Apparently he inadvertently left some materials in his car which pertained to a case. The materials were stolen and he is responsible. To add insult to injury he is found guilty of having spent some quality time with a famous Hollywood actress and his wife is filing for divorce.

Because police work is all he knows, he visits police departments near Los Angeles, not holding out much hope for a job. After all the departments talk to each other and bad news travels fast. It soon become evident that his only chance for success is in Haven Park, a Mexican enclave pretty much surrounded by Los Angeles which is home to a large population of illegal aliens.

It comes as no surprise to Shane that he gets a job. The main qualifications in this department are the ability to use a firearm and think on one's feet. It is explained to Shane that although the base pay is low, it is easily supplemented by writing traffic tickets and receiving kickbacks from towing companies that impound cars. All the cops in Haven Park are “on the grind” or “working a hustle.” It is not exactly in line with Shane’s work ethic, but he doesn’t have much choice this time.

On the Grind is a prototypical Stephen J. Cannell thriller. It is, of course, fast paced with lots of action and a liberal amount of blood and gore. As in several other Shane Scully novels, illegal arms smuggling and drug running play a major role. It is never obvious who among the police fraternity is honest, dirty, on the take or some combination of the three. Sometimes it is important to appear that you are living a lie in order to gain the confidence of someone who really is living a lie.

Compared to other novels in this series, On the Grind is light on explanations of how police work or how the criminal mind operates. But like others in the series someone who might have been viewed as a “good guy” turns out to be corrupt this time around. Haven Park, which is, I assume, a fictional place, illustrates how easy it is for corruption to take hold and become the law.

There is little to be learned from this novel beyond the potential threat of corruption in the police department. It is amply sprinkled with confrontations between those who feel their interests are not being served. Those interested in the various merits of different kinds of guns and other weapons will be right at home in this book. In addition physical torture to obtain information plays a part as well so the squeamish may want to pass on this one.

While admittedly horses play a minor role in this book, Cannell might be well advised to consult a horse person if he uses this vehicle again. Arabians and Thoroughbreds are two different breeds of horses. A horse that is all Arabian is called a purebred. In addition, letting eight stallions loose together is not a smart move. They tend to fight. There are a few other horse related errors I noticed. The outcome of the story is not affected by these errors … But for the sake of accuracy a little time with a knowledgeable person would go a long way.

This is not the strongest entry in the series but it is nice to catch up on Shane and the LAPD as well as to get lost in someone else’s problems for a time.

--Andy Plonka