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Kent Anderson (1) (1945–)

Auteur van Night Dogs

Voor andere auteurs genaamd Kent Anderson, zie de verduidelijkingspagina.

4 Werken 414 Leden 7 Besprekingen

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Fotografie: Los Angeles Review of Books

Werken van Kent Anderson

Night Dogs (1999) 171 exemplaren
Sympathy for the Devil (1987) 163 exemplaren
Green Sun (2018) 63 exemplaren

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Algemene kennis

Geboortedatum
1945-08-20
Geslacht
male

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Besprekingen

Best depiction of PTSD I’ve read. in the latest entry in the Hanson series- a trilogy that's taken 30 years to write--the Vietnam Vet is a cop in Oakland in the ’80s as the crack epidemic is about to take off. Hanson is a good cop, a social worker with a psycho Shirley Temple smile and a killer instinct, who sees his occupation as occupier and does his best to deflect the damage such an outlook will have on the people he’s actively trying to protect. As a smart-ass, he’s put in the “worst” neighborhood, making friends with a young boy and his aunt, and trying to keep the peace with Felix, the local drug lord who is feeling the paranoia of his position, and rightly so. There's something going on with the police brass and higher ups, and a new boot like Hanson isn't privy to the details.

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ThomasPluck | 2 andere besprekingen | Apr 27, 2020 |
'Night Dogs' is a crime novel written over 20 years ago set in a period 20 years before that, yet it doesn't really seem dated. Yes, lots of forensic advances have taken place over the last 40 years that shape how police work is now performed, but the personalities and quirks of the law enforcement personnel, criminals, and everyday working folks are what really drive the action.

There are many unique aspects of Kent Anderson's 2nd book in his series that make it such a great one. The main character, Hanson, is a guy who doesn't undergo a typical character development sequence in the novel. You learn who he is by what he does, what he's thinking about before, after and during what he's doing, and though a few flashbacks to his previous life as a Special Forces soldier during the war in Vietnam. The book is almost entirely episodic and follows Hanson in his role as a cop in the Portland ghetto after his return from the war. He has a tough beat and a great partner. One theme involves a detective on the force who doesn't like Hanson and is trying to his best to get him out of the Department. Although this is a book without a traditional plot, that's one thread that follows through to the end.

The 70s were definitely a different era. No DNA, no video, no social media, lots of paper 'paperwork', fewer lawyers, lots of drugs and guns on the streets (maybe not so different....). 'Street justice' is dispensed when the police think it's appropriate based on a lack of confidence in the legal system. Hanson's character is a truly complex one. He's a badass as all Special Forces guys were, yet he doesn't push that side of himself to the front at all and tends to downplay his war experiences. Getting inside his mind as he and his partner are making insignificant, as well as life and death decisions at times, in the course of their daily routine is a real trip. They're balancing paperwork requirements, overtime restrictions, precinct boundaries, past experiences with the folks they're dealing with, compassion for the ghetto population vs. disgust at some of its inhabitants... it's a truly fascinating insight into how cops, or at least one cop at that point in time, think. Hanson has lots of problems and 'Night Dogs' succeeds in not only exposing them, but also showing how they've shaped and will continue to affect who he has become. He's definitely a flawed cop, but a very human one.

Anderson's writing is very sharp and his dialogue is excellent. As you might expect, there's a significant amount of violence and action, as well a some sex, involved. Night Dogs is a bit long but it moves quickly, with each relatively short chapter representing another 'day in the life'. Much of Hanson's character is determined by his war years, which I understand are covered in the initial book in this series. Can't wait to get to it!
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gmmartz | 3 andere besprekingen | Apr 20, 2018 |
Green Sun is a 'cop book' about a young-ish (38) Viet Nam vet who leaves his job as an English professor to enter the world of the police. His goal is to put in a year as an Oakland cop, obtain the certification that will allow him to be hired anywhere in the state, and then find a nice, cushy position in a smaller town that will challenge him a little, but not too much. In the meantime, he has to be an Oakland cop for a year in a town that's pretty rough in a department that's financially strapped.

Kent Anderson's novel is a truly 'micro' look at policing through one guy's eyes. It's almost entirely episodic, with the chapters usually comprised of the different happenings on various days as he, Officer Hanson, tries to achieve his only goal: staying alive for a year in a dangerous job. At heart, he's a good dude who deals fairly with a lot of 'gray area' stuff in the course of a typical day. He's also, though, prone to violence, drinks a lot, does a few drugs, and has no friends other than a few citizens he runs into during his patrols. There's a good deal of violence, criminality, and bad police behavior but also a surprising amount of humanity that comes through.

Anderson's writing is excellent, very straightforward with good pacing. The dialogue is believable as are the descriptions of the various locales around Oakland that Hanson visits. At nearly 340 pages it's a hefty story, but well worth the effort as you root for a good cop with foibles to reach his goal.
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gmmartz | 2 andere besprekingen | Apr 12, 2018 |
Thirty-eight-year old U.S. Special Forces veteran and former Portland, OR police officer, Hanson is now a beat cop on the Oakland, CA, having recently graduated from Oakland’s police academy. His beat encompasses the worst areas of Oakland. He views himself more of a counselor than an enforcer and would rather talk through a solution than make arrests. Unafraid of Death, he goes into dangerous situations alone rather than request backup. A loner, disliked by most of his colleagues, he works the night shift solo, gets drunk on tequila at shift’s end and sleeps the day away dreaming of his Vietnam service, Death or his daily beat. His only true friend is a twelve-year-old African American boy, Weegie, who without some intervention, will most likely end up selling drugs on street corners.

This third Hanson installment (Night Dogs, 1996) provides a dull accounting of Hanson’s routine. There is no theme; no mystery taking 300 pages to solve. There is nothing that indicates the story takes place in 1983. Readers will neither like nor dislike Hanson. He is tepid, neither rogue cop nor rule follower. Even the violence is subdued. The romance with Weegie's mother is abrupt and the ending lacks credibility.
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EdGoldberg | 2 andere besprekingen | Nov 28, 2017 |

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Statistieken

Werken
4
Leden
414
Populariteit
#58,866
Waardering
4.0
Besprekingen
7
ISBNs
44
Talen
3

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