There are few streets meaner than those of South Central Los Angeles, where 400 people were murdered in 1993. Corwin, a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, accompanied veteran detective Razanskas (a white male) and trainee Winn (ablack female) on their cases in the summer of 1994. Passionate crime-solvers, despite overwork and high job stress, the detectives are seen as unsung heroes. Murder in South Central is as senseless as it is commonplace, the result of drugs,gangs, and street robberies. "They taking a life today like it's nothin'," says a victim's mother. Since these killings rarely garnerpress coverage, Corwin's sympathetic insight into the lives of the victims,their families, and even some of the perpetrators is especially worthwhile. Similar in theme, although more modest in scope, to David Simon's Homicide (LJ6/1/91), this is recommended for general collections.?Gregor A. Preston, formerly with Univ. of California Lib., Davis
/* Starred Review */ A summer spent in the trenches with detectives from the LAPD. Corwin, a Los Angeles journalist, decided to spend the summer of 1994 in South Central L.A. with detectives investigating the area's extremely high murder rate. He joined the team of Marcella Winn, a new detective who has been paired with Pete Razanskas, a 20-year LAPD veteran. Winn, who is black and from South Central, shows exceptional promise, and Razanskas is to guide her over the next months until she is ready to be a full-fledged detective. Corwin drops out of the prose completely as he seamlessly reports the team's growing number of murder cases, their greasy-spoon breakfasts, and the surprising strength of this partnership. The Lithuanian/Venezuelan Razanskas is an unlikely hero: He chews tobacco, he's unapologetically crude, and he spends all his free time hunting. But he's a genius with suspects, can cajole even the most reluctant witness into testifying at trial, and is a superior teacher. As the summer progresses, the murders pile up, the great majority of them pointless: The victims cooperate with their attackers but are shot anyway, frequently in front of their young children. Corwin spends time with the victims' families, too, and in one tragic scene visits a therapy group for victims of black-on-black crime. The book perfectly captures Winn's growing authority as a detective, Razanskas's frustration with endless paperwork, and the way the rest of the multiracial squad works in the shadow of Rodney King and O.J. The taint of racism in the LAPD lingers--Winn tells of a white colleague whose idea of dressing for vice squad was wearing a UCLA shirt and a ponytail; the ponytail later got a promotion over the no-nonsense Winn. Haunting and thrilling, this is a beautifully told story of violence and courage, and an unforgettable look behind the yellow crime-scene tape. (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 1997)

Biography type: contains biographical information

http://library.link/vocab/ext/novelist/bookUI: 160445

Cataloging source: DLC

http://library.link/vocab/creatorName: Corwin, Miles

Dewey number: 364.1/523/0979494

Illustrations

illustrations
plates

Index: no index present

LC call number: HV8079.H6

LC item number: C67 1997

Literary form: non fiction

Nature of contents: bibliography

http://library.link/vocab/resourcePreferred: True

http://library.link/vocab/subjectName

Homicide investigation
Los Angeles (Calif.)
Detectives

http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/titleRemainder: a summer inside an LAPD homicide division

Label: The killing season : a summer inside an LAPD homicide division, Miles Corwin

Instantiates

trueThe killing season : a summer inside an LAPD homicide division

Publication

New York, Simon & Schuster, c1997

Bibliography note: Includes bibliographical references (p. [333]-336)

Dimensions: 24 cm.

Extent: 336 p., [8] p. of plates

Isbn: 9780684802350

Lccn: 96047429

Other physical details: ill.

System control number

(Sirsi) i9780684802350
(OCoLC)35762765

Label: The killing season : a summer inside an LAPD homicide division, Miles Corwin

Publication

New York, Simon & Schuster, c1997

Bibliography note: Includes bibliographical references (p. [333]-336)

Dimensions: 24 cm.

Extent: 336 p., [8] p. of plates

Isbn: 9780684802350

Lccn: 96047429

Other physical details: ill.

System control number

(Sirsi) i9780684802350
(OCoLC)35762765

Reviews

Review

There are few streets meaner than those of South Central Los Angeles, where 400 people were murdered in 1993. Corwin, a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, accompanied veteran detective Razanskas (a white male) and trainee Winn (ablack female) on their cases in the summer of 1994. Passionate crime-solvers, despite overwork and high job stress, the detectives are seen as unsung heroes. Murder in South Central is as senseless as it is commonplace, the result of drugs,gangs, and street robberies. "They taking a life today like it's nothin'," says a victim's mother. Since these killings rarely garnerpress coverage, Corwin's sympathetic insight into the lives of the victims,their families, and even some of the perpetrators is especially worthwhile. Similar in theme, although more modest in scope, to David Simon's Homicide (LJ6/1/91), this is recommended for general collections.?Gregor A. Preston, formerly with Univ. of California Lib., Davis
A summer spent in the trenches with detectives from the LAPD. Corwin, a Los Angeles journalist, decided to spend the summer of 1994 in South Central L.A. with detectives investigating the area's extremely high murder rate. He joined the team of Marcella Winn, a new detective who has been paired with Pete Razanskas, a 20-year LAPD veteran. Winn, who is black and from South Central, shows exceptional promise, and Razanskas is to guide her over the next months until she is ready to be a full-fledged detective. Corwin drops out of the prose completely as he seamlessly reports the team's growing number of murder cases, their greasy-spoon breakfasts, and the surprising strength of this partnership. The Lithuanian/Venezuelan Razanskas is an unlikely hero: He chews tobacco, he's unapologetically crude, and he spends all his free time hunting. But he's a genius with suspects, can cajole even the most reluctant witness into testifying at trial, and is a superior teacher. As the summer progresses, the murders pile up, the great majority of them pointless: The victims cooperate with their attackers but are shot anyway, frequently in front of their young children. Corwin spends time with the victims' families, too, and in one tragic scene visits a therapy group for victims of black-on-black crime. The book perfectly captures Winn's growing authority as a detective, Razanskas's frustration with endless paperwork, and the way the rest of the multiracial squad works in the shadow of Rodney King and O.J. The taint of racism in the LAPD lingers--Winn tells of a white colleague whose idea of dressing for vice squad was wearing a UCLA shirt and a ponytail; the ponytail later got a promotion over the no-nonsense Winn. Haunting and thrilling, this is a beautifully told story of violence and courage, and an unforgettable look behind the yellow crime-scene tape. (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 1997)

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