Did you read the classic cop books, like Ed McBain and Joseph Wambaugh, as a cop?
Sure, I’ve read both. Wambaugh’s Onion Field is about as good as they come. He’s not afraid to tell it like it really is, too. Wambaugh likes to add a lot of humour, as does McBain. Most important, each keeps the plot moving. To each his own, but for me plot hold-ups to describe every doorknob or to go into every minor character’s background earns a book a dusty place on the shelf. Has your reading changed since you hung up your service revolver? I wouldn’t say my reading has changed. What has changed is that since I’ve supposedly learned a few things about writing, I can’t enjoy a book like I used to. Before, I just read for the story and let it go at that. Now I’m constantly watching for writing technique, styles. I run up to my wife yelling, “Wow, this guy breaks all the rules and still knocks out good stuff.” What current writers do you find exciting? Besides grabbing everything Elmore Leonard has written, any western by Larry McMurtry is a must; he’s a real genius. And Tom Clancy
