Harbor Nocturne

I've been a fan of Wambaugh since I read The New Centurions as a young man in 1971. I've read all of Wambaugh's books along the way since then. As far as I can tell Harbor Nocturne is Wambaugh's latest--and probably last book. It was published in 2012. I just read it on Kindle this week--2019. Wambaugh was 75 years old when Harbor Nocturne was published. He still had "game" at that age and that's a good thing. (I'm 75 now myself)There is a story line here, and I agree with some of the other reviewers that it's a bit sad. But as one ages one learns (and re-learns) that things don't always work out for the best, so I'll cut Wambaugh some slack on the less than upbeat main story line. Of course Harbor Nocturne also has all of the police antics and anecdotes that make Wambaugh's books fun. Other professions might call these things "war stories" aka the funny and strange things that happen at work.After Wambaugh left the LAPD he moved around a bit. He was in Pasadena San Marino for a while; then off to Newport beach; down to San Diego, and then out to the desert around Palm Springs. He used his knowledge of the places he lived in to set the background scene for his various novels. His descriptions rang true. Now he spends some time writing about the Italian and Croatian communities in San Pedro. He nails it again.Read the book, and if you have not read Wambaugh before--or want to go back and reread some of his works do so. It's always enjoyable.

I have been a fan of Joseph Wambaugh since his first book. I thought his non-fiction was brilliant and was sorry that a messy court case made him decide to stick to fiction. I also thought his fiction was terrific: the early books are filled with gritty humor and deep passion; the middle books showed all sorts of growth as a writer trying different techniques; and in the past decade or so, he switched to writing a fictional series with recurring characters. I'm not sure whether he became tired of creating new worlds or wanted more depth in an established one, but the level of passion has declined even as the writing became smoother. I'm not knocking that at all, but for someone who has never tried Wambaugh in his prime, they might get the wrong idea from this novel. "Harbor Nocturne" is a (relatively) quiet book. Yes, the kooky characters are here, as well as the bizarre anecdotes that pile up to form the backdrop for the plot. Yes, the setting becomes a character itself. But there's a depressive level that leaves the reader with a sad taste, and less of the passion of earlier writing. I don't mean sexual passion, I mean the heartfelt energy of the characters. They all seem just a little tired. There are a few lazy short-cuts as well. In earlier books, such as "The Black Marble", the author was able to provide lots of background on the Russian community in a seamless and unobtrusive way. In "Harbor Nocturne", right away a single character provides a literal travelogue to explain the entire Port of Los Angeles, Croatian work history and Mexican immigration. It is neither seamless nor unobtrusive. However, Wambaugh, even when he is not at his best, is better than almost anyone else. If you haven't encountered his work before, I'd strongly recommend starting with older books, such as "The Black Marble" or "The Delta Star". If you know his work but haven't read the Hollywood series, I'd recommend starting with the first book in the series, since there are significant developments in the lives of the recurring characters. I do recommend this book, but not without some earlier doses of Wambaugh's work.

Joe Wambaugh has been writing cop stories for a very long time, and I've read them all. Like many of us, he's getting up there in years, and this novel lacks some of the pizz-zazz of his earlier work. But it's still good. I suspect this may be his last novel, so I will say that Joe Wambaugh has given me a lot of good reading hours over the years, and for that I say, "thanks".

As usual Wambaugh delivers! This book follows the previous one about Hollywood Division and its colorful cops. If you know and like cops and understand cop culture, you know he tells it like it is, although LA cops have some strange quirks that are slightly different from other police forces (example: cop cars are called "shops," a term that I have never heard in another department).Wambaugh constructs plots that, while familiar, always surprise. Once you open this book you don't want to put it down. The one-word descriptions are inadequate to describe the mood, pace, and characters, because they cannot be described in one word.Wambaugh never disappoints.

I have not read a Joseph Wambaugh book for many years and then I saw an ad for Hollywood Nocturne and thought I would see if he was still on the button for crazy, meandering tales, great characters and poignant stories. Yes he is still operating. Well on top of his game. I really enjoyed this tale from start to finish and as a result discovered some more zany police officers to add to the history. I looked forward to every reading session and derived enormous satisfaction. I would recommend this highly to any reader that likes their police stories and thrillers. Wambaugh is a top class author.

Another great story from an author who just doesn't seem to lose his powers through the passage of time. If you are a fan of his definitely get it and if you haven't read him before you have a lot of catching up to do.

Not directly a Hollywood series book but with some of those characters. But still the great Wambaugh style, and the usual mix of lowlifes and craziness, great read!

well up to his usual high standards,i continue to collect his work wherever/whenever i see it...recommended

Tis guy is one of my favourite authors and this is one of his best . Its a very entertaining and involving book.

What can I say? Joseph WAmbaugh is getting a bit 'safe' in his old age! His books used to be great reading...but this one wasn't that good!

this book was a present for my partner.he said the book was really good and likes the author .he sat there all day christmas reading over and over again.so yes this book is well worth it and a good read

i enjoyed the character, Dinko’s, development from a pothead longshoreman at the beginning of the book into a responsible adult near the end because of his love for Lita, an illegal immigrant. However, Wambaugh was only setting us up for tragedy as Lita was killed by the people traffickers she had escaped from.Real life has enough depressing circumstances without compounding it with this type of book. I have no intention of wasting my time reading anything further by this author.

I have read Joseph Wambaughs series of "Hollywood" police stories with great joy. His ability to mix police daily life in Hollywood with interesting criminal and other characters makes for a very interesting read and it is also a great mix of humor with a dark background. I also like the way the criminals are presented. No super criminals, just ordinary people with sometimes petty crimes.For some reason this one has not received a title in the "Hollywood" series. I cant understand why since the same people occupies this one as well as in the other four books in this series. I do not see this as a stand alone book, it follows "Hollywood Hills", picking up the story where we left of it in the previous book.The Base story in "Harbor Nocturne" is a love story between a long-shore man with a Croatian background and a very young Mexican "dancer". This story might be a little to "young adult" but it works. In fact I was a little disappointed with the fate of the girl and I think Mr Wambaugh could have written it differently.But it is an easy read and a book that will add to Mr Wambaughs reputation of being a great mystery writer. I will read his next one in the series as soon as it is published.

Wambaugh erzählt eine komplexe Geschichte mit sehr vielen interessanten und vielschichtigen Charakteren. Die Geschichte nimmt einen in den Bann und man kann sie nicht mehr aus der Hand legen Der Hintergrund ist sehr authentisch. Man mag ihm Anleihen bei der zweiten Staffel von The Wire verzeihen.

Very familiar with the author's style so the book was as expected. Well put together with the usual police work humor.

I've been a fan of his surfer dude characters since "Floater" - sadly Wambaugh is slowing down. That said, I hope he will churn out a few more 'good reads' before he hangs it all up for good. P. D. James is still going, why shouldn't he?

I've got every book that Joseph Wambaugh has written and I've enjoyed every one. Harbor Nocturne carries on with the same characters that he has developed in his last three books plus he adds a few new ones.

Not his best but a good way to enjoy some time while on holidays. NOT HIS BEST

Typical Wambaugh but with a twist. Really enjoyed this one and would recommend it as a good read.Awaiting the next one with anticipation