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Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets | David Simon
From the creator of HBO's The Wire, the classic book about homicide investigation that became the basis for the hit television show The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the center of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit, a small brotherhood of hard men who fight for whatever justice is possible in a deadly world. David Simon was the first reporter ever to gain unlimited access to a homicide unit, and this electrifying book tells the true story of a year on the violent streets of an American city. The narrative follows Donald Worden, a veteran investigator; Harry Edgerton, a black detective in a mostly white unit; and Tom Pellegrini, an earnest rookie who takes on the year's most difficult case, the brutal rape and murder of an eleven-year-old girl. Originally published fifteen years ago, Homicide became the basis for the acclaimed television show of the same name. This new edition--which includes a new introduction, an afterword, and photographs--revives this classic, riveting tale about the men who work on the dark side of the American experience. Amazon.com Review This 1992 Edgar Award winner for best fact crime is nothing short of a classic. David Simon, a police reporter for the Baltimore Sun, spent the year 1988 with three homicide squads, accompanying them through all the grim and grisly moments of their work--from first telephone call to final piece of paperwork. The picture that emerges through a masterful accumulation of details is that homicide detectives are a rare breed who seem to thrive on coffee, cigarettes, and persistence, through an endlessly exhausting parade of murder scenes. As the Washington Post writes, "We seem to have an insatiable appetite for police stories.... David Simon's entry is far and away the best, the most readable, the most reliable and relentless of them all.... An eye for the scenes of slaughter and pursuit and an ear for the cadences of cop talk, both business and banter, lend Simon's account the fascination that truth often has." From Publishers Weekly Baltimore Sun reporter Simon spent a year tracking the homicide unit of his city's police, following the officers from crime scenes to interrogations to hospital emergency rooms. With empathy, psychological nuance, racy verbatim dialogue and razor-sharp prose, he offers a rare insider's look at the detective's tension-wracked world. Presiding over a score of sleuths is commander Gary D'Addario, "connoisseur of survival" who grapples with political intrigue, massive red tape and "red balls" (major, difficult cases). His detectives include Tom Pelligrini, obsessed with solving the rape-murder of an 11-year-old girl; Rich Garvey, whose "perfect year" is upset by a murder case that collapses in court; and black, cosmopolitan Harry Edgerton, a lone wolf, son of a jazz pianist. This hectic daily log reveals the detective's beat on Baltimore's mean streets (234 murders in 1988) to be brutal, bureaucratic and, occasionally, mundane. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Traci1
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Enjoyable isn't the right word for this one, so I'll just say it was compelling. Gruesome and gritty and all to real, it was an uncomfortable read to be sure. But it was also impossible to put down. I finished it in one go, and my only complaint is that I don't know how long I'll have to wait for part two. I think fans of The Wire will love it.

Book 4 done #rushathon
#goodreadsgiveaway #ARC
@DieAReader
@Andrew65
@GHABI4ROSES

Andrew65 Brilliant 👏👏👏 8mo
The_Penniless_Author I loved the book Homicide (and the TV series, for that matter). I'd be interested to see how it translates to a graphic novel. 8mo
Traci1 @The_Penniless_Author I looked at a few reviews earlier, and I saw one that said they DNF because it had dead bodies. I'm not sure exactly what they were expecting from a true crime graphic novel called Homicide. But just be warned. There ARE dead bodies... 🙄 8mo
72 likes3 comments
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Traci1
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Trying to decide which mood I'm in today. Both are #ARCs. Decisions are the worst.

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LibrarianRyan
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Panpan

I get that this book is supposed to be the dark side of the police force, particularly homicide in 1988 in Baltimore. It starts with a dead guy in the street and all the homicide cops talking above him and it‘s very reminiscent of an 80s style cop show or movie. It‘s just dark and every other word is F this, F that, calling people hoes, making fun of trans street walkers. While I know this is realistic to 1988, I don‘t have to read it or enjoy it

44 likes1 stack add
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Susanita
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RIP Richard Belzer (Detective John Munch)

The episode that touched me most was the one in which he investigated the death of a former girlfriend.

(I know he was also on Law and Order SVU…)

AmyG Oh no. 😢 13mo
TheBookHippie Oh no… 13mo
See All 6 Comments
MoonWitch94 😩😩😩 13mo
kspenmoll He was such a great actor! 13mo
47 likes6 comments
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Bookwomble
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I loved the TV show Homicide: Life on the Street, and was reminded of it when I got a GR recommendation earlier today. When I went into town for what should be last-minute Xmas shopping, but is actually the 1st I've done, I nipped into a charity shop, as you do, & synchronistically saw a copy of the very book for £1, so that's 646 more pages to read!
The yellow disc in the centre of the picture is the full moon rising as I came out of the shop 🌕

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bthegood
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Goal is to read 20 hours (although I do not usually keep a very good record of my hours 😉) and finish either the tagged book (doubt it, it's a chunkster) or The Music Shop (such a sweet story so far) -

Then on to August (already???) and a new #BookSpinBingo list -@TheAromaofBooks

#20in4 @Andrew65 (thanks for hosting) -

Make a great day everyone 🙂

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! Good luck!!! 2y
Andrew65 Loved The Music Shop. Good luck with the readathon. 😁 2y
bthegood @TheAromaofBooks thx👍😊 2y
bthegood @Andrew65 I'm loving it too 😍 2y
31 likes4 comments
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bthegood
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My goals for #BFC2022 July were: 1 #BookSpinBingo and 22 workouts - bingo not happening this month but the workouts did happen! And I enjoyed the books I did finish this month -

Next month - same goals 👍 @wanderinglynn

Make a great day everyone - 😊

wanderinglynn 🙌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Way to go! 2y
bthegood @wanderinglynn thx, as always, for the support and for hosting - 2y
27 likes2 comments
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Susanita
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My friend and I went to Fells Point today to shop for hats. Fans of the show Homicide might recognize this building as the police station, but it‘s actually a swanky hotel.

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The_Penniless_Author
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Pickpick

Before there was The Wire there was Homicide, a "cop show" that was unlike any police procedural that had ever aired and one of the best TV series of the 90s. Before Homicide, the television series, there was the book of the same name, David Simon's account of the year he spent following detectives from Baltimore PD's Homicide Unit. Still the best true crime book I've ever read and probably the most nuanced look at the role of policing in society.

28 likes1 stack add
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DGRachel
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I finished two of the three books I wanted to finish this weekend. I won‘t get the other one done because Mom ordered this glorious box set. I loved this show when it first aired and I love the book. #bingewatching #allthehomicide #booktoscreen #baltimore

Melkyl I think that is one of the best shows ever on TV 5y
Mollyanna My absolute favorite tv show ever! I may need to binge it soon. Enjoy your binge. 5y
CatLass007 One of the best TV shows of all time! 5y
See All 6 Comments
CoffeeK8 I loved this series so much! 5y
Bookzombie Such a good series! 5y
Mitch Brilliant TV - loved Pembleton in the box! 5y
72 likes1 stack add6 comments
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davidhasalife
Pickpick

This is America

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Susanita
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1. Homicide: Life in the Street. I still miss that show.
2. Spend time with friends and family, “Kondo” the kitchen, finish three books.
3. Mystery
4. Feeding the cat
5. Binoculars
#humpdaypost

wanderinglynn Your cat doesn‘t argue with you? That must be nice. 😹 5y
Susanita @wanderinglynn Saturday and Sunday he can be quite insistent. 5y
Emiller I absolutely loved Homicide!! I have the first season on dvd 5y
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Mitch ❤️ Homicide. I re watched a few episodes recently though and it felt soooo old! 5y
Samplergal Loved homicide too! David Simon is the schizz. I follow him on Twitter. Even his writing there is brilliant! 😂 5y
GlassAsDiamonds Cat. Me too. 😂😂😂😂😂😂 All these cat-less people asleep at 6am! 🤦🏻‍♀️😂🤦🏻‍♀️ 5y
44 likes7 comments
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pygmywarrior
Bailedbailed

This was an extremely difficult and boring book. I started reading it months ago and it's taken me this long to finish. Do not recommend.

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Velvetsun
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Finally reading the book that was the basis for one of my favorite Tv shows of all time. I‘ve been binging the show again after all these years , and it‘s just as amazing as I remembered it was. 💙

DGRachel I loved both the book and the show. Do you own the DVDs or is it available to stream somewhere. 6y
Velvetsun @DGRachel I had to buy the DVD set because it‘s not steaming anywhere. Definitely worth the price, though. 6y
DGRachel I‘ve been on the fence because I saw reviews that the recordings weren‘t in order, but I think I could live with that just to be able to watch the show again. So good. 6y
Velvetsun @DGRachel I got the complete set from Amazon. So far the only questionable thing is that the Law and Order crossover eps are on a separate disc. But, there is another set that doesn‘t even have the L&O episodes or the movie, so no complaints here. 6y
43 likes4 comments
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Susanita
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#HumpDayPost
1. Post a picture of your favorite show. I loved Homicide: Life on the Street and still miss it.
2. Favorite comfort meal is plain pasta with a little butter, cheese, and basil.
3. Noooo. I‘m not done with my holiday shopping.
4. What are my weekend plans? Um, shopping! Also going to a Christmas concert with a friend.
5. It looks like all of our snow from Saturday has melted.

Bookzombie Such a good show! 6y
30 likes1 comment
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DGRachel
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I know this isn't book related, but sweet Jesus. What is going on in my city??? 😭😭

Alfoster Seriously! Praying for everyone there! 7y
Megabooks You're in Charlotte? I'm in York Co. SC. And yes, WTF?!? 7y
Erinreadsthebooks @DGRachel We're neighbors! I'm in Mooresville. 7y
See All 16 Comments
Librarianaut That's crazy!!!!! 7y
Librarianaut I'm in Oak Ridge (right outside of Greensboro) 7y
Rachbb3 Scary stuff. 😦 7y
DGRachel @Booksandcooks @Erinstutts @Librarianaut Howdy neighbors!! We should plan a Litsy meet up! 7y
Librarianaut That would be fun! What do you suggest? 7y
Debiw781 Oh yikes!! 7y
Megabooks Yes! Meet up! 7y
Erinreadsthebooks I'm in! 😃 7y
DGRachel @Booksandcooks @Librarianaut @erinstutts We have a really nice indie bookstore with restaurants nearby and there's a B&N in the Carolina Place Mall. Would you be interested in meeting for lunch and browsing either of those stores? I can do a Litsy Meet Up post if that sounds good to you? (edited) 7y
Erinreadsthebooks @DGRachel I think lunch and browsing sounds excellent! 7y
Megabooks Yes definitely! 7y
DGRachel @Erinstutts @Booksandcooks @Librarianaut Awesome! I'll do a meet up post tomorrow. I feel like I kind of spammed people's feeds today going a little post crazy. 😂😂 7y
Librarianaut 😎 7y
47 likes16 comments
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DGRachel
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Supposedly, #deadmentellnotales, but to the skilled detectives in Homicide, everything from the crime scene, including the bodies of the victims, tells a story. I loved the TV series based off this book, and I loved this book even more.

#pirateslife #whatawaytolive

CrowCAH A neat take on the crime dramas! 7y
68 likes1 comment
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manifestsanity
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No more appropriate a book about Baltimore than David Simon's 1991 true crime account. The year this book was published there were 353 murders. Last year, 25 years later, there were 344. Here's to progress. #setinmycity #readjanuary

EricaCurtis11 Damn it, I was going to use this one! 7y
britt_brooke 😳 7y
DGRachel I loved this book. Terrible subject matter, but so well written. 7y
[DELETED] 3323341091 it is a damn great book. 7y
63 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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DGRachel
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I love police procedurals, both fiction and nonfiction. This book was wonderful, as was the TV show based on it. I highly recommend both. The book won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime in 1992. #awardwinning #booktober

Suzze Laura Lippman's husband! 7y
37 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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Skyler
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This is the first book that came to mind when I saw today's theme. David Simon (who later went on to create Homicide: Life on the Streets and The Wire) embedded within a Baltimore homicide detective unit for a year to write this book. Great writing, heartbreaking stories--honestly could not put this one down.

#couldntputitdown #septphotochallenge #somethingforsept

10 likes3 stack adds
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JackieSmith
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Sundays are for reading! First up: blogs & the Sunday NYTimes; then I'll get into the books. I'm trying to balance Homicide with something lighter. Staying inside today as it's supposed to reach 105'.