The Black Marble

by Joseph Wambaugh

Overview

He is a damned good cop--a burned-out homicide detective wrapped around a Smith & Wesson .38 and a vodka bottle. She is his partner--twice divorced, nursing a grudge against men, obsessed by the awful temptation of love.

Praise for The Black Marble

"[Joseph] Wambaugh sidesteps all the clichés."--Baltimore Sun

"Superb . . . his best book!"--St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"First-rate . . . fast, colorful, and gripping . . . as touching as it is breathlessly entertaining."--Cosmopolitan

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780440613961
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	12/21/1998
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	301,006
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

The son of a policeman, Joseph Wambaugh (b. 1937) began his writing career while a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. He joined the LAPD in 1960 after three years in the Marine Corps, and rose to the rank of detective sergeant before retiring in 1974. His first novel, The New Centurions (1971), was a quick success, drawing praise for its realistic action and intelligent characterization, and was adapted into a feature film starring George C. Scott. He followed it up with The Blue Knight (1972), which was adapted into a mini-series starring William Holden and Lee Remick.
 Since then Wambaugh has continued writing about the LAPD. He has been credited with a realistic portrayal of police officers, showing them not as superheroes but as men struggling with a difficult job, a depiction taken mainstream by television’s Police Story, which Wambaugh helped create in the mid-1970s. In addition to novels, Wambaugh has written nonfiction, winning a special Edgar Award for 1974’s The Onion Field, an account of the longest criminal trial in California history. His most recent work is the novel Hollywood Moon (2010).

Editorial Reviews

"Terrifying . . . romantic . . . beautifully constructed.” —Los Angeles Times
 
“Superb . . . his best book!” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
“Wambaugh sidesteps all the clichés.” —The Baltimore Sun

From the Publisher