Rating: 
Summary: My favorite Shane Scully novel yet! He's back!
Review: Shane and Alexa Scully are back in action again, this time staying pretty much on home turf but up against the toughest assignment either of them have ever had. Friend and fellow officer from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Emo Rojas is brutally gunned down routinely serving a warrant. However, the Sheriff's department took the warrant from the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms federal unit. Emo is dead in the "Vertical Coffin", police slang for a doorway, and chaos runs rampant as Shane arrives on the scene.
What follows is a burned out husk of a house that once contained a psychopath named Vincent Smiley, who all departments believed was a "suicide by cop" incident where he met the onslaught of officers on the scene with AK-47 gunfire and Kevlar body protection. Now the Sheriff's department and the Federal ATF department are at war, arguing over who was to blame for Emo's death in the Vertical Coffin. Shane finds himself in the middle of this cop war as he is assigned to investigate the incident as a neutral LAPD officer.
In this latest installment of Shane Scully adventures, get ready for the ride of your life. Not everything is what it seems to be, for Shane's finds bizarre clues buried in the ashes of Vincent Smiley's home, and as he seeks to unravel the mysteries, more and more officers begin to die in Vertical Coffins, leaving the two agencies frothing at the mouth for each other's blood. There are more twists and deeper characterization in this novel, really fleshing out Shane and Alexa, allowing us to see different angles of the man inside.
Also noteworthy, this is the first Scully novel that Stephen J. Cannell has written in `First Person' format, giving a more personal feel to Shane's inner workings and emotions, and jacking up the action another notch. You will meet two great characters in this book, Josephine Brickhouse and Royal Mortenson, who Cannell did a great job in bringing to life, each of which will touch Shane's life in a profound way.
This is my favorite Shane Scully novel to date, and I am looking forward to more Scully novels to come, although I deeply enjoy the novels Cannell does outside of his Shane Scully world also. Just keep writing, Mr. Cannell. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Vertical Coffin is a great read !
Review: Shane Scully returns in this great page turning cop/crime adventure. It is up there with Stephen J. Cannell's other great Shane Scully novels like Hollywood Tough, Viking Funeral and Tin Collectors. Check it out now!
Rating:
Summary: Another one out of the park for Cannell!
Review: Shane Scully sure has a knack for getting himself in the middle of a firestorm. In Vertical Coffin, he's thrust between two warring special elite units of the Sheriff's Department and the BATF, who seem to be killing each other off. His investigation keeps unravelling all kinds of unexpected twists and turns, and he's lucky to get out of it alive.Full of suspense, good characters, and authentic situations, this is one you can't put down until you've finished the last page.
Rating:
Summary: Another well crafted thriller
Review: Stephen J. Cannell continues to crank out story after story and never seems to tire or become stale. In his latest Shane Scully story two law enforcement agencies apparently declare war on each other. The LAPD loses a man while serving an all but unimportant warrent to Vincent Smiley, a cop wanna-be with a violent temper. Only later does it become apparent that the ATF knew that Smiley was likely to become violent and likely had a stash of weapons at his disposal. Later, officers and agents from both agencies are found dead. Shane Scully and his wife Alexa battle to get to the bottom of the case and save other lives that might be lost in a turf war. Fast paced with characters that leap off the page at you, Vertical Coffin is a worthwhile read by an author that has more than proved himself. You won't regret the time you spend reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly Cannell's Best Novel to Date
Review: Stephen J. Cannell recently celebrated his thirty-fifth year in what is commonly referred to as "show business." He has racked up some impressive statistics during that period. Cannell has been directly responsible for the creation of forty --- forty --- television series, many of which are still in syndication. He has also been the guiding creative hand behind a number of major motion pictures, and has recently become a spokesman for individuals affected with dyslexia. During the past several years Cannell has also been writing novels that have achieved not only the commercial success one would expect but also much-deserved critical acclaim. At this point Cannell could probably phone in the plot and dialogue and still do well --- the man seems to be incapable of writing badly --- but he instead continues to demonstrate the craftsmanship and professionalism that have caused his work to be held in good stead during the past four decades. VERTICAL COFFIN, Cannell's latest novel, is noteworthy on several levels. He has found a winning character in Los Angeles Police Officer Shane Scully, previously featured in the novels THE TIN COLLECTORS, THE VIKING FUNERAL and HOLLYWOOD TOUGH. Cannell continues to flesh out and develop Scully as he grows beyond the dimensions of the literary media. VERTICAL COFFIN finds Scully involved in a shootout, the result of a routine warrant service that goes horribly wrong. The carnage leaves an L.A. Sheriff's deputy --- Emo Rojas, a close friend of Scully's --- dead, a home destroyed, and a number of people asking why. It appears that things went terribly wrong due to the negligence of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which gave the warrant to the Sheriff's Department but apparently neglected to mention that the subject of the warrant was thought to possess an arsenal of illegal weapons and explosives. This error results in Rojas's death, and the Sheriff's Department blames ATF for his death. The two agencies soon appear to be involved in a clandestine war, with first an ATF member and then an L.A. Sheriff being murdered in their homes. The mayor of Los Angeles, hoping to keep the violence from escalating, directs the LAPD to investigate. The investigation is handed to Scully, who in turn soon finds himself isolated between the two agencies, and he and his family are at risk. Cannell's work throughout VERTICAL COFFIN, meanwhile, is absolutely first rate. His research into the hows and wherefores of SWAT team procedure and weaponry put the reader right in the strike vans; if you don't feel like you're choking on the gun smoke you're not reading closely enough. Cannell's plotting is meticulously detailed, complex yet simply told, so that it is impossible to lose the plot threads as they slowly but surely come together. He also pulls off a major coup by introducing a fascinating and unforgettable character within the last thirty-five pages of VERTICAL COFFIN, smoothly and plausibly integrating him into the storyline. VERTICAL COFFIN is arguably Cannell's best novel to date. If you are not familiar with his other work, particularly the Shane Scully novels, this is the perfect place to begin what is sure to be a new literary addiction. If he continues on his present trajectory, Cannell may ultimately become better known for his novels than for his film work. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating:
Summary: Possibly Cannell's Best Novel to Date
Review: Stephen J. Cannell recently celebrated his thirty-fifth year in what is commonly referred to as "show business." He has racked up some impressive statistics during that period. Cannell has been directly responsible for the creation of forty --- forty --- television series, many of which are still in syndication. He has also been the guiding creative hand behind a number of major motion pictures, and has recently become a spokesman for individuals affected with dyslexia. During the past several years Cannell has also been writing novels that have achieved not only the commercial success one would expect but also much-deserved critical acclaim. At this point Cannell could probably phone in the plot and dialogue and still do well --- the man seems to be incapable of writing badly --- but he instead continues to demonstrate the craftsmanship and professionalism that have caused his work to be held in good stead during the past four decades. VERTICAL COFFIN, Cannell's latest novel, is noteworthy on several levels. He has found a winning character in Los Angeles Police Officer Shane Scully, previously featured in the novels THE TIN COLLECTORS, THE VIKING FUNERAL and HOLLYWOOD TOUGH. Cannell continues to flesh out and develop Scully as he grows beyond the dimensions of the literary media. VERTICAL COFFIN finds Scully involved in a shootout, the result of a routine warrant service that goes horribly wrong. The carnage leaves an L.A. Sheriff's deputy --- Emo Rojas, a close friend of Scully's --- dead, a home destroyed, and a number of people asking why. It appears that things went terribly wrong due to the negligence of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which gave the warrant to the Sheriff's Department but apparently neglected to mention that the subject of the warrant was thought to possess an arsenal of illegal weapons and explosives. This error results in Rojas's death, and the Sheriff's Department blames ATF for his death. The two agencies soon appear to be involved in a clandestine war, with first an ATF member and then an L.A. Sheriff being murdered in their homes. The mayor of Los Angeles, hoping to keep the violence from escalating, directs the LAPD to investigate. The investigation is handed to Scully, who in turn soon finds himself isolated between the two agencies, and he and his family are at risk. Cannell's work throughout VERTICAL COFFIN, meanwhile, is absolutely first rate. His research into the hows and wherefores of SWAT team procedure and weaponry put the reader right in the strike vans; if you don't feel like you're choking on the gun smoke you're not reading closely enough. Cannell's plotting is meticulously detailed, complex yet simply told, so that it is impossible to lose the plot threads as they slowly but surely come together. He also pulls off a major coup by introducing a fascinating and unforgettable character within the last thirty-five pages of VERTICAL COFFIN, smoothly and plausibly integrating him into the storyline. VERTICAL COFFIN is arguably Cannell's best novel to date. If you are not familiar with his other work, particularly the Shane Scully novels, this is the perfect place to begin what is sure to be a new literary addiction. If he continues on his present trajectory, Cannell may ultimately become better known for his novels than for his film work. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating: 
Summary: Strong Partnership
Review: This is the 4th book in the Shane Scully series, a series that, I think, is getting stronger with each new book, particularly when it comes to the development of Scully, both as a policeman and as a family man. The preceding Shane Scully books are THE TIN COLLECTORS, THE VIKING FUNERAL and HOLLYWOOD TOUGH. The story opens with all-out action when Vincent Smiley, a cop-hater, decides to wreak his vengeance on the various law enforcement agencies by shooting a sheriff's deputy who tried to serve him with a warrant. The agency actually responsible for the origin of the warrant was the ATF. What the ATF failed to warn the sheriff's department about was that Smiley was suspected of hoarding a huge stockpile of weapons and explosives in his house. Sheriff's deputies, tactical response teams and the ATF descend on Smiley's house where he is firing indiscriminately from every window, daring the police to attack him. They finally do attack with the result seeing the house with Smiley inside, burning to the ground. In the aftermath of the incident blame is passed between the elite forces of the sheriff's department and the ATF over the handling of the incident with neither group convinced that the other is telling the truth as to their knowledge about how dangerous Smiley was. What follows would be the police force's worst nightmare when the bad feeling between the two agencies escalates to the brink of outright war when first, a member of the ATF's SRT (Situation Response Team) is shot by a sniper then a member of the sheriff's department's SEB (Special Enforcement Bureau) is shot and killed in exactly the same way. Shane Scully, as a homicide detective with the LAPD and consequently independent of the two agencies involved, is asked to investigate the original shooting and subsequent fire. The fact is that he is asked to investigate by his boss, who also happens to be his wife, Alexa because she can trust him over all other detectives to get the job done. Of course, how can he refuse, but what he is not prepared for is the assignation of a partner from the sheriff's department, an IAD officer no less, named Jo Brickhouse. This partnership quickly becomes the classic hate-hate relationship that is to gradually thaw out to respect, admiration and trust. Although it's been done many times before, I thought it was a particularly strong part of the book and helps define Scully both as a police officer and as a family man. The pressure that Scully comes under in this case is like no other he has experienced before. Firstly, Alexa continually questions his investigation techniques and second guesses him because results don't come quickly enough for her. Secondly, Brickhouse refuses to concede anything to him, particularly not that he might be carrying out a thorough investigation. All of this added pressure creates an atmosphere of desperation that had me hoping just a little harder than usual that Scully would make the right decisions. (Silly me). I must admit, I saw where this story was going from pretty early on and so, by the time Scully had uncovered the clues and made the earth-shattering revelation, my reaction was merely one of satisfaction that my own sleuthing was vindicated. However, I will pardon Scully for not getting there as quickly as I did, considering the personal pressure he was working under at the time. This is a highly charged thriller combining an interesting mystery to be solved with strong character interactions. It takes the usual antagonisms between different law enforcement agencies to a new level, turning heroes into villains, at times unjustly. The resolution of Scully's case provides a strong finale followed by a bittersweet ending suggesting the series won't end here.
Rating:
Summary: Humanity and humor in a chase thriller
Review: TV writer-producer and novelist Stephen J. Cannell, who has been involved in the production of some 40 TV series, knows the politics and defense mechanisms of law enforcement agencies like few others. Through his central character, Shane Scully, an LAPD investigator with a steady and steely approach, he gets us deeply embroiled in a jusrisdictional hurricane when SWAT units from the L.A. Sheriff's Departent and another from the ATF botch up a raid.
Scully himself, can be a bit of a bad boy, prone to bar brawls followed by face-saving denials and apologies to cool his wife Alexa's anger, not only from a matrimonial viewpoint but that of a superior officer on the force. Preserving both parts of this relationship is a balancing act weighted with humor and love. When our misbehaving hero, in an attempt to mollify Alexa's understandable rage with an offer of lunch, she responds with, "I don't break bread with lawless brawlers." "I was not brawling," he insists, "I barely hit anybody." "Noon at the Peking Duck," she snaps back. An example of Cannell's fine, good humor.
The story gets into action mode when homeowner, cop-wannabe Vincent Smiley shoots popular deputy Emo Rojas through the door (a "vertical coffin") as he was attempting to serve what he thought was a routine misdemeanor weapons warrant. He had no idea how unroutine this warrant service was going to be since the issuing agency, the ATF, forgot to mention Smiley'd been showing off his arsenal of heavy weapons and C-4 explosive to neighbors. The death sets off a battle with SWAT teams from different agencies who barricade the house while under fire from the renegade resident. Scully pulls his friend Emo's body from the porch even as Smiley is shooting his AK-47 from an upstairs window. The battle ends in a WACO-style burndown and a charred body. Two long-range assassinations of SWAT officers follow, adding to a twisting set of mysteries about what actually happened and to whom. Nothing is as it appears.
As political pressures force administrators (even Alexa!) to make wrong decisions, Scully, assigned to the investigation, fights their desire for a quick close to the case based on assumptions. He has his own tested methods which don't support the conclusions everyone is jumping to.
This is a powerfully written action thriller with a gut-punch here and there, tempered by human sensibility and model marital compatibility. Cannell places high value on hard action and private passions illuminated by an impressive inside knowledge of law enforcement. His twists are models of plot plausibility and he may just get a movie offer.
(Review originally in NoHo>LA, a Los Angeles newspaper)
Rating:
Summary: Cannell's Best Ever
Review: Vertical Coffin is Stephen J. Cannell's best novel so far. We once again get to join Shane Scully in a far reaching and suspenseful investigation. The book demonstrates Cannell's traditional attention to details and riveting plot and well as improved character development. This one is a real page turner. Once I started, I could not put it down and read it cover to cover in a single sitting. Don't miss it.
Rating:
Summary: Cannell's Best Ever
Review: Vertical Coffin is Stephen J. Cannell's best novel so far. We once again get to join Shane Scully in a far reaching and suspenseful investigation. The book demonstrates Cannell's traditional attention to details and riveting plot and well as improved character development. This one is a real page turner. Once I started, I could not put it down and read it cover to cover in a single sitting. Don't miss it.
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