Vertical Coffin

This book was penned by the legendary Stephen J. Cannell. I think everyone is familiar with his writing for television shows, but this is the first time I’ve run across a novel of his, although he’s written many.

Vertical coffin is the term police officers use to describe doorways. Doorways are often one of the most dangerous places for a cop, because they often don’t know what they are dealing with until sometimes it is too late.

But don’t let the title let you think that this is just a mishmash of stories describing officer incidents at doorways. It is, but this story centers around the politics and fighting over jurisdiction between the LAPD, ATF and LASO (Sheriff’s Office). As the story progress, we’re horrified to be witnessing an almost gang war erupt between the ATF and LASO’s SWAT teams, as their members are sniped at their homes by the very same weapons that they use on the job.

So how was this book: Outstanding. I love books that have the ability to really flesh out characters without slowing down the story. And this story is just, well, wow! Let’s just say that the story involves everything from Harley Davidson motorcycles to F/A-18 air strikes.

Usually after my commute, I’m completely ready to get out of the car. This is one of those audio books that had me sitting in my car waiting to hear what happened next.

Go get this book now!