Editorial Content for Vigilante
Reviewer (text)
VIGILANTE, the final book in the Shane Scully series due to the untimely passing of Stephen J. Cannell in 2010, has the distinction of presenting one of the best opening paragraphs and one of the best closing paragraphs you are likely to encounter in a crime novel this year. Both earn that accolade for entirely different reasons: the first paragraph will intrigue you, suck you in and keep you reading, while the final paragraph… well, it says it all, in just a few words.
"VIGILANTE...has the distinction of presenting one of the best opening paragraphs and one of the best closing paragraphs you are likely to encounter in a crime novel this year."
Scully and his partner in law enforcement, Sumner “Hitch” Hitchens, are assigned to investigate a high-profile homicide. The deceased in question is Lita Mendez, a gang activist with ties to the notorious Evergreen crew. Mendez had been an impediment to effective law enforcement and a thorn in the side of the LAPD for years. Scully and Hitch do not lack for suspects when Mendez is found murdered in her apartment. Every man and woman in a blue uniform has a motive, not to mention a plethora of rival L.A. street gangs.
Scully and Hitch have a huge roadblock in their investigation, in the form of Nixon Nash. “Vigilante TV” is a hit reality show, and Nash is its host, solving crimes ahead of police departments while demonstrating the ineptitude of the investigating officers. Nash has embarrassed two police departments since his show has been on the air, and the LAPD is now in his sights. Scully isn’t happy, especially when Nash offers him a position on the program, coupled with a threat that Scully will be unhappy and embarrassed, or worse, if he doesn’t cooperate. There is something about Nash, and his apparent skill at investigation, that doesn’t quite sit right. Is Nash that good, or that lucky? And if he is neither, how does he manage to appear on the spot of crime scenes so quickly, with so much information, even though he has airtight alibis for the times when each murder is committed?
Scully begins working backward, conducting his own investigation into Nash’s background. When Nash begins to research a cold case that has been all but forgotten by the LAPD, it appears to have a link to the Mendez killing, which reaches into the higher levels of the police department. Yet Scully still isn’t entirely convinced that Nash is simply an extremely clever investigator. When Hitch comes up with a crucial clue, Scully sets an ingenious trap for Nash, one that will reveal whether he is good, bad, or lucky, but that may also put Scully and Hitch in grave danger.
Cannell’s background in television has been heavily utilized in VIGILANTE to demonstrate how reality TV programming can manipulate public perception. He gives readers an over-the-shoulder glimpse of the editing room and the director’s chair, while presenting a fascinating mystery that is more of a howdunit than a whodunit but that still asks a number of intriguing questions that keep the reader guessing from beginning to (almost the) end. VIGILANTE fulfills the promise of that great opening paragraph and leads perfectly to that superb ending. It’s unfortunate that the series needs to end, especially under such tragic circumstances, but we do have Cannell’s entire backlist --- not to mention the countless TV shows he created, written and produced --- to savor.
Promo
In the last novel by acclaimed producer and New York Times bestselling author Stephen J. Cannell, LAPD detective Shane Scully and his partner Summer Hitchens investigate crime with ties to the sometimes violent world of reality TV.
About the Book
Lita Mendez was a thorn in the LAPD's side. An aggressive police critic and gang activist, she’d filed countless complaints against the department. So when she's found dead in her home, Detective Scully and his partner Hitchens fear the worst: that there's a killer in their ranks.
Outside the crime scene, Nixon Nash and his television crew have set up shop. Nash is the charismatic host of a hit reality show called "Vigilante TV," dedicated to beating the cops at their own game: solving murders before they can. Now he has the murder of Lita Mendez in his sights. He presents the detectives with a choice: either join his team, or prepare for a public takedown.
But Scully knows that Nash isn't the folk-hero he seems. He will do anything in the name of self-promotion. If a detective got in his way, would he be prepared to kill? In this new novel, Scully will have to risk everything save himself and the job he loves.
