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The First Directive
A rich man's teenage daughter has disappeared, and for some reason, people in high places are getting nervous. Sergeant Fraleigh, a homicide cop, is put on the case and promptly violates the first directive of police work: he gets involved with a beautiful suspect.
Publisher’s description: “Out in Silicon Valley the microchips grow as quietly as the piles of money being made by the high-tech new rich. And Adolph Stone is as rich as any of them. He’s also a slumlord and a friend of the lieutenant governor. So when his beautiful 16-year-old daughter is missing, Sergeant Fraleigh of the homicide squad and his team (the Block, the human equivalent of a tank, and Detective English, who looks like Robert Redford and suffers from bad dreams about Vietnam) are called into action … Fraleigh finds himself ensnarled in a network of relationships built on dirty money and dirty secrets, a network that reaches to the top at the state capitol and deep inside Fraleigh’s own police department …”
Publisher’s description: “Out in Silicon Valley the microchips grow as quietly as the piles of money being made by the high-tech new rich. And Adolph Stone is as rich as any of them. He’s also a slumlord and a friend of the lieutenant governor. So when his beautiful 16-year-old daughter is missing, Sergeant Fraleigh of the homicide squad and his team (the Block, the human equivalent of a tank, and Detective English, who looks like Robert Redford and suffers from bad dreams about Vietnam) are called into action … Fraleigh finds himself ensnarled in a network of relationships built on dirty money and dirty secrets, a network that reaches to the top at the state capitol and deep inside Fraleigh’s own police department …”
242 pages, Hardcover
First published November 12, 1985
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 4, 2021
A fun, fast read. A solid entry in the detective/police procedural genre. Alas, a bit dated (1984), much has changed since then. Most notably the drug war and d.n.a. The characters were amusing and easy to like. An impressive debut for someone who was a leader in community policing, as Joe McNamara was as a police chief in San Jose. Also, a graduate with a PHD from Hahvard (misspelling intended!). As a Police Chief a bit of a controversial figure in that he thought the drug war was a waste of police resources. As a retired detective/police officer I have come full circle on the topic and think McNamara may have been onto something. Give this book a ride and enjoy a glimpse into the past with solid po-lice work.
January 8, 2013
Largely neglected; this is actually a helluva ripping yarn. A standout. Kid you not. Superb novel of police work; but nowadays it makes no difference of course. The audience is changed and the media panders to you. There's kind of a sick craze across the land now for gore and blood and killing and slaughter. So what you have is every hack writer possible writing an endless stream of books and screenplays and tv episodes..and making it all meaningless. Cable tv shows; 'CSI'; 'Dexter'; Homicide Life on the Street; 'Law and Order'..on and on and on. This is a book written before all that; an honest book written by a former cop. Its not written to sensationalize. Its just a great, quiet, gripping read which wraps you up and holds your attention. Good characters. Impact and weight and resonance and force. Memorable. Not just another episode to satisfy people's mindless craving. Check it out!
July 12, 2010
A fan? Absolutely! After having read this one, crime thrillers have just gotten better. This book is simply intriguing, exciting and romantic. If you're a mystery buff and thought you've heard it all, you haven't! If you're a fan of Joseph Wambaugh, you'll love Joseph Mcnamara!
September 2, 2015
A little dated,, but well written, a lot of twists
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews