Finnegan's Week

Rating:
Summary: A PEDAL-TO-THE-METAL ROMP
Review: A wonderful, crazy, yet cruelly sane morality tale, written with preeminent wit and humor. Impossible to put down!

Rating:
Summary: Reads more like Elmore Leonard than the old Wambaugh.
Review: Much, much more fun than previous work. My wife and I both laughed out loud while reading Finnegan's Week. It's larger than life, but believable all the way. In our opinion, this is Wambaugh's best novel.

Rating:
Summary: Who does Wambaugh think he is kidding?
Review: To a certain degree I can enjoy zany antics just as much as the next guy. And I am glad that Wambaugh at least tries to put some humor into his novels. But sometimes one has to wonder if he is trying to model his humor on (or is it after?) the Three Stooges. I enjoyed reading this novel, but I am not about to take it seriously. I wonder what would happen if Wambaugh ever co-authored a mystery novel with Patricia Cornwell in which one of his versions of a cop worked closely with Kate Scarpetta (in her current paranoid, very near nervious, and very mental, breakdown condition) in trying to solve an intriguing and highly invoved case.

Rating:
Summary: One of Wambaugh's best, Fin is a winner.
Review: Wambaugh delivers as usual in this funny, exciting tale of an cop who's an aspiring actor (and who's facing midlife crises as only an actor wannabe can) while in the middle of investigating a truck theft that turns out to also involve a theft from a Naval warehouse as well as a load of missing toxic waste. His case brings him into contact with two tough and sexy Policewomen, each with her own private and professional agenda. Will Fin Finnegan (the cop-actor-hopeful) get the part he's trying out for? Will he survive a week filled with too much booze, a murderous sociopath business owner, a druggy biker turned trucker, and two beautiful women who both seem as interested in him as they are in the case at hand? This is typical Wambaugh in that the horrors and sadness of the crimes and victims are not treated lightly, yet (like the good cops who frequent his novels) our only salvation from evil is to laugh at his sometimes mordant humor and wit. One of Wambaugh's strengths is his ability to gradually make his characters sympathetic and likeable, sometimes even when they're not the good guys. I rate this as one of Wambaugh's best novels, and that's saying something, since in my opinion he's never written a bad one. I wish he would recover his muse and write some more fiction in the vein of this novel and FUGITIVE NIGHTS. It's been a while since he's come out with any novels. A shame, because no one else writes about police life in quite the same way.

A five star rating for the humor, characters, and the suspense.

Rating:
Summary: One of Wambaugh's best, Fin is a winner.
Review: Wambaugh delivers as usual in this funny, exciting tale of an cop who�s an aspiring actor (and who�s facing midlife crises as only an actor wannabe can) while in the middle of investigating a truck theft that turns out to also involve a theft from a Naval warehouse as well as a load of missing toxic waste. His case brings him into contact with two tough and sexy Policewomen, each with her own private and professional agenda. Will Fin Finnegan (the cop-actor-hopeful) get the part he�s trying out for? Will he survive a week filled with too much booze, a murderous sociopath business owner, a druggy biker turned trucker, and two beautiful women who both seem as interested in him as they are in the case at hand? This is typical Wambaugh in that the horrors and sadness of the crimes and victims are not treated lightly, yet (like the good cops who frequent his novels) our only salvation from evil is to laugh at his sometimes mordant humor and wit. One of Wambaugh�s strengths is his ability to gradually make his characters sympathetic and likeable, sometimes even when they�re not the good guys. I rate this as one of Wambaugh�s best novels, and that�s saying something, since in my opinion he�s never written a bad one. I wish he would recover his muse and write some more fiction in the vein of this novel and FUGITIVE NIGHTS. It�s been a while since he�s come out with any novels. A shame, because no one else writes about police life in quite the same way.

A five star rating for the humor, characters, and the suspense.

Rating:
Summary: Well done
Review: Wambaugh has a flair for scriptwriting equal to Quinton Tarantino at his best. He's brutal, sly, topical, sharp, intense and outrageous all at the same time. This novel can be a bit silly at times, but never does it become stale. "Finnegan's Week" should appeal to readers of a wide variety of tastes, and I'm surprised that Wambaugh doesn't have a larger following than he has. His plots weave in and out, and he always finds a unique way to bring it all together at the end. His razor-sharp wit sets him apart from the rest of the thriller writers out there. A great, fun read with a superior style.

Rating:
Summary: A lot can happen in a week........
Review: With Finnegan's Week, Joseph Wambaugh has pulled together a very entertaining story. The book follows a week in the life of aging police detective -- and aspiring actor -- Finn Finnegan as he works through two apparently unrelated crimes. Finnegan's insecurities and quirks add spice to the story and mix well with the other characters. All in all, Wambough has created a story that, although not terribly complex, is enjoyable to go through.

Rating:
Summary: A lot can happen in a week........
Review: With Finnegan's Week, Joseph Wambaugh has pulled together a very entertaining story. The book follows a week in the life of aging police detective -- and aspiring actor -- Finn Finnegan as he works through two apparently unrelated crimes. Finnegan's insecurities and quirks add spice to the story and mix well with the other characters. All in all, Wambough has created a story that, although not terribly complex, is enjoyable to go through.