Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
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- Create Date：2021-09-25 09:54:28
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：David Simon
- ISBN：1782116303
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Summary
"A masterpiece。" （Martin Amis）。 "The best book about homicide detectives by an American writer。" （Norman mailer）。 Based on a year on the killing streets of Baltimore， David Simon's true crime masterpiece reveals a city few will ever experience。 Day in day out citizens are shot， stabbed， or bludgeoned to death。 At the centre of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit， a small brotherhood of men who fight for whatever justice is possible in a deadly world。
Reviews
Nikki Cimino
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I've read this book a million times since I was a kid。 （My parents were terrible at monitoring what I was reading lol） The voices of the characters are so real （because they are）， and Simon is great at setting the scenes and immersing you in the world of these Baltimore City detectives。 I just learned that a lot of the episodes of the eponymous show are on YouTube， and if you haven't seen Andre Braugher （Holt of Brooklyn 99 fame） as Pembleton， you're doing yourself a disservice。 A great book for I've read this book a million times since I was a kid。 （My parents were terrible at monitoring what I was reading lol） The voices of the characters are so real （because they are）， and Simon is great at setting the scenes and immersing you in the world of these Baltimore City detectives。 I just learned that a lot of the episodes of the eponymous show are on YouTube， and if you haven't seen Andre Braugher （Holt of Brooklyn 99 fame） as Pembleton， you're doing yourself a disservice。 A great book for fans of The Wire， so you can see another side of the coin。 。。。more
Michael Barron
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Awesome， awesome book。 Usually I’d say my five stars for fiction are books that I don’t want to end， whereas my five stars for nonfiction are generally ones that I feel are comprehensive and important。 This is a nonfiction book but I would’ve loved if it was ten times longer。 Written by the guy who made The Wire， it’s about a year he spent embedded with a division of Baltimore homicide detectives。 If you have any appetite for true crime stuff whatsoever this is absolutely a must read
Sebastian Dario
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Un libro maravilloso y muy buen contado de crónicas policiales
Alvaro Hidalgo Rodriguez
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Sad to let this one go。 The detectives are smart and have a dark sense of humor which is hilarious。 Fans of The Wire will love this book。
Gerald
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Hands down the ABSOLUTE BEST True Crime book I’ve ever read！
Jane Dong
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Interesting enough。 But a bit too in awe of some toxic dynamics
Lisa
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Haven't read it yet Haven't read it yet 。。。more
Agatha
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If you enjoyed The Wire， or true crime you will enjoy this book。 David Simon， the author of Homicide， does an amazing job of putting yourself in the position of a police officer。 This book goes through the tale of a homicide detective， solving cases from a shooting of a police officer to a girl getting kidnapped。 The confits and mysteries in the book help you get excited to see what’s next。 The dialogue was super realistic， and what I believe some have said during a case。 It also has some humor If you enjoyed The Wire， or true crime you will enjoy this book。 David Simon， the author of Homicide， does an amazing job of putting yourself in the position of a police officer。 This book goes through the tale of a homicide detective， solving cases from a shooting of a police officer to a girl getting kidnapped。 The confits and mysteries in the book help you get excited to see what’s next。 The dialogue was super realistic， and what I believe some have said during a case。 It also has some humor in the book as well within the dialogue。 If you enjoy true crime cases you will enjoy this book。 。。。more
Immen
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I think David Simon might not know what a lexicon is？ Also when he said the prosecutor smiled like he had a dorsal fin， I imagined that chittering noise dolphins make。Otherwise it's as you expect。 The "lexicon" is great， the story-telling is great， the point of view is a perfect 90s time capsule。 Every police in Baltimore is black or white， every victim， every suspect， every witness （Korean corner store owners excepted）， every juror; but perhaps it's class consciousness more than racism， Simon o I think David Simon might not know what a lexicon is？ Also when he said the prosecutor smiled like he had a dorsal fin， I imagined that chittering noise dolphins make。Otherwise it's as you expect。 The "lexicon" is great， the story-telling is great， the point of view is a perfect 90s time capsule。 Every police in Baltimore is black or white， every victim， every suspect， every witness （Korean corner store owners excepted）， every juror; but perhaps it's class consciousness more than racism， Simon opines。 There is a wistful elegy for unbrooked police brutality which I think really highlights Simon's commitment to giving the police point of view。 There is so much， so much drinking。 。。。more
Tom Robinson
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Superb。
Einar Jensen
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“It’s all about crime scenes， interviews， and interrogations， played out against a backdrop of flawed humanity。” —Lt。 Terry McLarney， Baltimore Police Department。 When I was in college， my sophomore roommate and I started watching a remarkable， riveting series on NBC called Homicide: Life on the Street。 The actors and the characters they portrayed were like nothing I had ever scene。 Each time I watched， I saw the series was based on a book。 I finally acquired and read David Simon’s Homicide: A Y “It’s all about crime scenes， interviews， and interrogations， played out against a backdrop of flawed humanity。” —Lt。 Terry McLarney， Baltimore Police Department。 When I was in college， my sophomore roommate and I started watching a remarkable， riveting series on NBC called Homicide: Life on the Street。 The actors and the characters they portrayed were like nothing I had ever scene。 Each time I watched， I saw the series was based on a book。 I finally acquired and read David Simon’s Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets。 It was excellent。David Simon， a journalist， scored unlimited access to the Baltimore Police Department homicide unit and condensed a year of its gritty， exhausting， and compassionate work into this 650-page tome。 His writing is engaging， accessible， and quite often poetic: “A detective understands that another world is out there， another universe in which discretion and privacy still have meaning。 Somewhere far away from Baltimore， he knows， there are taxpayers who hold dear the idea of a good and secret death… They’ve heard a lot about that kind of death but they rarely see it。 To them， death is violence and miscalculation， mindlessness and cruelty。” To me， that writing is poetic and reveals how the author was able to see from another’s perspective。 Maybe he did violate the rules of remaining aloof from his subjects， but in doing so he shared their humanity。 And that is critical for storytelling。In 1988， when Simon embedded with the Homicide Unit， 234 men and women had their deaths investigated。 The violent death of a child in February of that year was one of the main storylines in this book。 Her murder was never solved， which， Simon admitted， was anti-climactic and authentic。 That authenticity permeates this book and is a significant reason why I enjoyed it so thoroughly。 。。。more
Ardyth
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I think my taste for true crime left when my son arrived。 :-/
John Metcalfe
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One of the best books I've read！Feels like it puts you on the ground with the detectives themselves！ Would highly recommend 👌 One of the best books I've read！Feels like it puts you on the ground with the detectives themselves！ Would highly recommend 👌 。。。more
Banjo Booker
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Damn。 This is a book to be re-read at least once。 It has to be up there with the best non-fiction I've read。 Gonna have to track down some of Simon's later work。 Damn。 This is a book to be re-read at least once。 It has to be up there with the best non-fiction I've read。 Gonna have to track down some of Simon's later work。 。。。more
Giovanna Cuellar
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I read this because i listen to a podcast that constantly references it。 Super disappointed as it's utter garbage I read this because i listen to a podcast that constantly references it。 Super disappointed as it's utter garbage 。。。more
Jenny Ma
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The portrayal of homocide detectives is so lifelike， as if he could walk out of the book。The abhorrence of crime， the suspect's lies， power and political confrontation at the top of the police station， the black humor used to mask true feelings all mixed up in this book。 A panoramic view of homocide。 The portrayal of homocide detectives is so lifelike， as if he could walk out of the book。The abhorrence of crime， the suspect's lies， power and political confrontation at the top of the police station， the black humor used to mask true feelings all mixed up in this book。 A panoramic view of homocide。 。。。more
Kaitlin Fonseca
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Homicide Life on the streets is one of my favorite tv series。 I finally read the book it is based on and I am oh so very disappointed。 Some stories held your attention， but what I got out of it is the cops have had racial issues， brutality， and and abuse of power for a long time。 We’ve known about it and still do nothing。
Dane
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。
Sarah
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I would give this book three and a half stars if I could。 It started off slow， but did get better later on。 There were parts of the book where I felt he was repetitive， as well。 I purchased this book， but I think it’s one of those books that I should have borrowed from the library。 It was nice to see some familiar names in The Wire and how he referenced events in this book on the show， though。 I would recommend reading it still。
Natalie Scott
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If you've watch the wire then you need to read this book。 A lot of the storylines are actually real events that happened， which are investigated in this book If you've watch the wire then you need to read this book。 A lot of the storylines are actually real events that happened， which are investigated in this book 。。。more
Deborah
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One of the best books of my year。 Very well written， outstanding style。 A perfect blend of serious and hilarious。 God bless American law enforcement
Valerie Sherman
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This book is to true crime what Band of Brothers is to WWII - a compelling， emotional， and hilarious romp through a forgotten and relatively innocent time with memorable， lovable characters。 This book was written in the 1980s， during the ramp-up of the drug wars and the incarceration of black men in America - a subject that the author has delved deeply into since and probably makes him cringe now at phrases like， "she was a real victim，" as opposed to， you know， another shady drug dealer who doe This book is to true crime what Band of Brothers is to WWII - a compelling， emotional， and hilarious romp through a forgotten and relatively innocent time with memorable， lovable characters。 This book was written in the 1980s， during the ramp-up of the drug wars and the incarceration of black men in America - a subject that the author has delved deeply into since and probably makes him cringe now at phrases like， "she was a real victim，" as opposed to， you know， another shady drug dealer who doesn't matter。 Still， the cops in this book seem to have their hearts in the right place and are trying to do justice， hence my earlier note about a more innocent time。 。。。more
Mikhail Kalashnikov
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Дэвид Саймон провел год в отделе убийств плохого района Балтимора。 Он написал об этом две книги， по которым сняли три сериала; в самом известном из них – The Wire – Саймон стал шоураннером。 Массивная， всеобъемлющая журналистская работа; при этом это классическая американская литература， местами практически «Моби Дик»。 Сюжетов так много， что для сериала не понадобилось ничего придумывать， там действуют реальные люди из книги。Читать придется долго， но совсем не скучно。
Natalie
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Fascinating look into the police process。 Unnerving to read the chapter about a police officer’s trial for murder while watching the news about Derek Chauvin and realize how little things have changed since 1988。 There’s an uncomfortable dehumanization of the suspects， victims and community， but likely an honest perspective from the department。
Ilya Scheidwasser
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The Wire is one of my favorite TV shows， and after watching through the show and its commentaries， I was hungry for more content from David Simon。 I thus found this book， where he details a year following the work of homicide detectives in Baltimore。 By some freak miracle， the head of the Baltimore police department had agreed to allow Simon to spend a year tagging along with detectives during homicide investigations and hanging around their office to write this book。 This resulted in a rare opp The Wire is one of my favorite TV shows， and after watching through the show and its commentaries， I was hungry for more content from David Simon。 I thus found this book， where he details a year following the work of homicide detectives in Baltimore。 By some freak miracle， the head of the Baltimore police department had agreed to allow Simon to spend a year tagging along with detectives during homicide investigations and hanging around their office to write this book。 This resulted in a rare opportunity for the public to see what homicide investigation looks like in vast detail。Simon explores every facet of homicide work: the office culture and politics， the investigation of crime scenes， the interrogation of witnesses and suspects， the autopsies， and the trials when the suspects are brought to court。 He closely examines the different detectives and how they vary in their working styles， personalities， and interactions with their fellow detectives。 He also looks at the different kinds of murders that occur in Baltimore， and how the race， age， social standing， and circumstances of the victims play into how those murders are perceived and investigated。Like The Wire， Homicide is a work of incredible depth。 Unlike The Wire， Homicide doesn't focus as much on human drama or on deep insights into our society （although both can be found in the book）。 Homicide is first and foremost about how homicides are investigated， and as it is a work of journalism， it can only go so deep into the psyches and personal dramas of its characters。 It was a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating read， and I'd recommend it to anyone curious about the subject。 。。。more
Kathy
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This is dated - all the police officers are "the Western men" or "the Homicide men。" In other words， no female officers。 Having lived in Baltimore during the time period of this book， however， I would say that it captured the mood/essence of the city in the late 1980s。 This is dated - all the police officers are "the Western men" or "the Homicide men。" In other words， no female officers。 Having lived in Baltimore during the time period of this book， however， I would say that it captured the mood/essence of the city in the late 1980s。 。。。more
Roger
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I don't think I'll ever read a detective novel or watch a cop show again without thinking of this book。 Of course， it was a cop show that made me read it to begin with。 I was a big fan of Homicide and bigger fan of The Wire， so I wanted to read what inspired them both。 Amazing book with incredible detail and minutia。 Character were great （of course they were real）， but the emotions and passion was even better。 The only downside for me was the length and thought some of the detail was very repeti I don't think I'll ever read a detective novel or watch a cop show again without thinking of this book。 Of course， it was a cop show that made me read it to begin with。 I was a big fan of Homicide and bigger fan of The Wire， so I wanted to read what inspired them both。 Amazing book with incredible detail and minutia。 Character were great （of course they were real）， but the emotions and passion was even better。 The only downside for me was the length and thought some of the detail was very repetitive， but I guess that's what makes real police work。 Not to be missed。 。。。more
Megan
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Jurys and eye witnesses must seem so naive to homicide detectives。 I got to the end and resolved if I ever have to do jury duty I’ll be keeping it rational。 For a book full of disturbing inhumanity it’s also paradoxically very human。 Lots of things never occurred to me before， like how it’s possible to exhume the wrong body - twice。 Or how little it matters to establish a motive for a murder in terms of getting a conviction。 I don’t want to say I enjoyed this book， because the subject is so grim Jurys and eye witnesses must seem so naive to homicide detectives。 I got to the end and resolved if I ever have to do jury duty I’ll be keeping it rational。 For a book full of disturbing inhumanity it’s also paradoxically very human。 Lots of things never occurred to me before， like how it’s possible to exhume the wrong body - twice。 Or how little it matters to establish a motive for a murder in terms of getting a conviction。 I don’t want to say I enjoyed this book， because the subject is so grim， but， after a struggle at the start I got into it。 So much so I found myself looking forward to reading it when I was doing other things。 Every time Detective McLarney appeared， I had Dominic West as McNultey in my head and now I want to rewatch The Wire。 All round a good， distressing and rewarding read。 Possibly a bit too long。 。。。more
Al Strasil
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everyone should read this one as it tells about the crimes on the street and the police working to solve them。 Also， it describes have they deal with crime internally！！！ Love this Book！！！！
Jennifer
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