Law and order: SVU, the novel.
342597
Very dark. I would hate to say I 'enjoyed' reading it, but it was tough to put down. My biggest complaint is that the final chapter seemed rushed. I would best describe it as a particularly complex episode of law and order SVU. If you are into that type of smutty, violent criminal investigation, this could be your thing.
3641629
Una novela digna de leer, con un personaje bien concebido.  Su carcter humano con sus miedos y sus debilidades lo hacen ms creble. Para ser la primera novela policial el autor demuestra una habilidad de un buen escritor en este tipo de genre policial.
3455842
Rather listen to a show and watch the action! Is there a book about the show? Had to read it and miss parts of the show, they must talk fast!
239772
I like the premise of this book and the scoring and descriptive synopsis of each show.  It an enjoyable book that is a quick read.  Hope you enjoy it
1765605
I love the TV show, but the books are so much better in to really pull you into it. Can't wait to read it on.
4789931
If you like police procedurals that include Courts and lawyers, you'll like this one.  It is written by a lawyer since he tries to educate his readers, most of whom don't know the ins and outs of courtroom procedure, etc.  Granted he takes some literary license, but he does know what he is talking about (unlike most TV dramas or books).
2209695
In one of his other books, From Lowbrow to Nobrow, Peter Swirski puts forward artertainment as new aesthetic criteria by which to judge genre fiction or fiction of nobrow. It stands for three criteria: Good fiction should (1) entertain well, (2)embody art of innovation or deviation, (3)embody the art of reflection on reality, the points of which Swirski recapitulates in this present book: American Crime Fiction. The significance of artertainment lies in that it transcends the distinction between highbow and lowbrow and justifies many a genre fiction for their literary merits. Here again, Swirski puts artertainment to practice in order to test the worthiness of one of the lowbrow genres: crime fiction.

Put to test are eight American crime fictions from the 20th century and the 21st. They are Hammetts Red Harvest(a detective), Grishams The Rainmaker(a legal procedural), Faulkners Sanctuary(a gangster thriller or a courtroom drama), Hemingways To Have and Have not(a political thriller), Chandlers Playback(a detective), McBains the 87 saga(police procedural), DeMilles The Gold Coast(a mafia thriller) and Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby(a mob story), all of which involve major crimes.

Artertainment criterion 1 requires that all literature, be it highbrow or lowbrow, should first of all entertain. As Swirski tasks himself to testify, all eight crime fictions above not only entertain but extremely well, which is best evidenced by their high popularity, their millions-of-copy sale, their status as bestsellers, their being printed many times, their serials, take two, playbacks, their once-and-again adaptations for movies and so on. His second task is to test by Criterion 2 - embody the art of innovation or deviation. By inquiring into their plotting, characterization, or style in writing, Swirski enables us to see that all these fictions have either innovated in techniques or deviated from certain genre formulas. For example, Hammett initiates an anti-heroic hero, the op, in Red Harvest; Faulkner approaches rape crime from a psychological prospective in Sanctuary; Chandler allows his hero Marlowe, as opposed to the detective pattern, to fall in love in addition to the use of self-reflexivity; McBain originates police procedural; DeMille chose to write it in first person(P161) in The Gold Coast.

So far, the greatest task smartly performed by Swirski is testing crime fictions by Criterion 3 - embody the art of reflection on reality. By studying a fiction with reference to the social-economic or by putting the literary world and the world of reality in parallel with each other, Swirski is able to testify that crime fiction not only reflects on the social reality in which it was produced, but also functions as critiques or commentary on that reality, and in so doing, alerts or educates people about it. For instance, as he reveals, Playback mirrors the reality of the 1930-50 America that Nobody is outraged by corruption and vice because they are so commonplace and Power to the people means in practice power to people who can afford to buy immunity from even the most tenacious investigators(P114); here Chandlers critique on the judiciary system is not mistaken. Indeed, most of the works amount to critical realism as represented by Dickens and Mark Twain. Swirski thus refutes the sustained censures that crime fictions are mere lite entertainment that has no social dimension.

In short, Swirski proves the worthiness of American crime fictions as artertainment. This alone will call more attention to crime or other genre fictions, from readers and critics alike. But before you go ahead, make sure you have read this book of American Crime Fiction.
4630077
I knew the tv show was cancelled so I wanted to see how the story ended.  The book was nothing like the show, but once I realized that and read it, it was very good.  I would recommend it to others.
3069700
I am a huge Law and Order fan. I like all three series. I would recommend this to any Law and Order fans. This is still my all time favorite of thr three series. I am really pleased with my purchase.
446151
From friends that said they loved it!  It is an interesting comment.  I really began liking the series when we found out what Sookie was.  :)  Not so sure I am liking the direction they are going with Tara yet.
4806319
This is a case of reading a book after seeing the tv program. They are not the same, of course, but I did not expect the type of explicit violence being described. The characters are ok. I did not finish the book due to the violence in it.
1256070
I like it. I normally watch CSI or Law and order but since I'm all caught up I found this show and I enjoy it.
459349
crime scene is a pretty good film. it definitely tries to play as a serious true crime program, i.e. anything aired on Discovery I.D.

it was a little boring in parts, too many interviews. and random photo montages. but still pretty fun.
2302570
The Shield was one of the best shows on tv. It showed cops for the dirtbags that they really are.
2175083
VP has written a novel of two detectives who are working on two murder cases and a kidnapping. The storyline has two detectives crossing back trying to solve  the different crimes. This is an excellent read for the genre.....ER
4625801
I have enjoyed the book very much. The book was fantastic and funny. It was just like watching the show.
2345247
I watched the TV series and got caught up in it.  The characters played a true form and i kept comparing them to the book.  I couldn't believe how the the past season ended.  Can't wait for it to come back on TV.