enough for untrained civilians. The obsessed villain is always one step ahead of the cops, solely to prove that he is more clever than they. Other bizarre characters appear from nowhere, topped off by an anti-hero, a former Vietnam army medic. Toward the end, I felt as if the book had turned into a comic strip, a kind of parody of the genre. Pity, since it is clear that the author can write well.

2010-06-11 | Midwest Geek (Ann Arbor, Michigan) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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Lotsa Fun
Read this because of Cannell's TV rep, and loved every page. It took a while to understand all the cop talk, but the narrative ran along and it was a great read. I'm now reading "Cold Hit" and "The Viking Funeral" is next on my list. Scully and his associates are all terrific, without exception. The ending is quite satisfying. I'm always trying to find something new and exciting, and Mr. Cannell's stuff is there for the taking.

2010-05-05 | Coolmoan (Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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abridged?
Product arrived in good time and in good condition, but it would have been nice to know it was an abridged edition before it was purchased.

2010-02-08 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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Scully's Eyes Focused On Her Like Heat-Seeking Missiles
This is a great read with delicious examples of old-school crime writing, such as:

About a murder scene crawling with law enforcement: ".... they're cooking a three-layer cake out here."

"His eyes were as dark and empty as two gun barrels."

"She seemed distracted, tense - wrapped tighter than the inside of a baseball."

"He looked at me, blinking like a lizard on a flat rock."

" 'Cain't get no lard without boilin' the hog.' "

" 'Them Marines are always right on time, Drop their loads, regular as Presbyterians.' "

Cannell's hero has a hero name: Shane Scully. Shane, of course, evokes the western guy hero Shane. And Scully. Remember Scully from MASH? The laid-back, risk-taking, romantic adventurer Scully? Or how about Scully from Bones? The laid-back, risk-taking, romantic adventurer Scully? And the pilot who saved the day in the river? Oh wait, he's Sully. One might argue for X-File Scully as a hero in the same vein, once she decided to remove her figurative glasses, take down her hair, and ... you know, the usual thing old-school heroines did.

Cannell throws in a few thoughtful analyses of current American society.

Some quibbles: A tad too much of the counseling- or 12-step-ese, but just a tad. The book dragged a bit right before the final, climatic, ass-whompin'. But I suppose this is like how Olympic skaters have to build up some speed on the ice with a few boring movements to get to the high-point jumps.

Overall, the book is quality brain candy, with Vitamin C and fiber added.

2009-09-30 (Missouri) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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Dead on arrival
THE TEASER
"Vertical Coffin" begins (as has become the deplorable fashion) with a totally unnecessary teaser, which has nothing substantial to do with the story. Like most teasers it is potentially confusing to readers--who are confronted with a cast of characters (except for Shane and his son) that they never see again.

THE SETUP
"Vertical Coffin" opens when a homeowner, Vincent Smiley, kills a police officer who was attempting to investigate firearms violations. Both ATF and Los Angeles SWAT teams get in on the resulting assault, but uncoordinated with one another and things go badly. As a result bad feelings develop between the two SWAT teams, which is exacerbated as team members are assassinated by a sniper--each team suspects the other. Shane Scully is called in to investigate, and is teamed, somewhat involuntarily, with a lesbian policewoman, "Jo".

CAVEATS
From there, the plot takes numerous twists, for which the term "contrived" is inadequate. "Ludicrous" and "formulaic" are more accurately descriptive. If the reader can suspend disbelief, then the action is fun. Teenage boys will love it.

In an attempt to overcome the shallowness of the cutout characters, Shane and several others seem to whine incessantly about their various private angsts--but that really does not make them more real as characters. Shallow characters are okay in good action stories, but whiny cutout characters are just annoying.

The novel is "reader friendly" (which I applaud), in that the story is straightforward and easy to follow, with only three or so main characters, and a handful of "supporting actors". If you ignore the teaser there is no danger of any reader with even minimal intelligence becoming confused. But then, that's what you'd expect in a half-hour TV drama.

VERDICT
"Cold Hit", the next Shane Scully story in the series is terrific, but "Vertical Coffin" is not up to that standard.

2009-04-06 (Miami, FL) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 2

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White Sister (A Shane Scully Novel)

Product Details

• Acclimate: New
• Notes: BUY WITH Self-confidence, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and checking to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• ISBN13: 9780312347369

Description

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Customer Reviews

White Sister
I liked the story,especially the half crazy bum.The only that grated on my nerves was the antiquated slang.It made the characters sound as if they were old, but trying to sound younger.

2010-03-08 (NYC) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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White Sister
A very good read. I have found Stephen Cannell to always write an entertaining book.

2009-12-16 | mystery bookman (Western WA USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Always a great read!
The Shane Scully books are always a great read, and I've loved them all.

Shane's wife Alexa's car is found with a LAPD cop who's an ex-gang member shot dead and his hands cuffed behind him. Alexa is nowhere to be found. To make matters worse, it was proved that it was her gun that killed her. All of the cops think that she's guilty as sin. Well, all of the cops except for Shane. He'll break most of the laws that he's sworn to defend to make sure that everyone knows that Alexa is innocent. While he tries to get to the truth, he's mixed up in the world of rap, it's artists, and producers, and a plot of murder in the wrap world. As if this isn't enough, Shane has to deal with a homeless person. That's the basic plot, there are some other things that happen, but you'll have to read the book to find out. This is a fantastic read!

I love the characters that Cannell comes up with. They're all so true to life and seem to leap off the page.

I highly suggest you start with the first book in this series and enjoy the ride.

2009-09-19 (Rochester) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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a light read full of cliches
The book is pretty good, the story is kind of fun. Now allow me to rant a bit.

First I will borrow a choice line from J Noburn: ***Don't read the rest of this review unless you've read the novel or you don't care if I ruin the plot for you (although Cannell ruined it long before I got involved)***

I wish that the Mystery Writers' Union, or whatever, would pass a regulation stating that in any mystery novel, any main character who gets deathly sick, or mortally wounded, dies, is buried, RIP, and may never appear in any resurrection or reincarnation. A dead characters stays dead!

The sorry cliché of the dying loved one belongs to 19th century melodrama, where it was already worn out. If anybody thought the cliché was stale, Patterson (Alex Cross) proved over and over again how unbelievable it is.

I believe that people who read mysteries are people who like to think and reason things out. Okay, so we should be able to reason that if the author has gone to all the trouble of creating one of these main characters, with all their traits, quirks, past, and hopes, and is not likely to erase all that and start again with a new character. Obviously the author wants to hold onto these characters who work, who come off the page, and is not going to kill them off.

All the more so when we do not necessarily read an author's books in chronological order. Before White Sister I read a later novel, On the Grind, in which Alexa is fine and kicking, so how much suspense did her tedious agony cause? None, it just meant the reader had to plod through (or skip, as the case may be) pages and pages of unnecessary medical jargon.

And now that I've said that, would anybody like to say a few words about the oh-so-cute but oh-so-smelly homeless hobo cliché?

2009-07-03 (Wulai, Taiwan, ROC) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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good read
This book is really good. Lots of humor and intrigue. A light read at the beach -

2009-04-12 | Burliesmom (Punta Gorda, FL) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Cold Hit (A Shane Scully Novel)

Product Details

• Notes: BUY WITH Self-confidence, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and usage to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• Outfit: New
• ISBN13: 9780312347352

Description

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Customer Reviews

Liked it a lot...
I've read a previous Shane Scully novel by Mr Cannell, and was drawn to this one. There's good writing, and good characters, and a very intriguing plot involving government corruption. There are also insights, which cannot fail to involve the reader. Without blabbing away too much, I had a good ride and a good read. I'm not an avid reader, only a chapter or 2 before I go to bed. I read this more often than most at one time. I repeat, I enjoyed it. Characters were interesting, bad guys were really bad and you never really knew who the good guys were... You could do a lot worse. Kick back; enjoy!

2010-05-28 | Coolmoan (Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Help! There's a FISA Under My bed
This is the second book I've read in a year where the author is doing an OK job on a police procedural and for some reason veers into international intrigue and makes a mess of it. This author is wrong about every single thing he says about intelligence. Everything he says about the CIA is wrong. And it's not like he had to go thru The Farm to get the right terms, he just had to know about GOOGLE. Just one minor example. He has various embassies located in Los Angeles. This isn't secret stuff it's just knowing what you are writing about. Embassies are in capital cities. Consulates or Consulates General would be in LA and other cities. You have to be well connected enough to go to STATE.gov to know this inside stuff. His take on FISA and the PATRIOT act are befitting the Hollywood elite. They are the types who would be sure NSA started tapping their phone when they sent a check to Amnesty International. I wondered how he could be such a font of misinformation on FISA then I saw in the acknowledgements that he thanks a UCLA law prof for his expert advice. That explains it, only a law professor could so mangle a simple piece of legislation like FISA and turn it into crypto-fascism. The author also stops the book dead in its tracks for a love letter to the USC football coach. I can only think Pete remembered the author's name the second time they met and won the author's undying affection. It was weird.

2008-07-24 (Virginia) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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Cannell Gets Better With Every Book
I really liked this one. I have read every SHANE SCULLY book so far and this is the best one yet.A complex plot is told in a uncluttered manner.One thing that CANNELL excels in is character dialogue. The use of police jargon and one characters down home southern quips is classic stuff.SCULLY is called to investigate a homicide in which it would appear is the latest victim of a serial murderer in LA. As certain facts common to the other victims dont add up in this one, SCULLY gets the feeling this is the work of a copycat. Soon the FBI is heading up a task force and the powers of the Patriot Act are at play. This story delves into the ramifications of abuses of power and the FISA court and unaccountable federal agents. There is a subplot dealing with SCULLY's alcoholic partner that gets old fast but over all a very fast paced story.

2007-11-04 (over there) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Better than average crime novel
I'm surprised that we haven't seen Shane Scully on the big screen yet. Stephen Cannell writes crime fiction that is action packed, filled with smart-alec humor, and enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning pages. As strange as it sounds, one of the things I like most about this novel is that Shane Scully, as likeable as he is, can be a real jerk sometimes. I know this sounds odd, but it is refreshingly real. So many fictional cops (I'm talking about you Alex Cross) are annoyingly perfect. Shane is a rough and tumble guy who doesn't pull any punches, always has a witty comeback, and is tenacious when it comes to finding the truth. But he's also a hot head who makes mistakes and who finds that his tolerance for pain isn't nearly as high as he would like it to be.

The plot: Shane and his partner are investigating a serial murder case when they discover that the gun that killed one of their victims was used to kill a cop a decade earlier. This cold hit leads Scully to a suspect with ties to the old KGB and the Russian mob and puts Shane in the crosshairs of the FBI and Homeland Security who seem intent on derailing his investigation in the interest of National Security.

While Cannell's novels fall short of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels (Harry treads on the same LAPD ground), novels like Cold Hit and Vertical Coffin are entertaining to read. In Cold Hit, Cannell offers readers more than just another crime novel. He tackles some difficult issues as well. Shane must deal with his partner's downward spiral as he battles alcohol and suicide, the grinding bureaucracy of the LAPD (which his wife Alexa is a part of), and the frightening abuse of power that is the Patriot Act.

Cannell uses Cold Hit as a platform to rail against the Patriot Act. This may be valid enough (I'm Canadian - so of course I think so), but it results in some awkward unnatural sounding dialogue as the characters debate its pros and cons. While Scully is a well rounded character, much of the supporting cast is filled with stereo-types(like the arrogant FBI agent who assumes control of the investigation)

These are minor complaints though. Cold Hit is a solid thriller. Fans of Cannell and Shane Scully will not be disappointed.

2007-02-19 (Quesnel, BC, Canada) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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A Gripping Look at the Perils of the Patriot Act
Like many of today's best novelists, Stephen J. Cannell has a political agenda to exploit in telling his story. Many people don't yet realize that the Patriot Act provides the kind of unlimited government powers that the 13 original colonies decided to separate from by revolution. If you put enough arrogant people in place who don't know what they are doing, the results can be pretty distressing. That's the major message of this book.

If you are looking for a police procedural, you'll find this story mainly interesting for its development of two key characters, Shane Scully and his partner, by the actions they take (or don't take). You'll feel like both characters are interesting and that what they do mostly rings true. For the rest of the characters, it's mostly card board and cameo roles. The investigation is severely compromised from the beginning by press interest, political pressure and police bureaucracy. Many of the "breaks" in the case seem a little dubious in terms of their probabilities.

If you are like me, you'll think that a "cold hit" is an assassination done for money (or something like that). In police parlance, a cold hit is an identification of a weapon used in two separate crimes . . . separated by some time. The ballistics evidence in this case gradually points the investigation in the right direction.

I found the plot development to be noteworthy in a couple of ways. First, Scully is allowed to be a human being . . . with weaknesses, mistakes, distractions and other limitations. Second, we get to find out what he's like outside of work.

I'm not sure that the plot complication of having Scully ultimately working for his wife is credible and valuable for story-telling, but you have to admit that it's an unusual approach.

Ultimately, the book succeeds because Mr. Cannell is a solid story teller who knows how to get our attention with unexpected events and confrontations that move the plot along at an ever stronger pace.

2007-01-13 | Jesus Makes Me a Practical Optimist (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 97,000 Helpful Votes Globally) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Final Victim

Description

A genius, hairless, seven-foot-tall psychopath, Leonard Land is many people wired into the cyber-subculture of Satanism and Death Metal. He is smart and cunning. He is quick, brutal and deadly. And he is everywhere. A renegade U.S. customs agent, a brilliant and beautiful forensic phychologist and a streetwise convict master hacker are on the trail of the maniac who is methodically slaughtering innocent women -- a hunt that is leading a trio of unlikely heroes across an imperiled nation...and deep into the darkest corridors of cyberspace. But there is no system the maniac cannot infiltrate, no secrets he cannot access. He knows he is being hunted...and by whom. And he's determined to strike first -- in ways too terrible to anticipate.

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Customer Reviews

Intriguing at the least
Third of his I have read. I rate him up with Sandford, Patterson, and others of the serial killer novels. His background in TV seems to have given him a heads up in novel writing. I will continue to read more and would recommend his books as exciting and interesting.

2004-10-26 (Harbor Beach, Michigan United States) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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RATS!
Stephen J. Cannell writes telebooks or cinemabooks. Having given us such classic t.v. shows as ROCKFORD FILES, A-TEAM, and WISEGUY, he knows how to write action scenarios, and fill them with almost cardboard characters that work only because they're in his books. We have the renegade DOC agent, John Lockwood, divorced from his beautiful wife, separated from his sweet daughter; the beautiful, brilliant and lonely Karen Lawson, a victim of only doing what her father wanted, who finds herself paired with Lockwood; and the handsome dashing (think Johnny Depp) computer hacker who seeks revenge on the man who put him in jail (Lockwood). Throw in the obscenely vulgar villain named Leonard Land/Rat/Wind Minstrel, who suffered abuse as a child from his religously fanatical mother, and you have the ingredients for this enjoyable diversion.
Toward the end, Cannell seems to make some incredulous things happen to hasten the plot, because if the two heroes are as bad off as they've been depicted up to this point, there is no way in hell they could do what they do at the end. But, hey, let's have fun, popcorn, etc., and enjoy this dose of high-velocity fluff.

2004-01-11 (Martinsburg, WV USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Really bad karma.
You would think that someone like Cannell would know better than to write something like this. But apparently even he slips once in a while. If you haven't read one of his other books yet do that and leave this one alone. Otherwise go read someone else.

2003-01-22 (Richmond) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 1

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Bland
The final victim may be the reader. Ok I am sure it is difficult to come up with a new exciting story all the time so I do not get too disappointed when an author goes to the holy grail of thriller writing - the bad cop, good side kick murder mystery caper. But this book pulled out so many of the good old stand by's that I thought it was written just to add them in. Sure the story is good - we all know it, and the action keeps you reading that particular section of he book, but the author tried to make these dull, well used characters have some depth and he just could not pull it off. I do give him credit for trying to make these central casting characters a little more meaty, but unfortunately all it did was slow down the book. If you are looking for something new, this is probably not the one to stop on, if you are looking for a standard fair action mystery then this will fit the bill.

2002-04-11 (Toronto Canada) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 3

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3 1/2 stars - Uneven
Final Victim grabs the reader on the first page, by putting us right inside the mind/world of the killer. A great start. Maybe that's why it's such a jolt when we're introduced to the main character (think Bruce Willis) and all action stops as we're given seemingly endless detail about his career in Customs.

This book was an improvement over his first novel, The Plan. The killer was a truly scary guy. The book was most interesting when it dealt with the killer and his motivations. This could have been a 4 or even 5 star book if Cannell had just concentrated on the killer and the investigation. The "chase and capture" scenes were well-done; and there's even a nice little twist at the end of the chase. As always, Cannell knows how to write an action scene.

The biggest problem with this book is that it takes far too much time examining the three main investigators and their interrelationships. The fact is, they're just not very interesting, and there's not a whole lot to examine. One is a 'rogue' Customs Agent - your basic guy who won't play by the rules, etc. One is a woman genius - she's brilliant, she's beautiful, she's lonely/vulnerable, etc. One is a convict released to help with the investigation. The convict turns out to be the most realistic character, since he's pretty much just out for himself.

These fairly two-dimensional characters are given far too much time and attention. At perhaps the lowest point in the book, this female genius attempts to examine her feelings about the convict. Just a painful, poorly-written little interlude that might belong on a soap, but not in the middle of a thriller.

Overall, a decent thriller. The killer is sufficiently interesting to keep up interest; and the action scenes keep you turning the pages. With a little more fine-tuning, this would have been a very good book.

2002-01-15 (CA) | Helpful Votes: 10 | Rating: 3

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