this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2025
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Which is the best Police Book you ever read ? (startrek.website)
submitted 1 week ago by TribblesBestFriend@startrek.website to c/books@lemmy.world
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[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

fiction: The City and the City by China Miéville

non-fiction: Our Enemies in Blue by Kristian Williams

[–] setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

A pretty mainstream choice, but 'LA Confidential'. I got really into James Ellroy books for a while.

Or if you don't want to feel horribly depressed, I guess I'd recommend 'Guards! Guards!'

[–] higgsboson@piefed.social 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Edit Since that is mostly fantastical, I'd add:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide:_A_Year_on_the_Killing_Streets

Was the basis for the excellent shows "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and "The Wire".

[–] Doolbs@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Well shoot, I was going to say The Onion Field, but that you had to post that.

I'm with you.

I should look up what he has done since the last time I read him, but my favorite of his is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Hey, nothing wrong with the Onion Field! :)

[–] diphthong@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Serpico: The Cop Who Defied the System

[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The End of Policing by Alex Vitale.

[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 4 points 1 week ago

Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad books are quite good.

Joe Wambaugh was an actual LA cop for years. "The Choir Boys" is one of the few books about uniformed cops and not detectives.

Ed McBain's 87th Precinct novels are considered the gold standard for police procedurals.

If I had to pick just one, I'd say 'The Choir Boys.'

[–] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Lady Joker by Kaoru Takamura is a super rewarding read with lots of different narratives, 2 of them being two different Tokyo detectives

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago

[–] ZDL@lazysoci.al 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)
  • 《国家行动》 (National Action) by 程琳 (Cheng Lin) for fiction.
  • We Own This City by Justin Fenton for non-fiction.
[–] TribblesBestFriend@startrek.website 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Sadly I seems to be unable to find National Action in english anywhere

[–] ZDL@lazysoci.al 2 points 1 week ago

I'm not sure it was ever translated. The general translation practice in publishing is English→Others because we all know that only the English speaking world makes literature of merit.

[–] DrSleepless@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Strange Things Happen - Stewart Copeland

[–] mx_smith@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein

[–] TribblesBestFriend@startrek.website 2 points 1 week ago

The TV series is pretty great