The Black Marble Author:Joseph Wambaugh He is a damned good cop -- a burned-out homicide detective wrapped around a Smith & Wesson .38 and a vodka bottle. She is his partner -- twice divorced, nursing a grudge against men, obsessed by the awful temptation of love.
Wambaugh is always great and this book is no different. A super good and fast read. It's a story about a burned out homicide detective too close to the bottle and headed downhill from there. It was tough to lay it down.
This was the first of this author's books I've read and I really got into the characters which are developed gradually. The detectives, romance, intrigue, humor. I think this may have been the inspiration for the TV series Barney Miller, which I was really into. I liked it. It was funny and hooked me into the story line. Enjoy!