Murder Book

by Richard Rayner and Lockridge Richard

Book Overview

The city is Los Angeles, the birthplace and terminus of the American dream, a city that has come to symbolize both heaven and hell. Billy McGrath is an enigma, half American, half English, who once... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395836255
• ISBN13: 9780395836255
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 357 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Melancholy cop.

Murder Book is narrated by the main character Billy McGrath, a 15 year veteran of the LAPD. There's one unusual thing about Billy. Prior to joining the force, he studied philosophy at the graduate level. That background gives him an interesting introspective voice that is put to good use in relating the book's unfolding narrative. Guilt ridden and depressed over the imminent move of his ex-wife and beloved daughter out of state, Billy is beginning to exhibit behavioral changes. He no longer sleeps very much and he foolishly takes risks, some of which could be interpreted as suicidal. Called upon to investigate the murder of Mae Richards, the mother of one of LA's most notorious drug kingpins, Billy recklessly decides to use his position to pursue agendas at odds with his sworn duty to uphold the law. As a result, some very disasterous consequences develope. With a number of interrelated subplots, including one about a Hollywood celebrity suspected of having killed his wife, Murder Book succeeds in grabbing onto and holding reader interest. Moreover, there are plenty of surprise plot twists and well crafted action sequences that add to the novel's substantial appeal. This is an intelligently written crime novel which dares to feature a protagonist who, though very articulate and insightful, is a seriously flawed human being. A solid 4 stars.

Good detecitve mystery

I must say that this had to probably beone of my favorite murder mysteries that I've ever read. It's about a detective who's wife found out that he slept with another woman. She's going to leave him, but it's difficult for him to let that happen because his daughter from this marriage who he loves so much has to go with her mother. Although he's been recently assigned to a new murder case. But not just any murder case; The dead mother of the biggest druglord in Los Angeles. The detective wants his daughter and his ex-wife to be happy and have plenty of security, and while the detective is questioning the druglord in the precinct house, the druglord offers $500,000 for the name of killer. The detective does some searching and comes up with a name. Desperate to get the $500,000 to give to his ex-wife and daughter, he goes on a hunt for the killer. Can the detective convince the druglord that he knows who the killer is, so that the druglord will give the detective the $500,000? And can the detective really find this ruthless killer, before he himself gets killed? One of the things that I liked most about this book was that there were not really any GOOD characters. They've all done something bad some time or another. It's about time a story didn't have a perfect character who saves the day all of the time.If anyone wants a riveting murder mystery that actually makes some sense, and is surprisingly complex, then I'd say that "Murder Book" would be the best choice.

Original and fast-paced

Good read, especially for seasoned readers of detective/crime novels. Original characters and good prose. I especially liked the lead characters imperfections because they were not always "politically correct". To be honest, the "tough cracking with a heart of gold recovering alcoholic who always does right" detective gets a little old. Only negative is - whats with the VCR'S??????

Excellent book. Exciting and chilling.

I liked this book very much, although I found myself skipping over his family dramas with his ex-wife and daughter, to get to the murder investigation. He's a good anti-hero, a drunk who's too smart for his own good, living in a decrepit city. Well done.

Totally enthralling and thought provoking

Billy McGrath has worked for the LAPD for fifteen years as a homicide detective. He is one of the department's top guns as he understands the street, the man, and the system better than just about anyone else. Now forty, Billy is extremely unhappy in his personal life. He still loves the woman who divorced him and would die for his daughter Lucy. Billy is assigned to investigate the murder of Mae Richards, mother of the king of ghetto crack, the legendary Prince of Darkness, Ricky Lee Richards. Ricky wants the culprit to personally avenge the murder of his mother. He bribes Billy with a million dollar deal to provide him with the name and he will do the rest. Billy sees a chance to make a buck while insuring justice is done. Being an ethical cop, can he accept a deal with the devil? There have been a rash of books starring LAPD of late, but this one may be the best of the lot. MURDER BOOK is a fast-paced, morally-driven novel that takes the readers into the mind of its lead character even as it journeys through the entire caste spectrum of the city. It is this multi-racial feel that moves this complex novel a notch above the norm. Richard Rayner, who has deservedly obtained critical acclaim for his previous work (LOS ANGELES WITHOUT A MAP), has written his best book to date. Fans of police procedurals need to peruse this winner. Harriet Klausner