Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Station Series, No 4
Joseph Wambaugh

Grand Central / Hachette
2011 / ISBN 9780446584081
Police Procedural / Suspense
Amazon

Reviewed by Bob Walch

When he agrees to keep an eye on Hollywood film director Rudy Ressler’s ritzy home while he’s away, LAPD veteran Nate Weiss hopes this will lead to a closer friendship and perhaps a role in one of the B-list director’s flicks.

Of course, what Weiss considers a “piece of cake” in terms of security turns into his worst nightmare when the estate becomes the focus of two groups of bad guys bent on lifting some of its expensive art work. First there’s Nigel Wickland,, an art dealer, who isn’t too fussy about how he comes by his paintings.

Then there is the “Bling Ring”, a band of teenage burglars, who have taken to pillaging the homes of the rich and famous. They might also be interested in the goodies the Ressler mansion contains. Now if two sets of thieves are both focused on the same prize, what might happen if a wildcard contender, a pair of drug-addled copycats, are added to the mix?

The resulting three-ring circus will not only keep Nate Weiss, but also surfer cops Flotsam and Jetsam and the rest of the team at the LAPD Hollywood Station more than busy. They are about to have one of the most memorable cases they have ever encountered.

Joseph Wambaugh is already a bit of a suspense genre legend. The former LA cop, who was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 2004, hasn’t lost any of his edge. He is still producing novels that are authentic, fast paced, humorous and lots of fun to read. If you haven’t read any of the “Hollywood” series yet, this is the one to start with. Then you can backtrack and get caught up on the others!