King City

By: Lee Goldberg

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Tom Wade is a determined cop and a relentless man of action - equal parts Harry Bosch and Jack Reacher - who battles police corruption and a ruthless crime lord, against impossible odds. Once part of King City’s elite Major Crimes Unit, Sergeant Wade secretly worked with the Justice Department to nail seven of his fellow detectives for corruption…costing him his marriage and making him a pariah in the police department. So he’s exiled by his superiors to one of King City’s most notorious and violent neighborhoods - a poverty-stricken, gang-ridden hellhole known as Darwin Gardens. It’s a de facto death sentence. But Wade doesn’t fight the potentially fatal reassignment.

With just two rookie officers to help him, Wade does the only thing he’s wired to do: his job. He moves into an apartment above the substation and then, vastly out-numbered and out-gunned by local gangs, sets out to enforce the law anyway with courage and an unwavering moral code, slowly earning the respect of his newbie officers, the neighborhood residents, and even Darwin Gardens’ most feared crime lord.

When a young woman’s brutally beaten corpse is dumped in a Darwin Gardens parking lot, Wade uncovers a history of similar killings ignored for years by a police department more interested in politics than justice. So he embarks on an investigation that leads from the squalor of the inner city to the manicured enclaves of the privileged, revealing the complex, sordid, and deadly ways that the two worlds are intertwined….and making him even more hated by those determined to crush him. But for Wade the only thing that matters, in the words of his father, is “what you stand for and how strong you stand for it.” With that motto long ago etched into his psyche, there’s no backing down; there’s only what’s right - even if it means sacrificing his life.

King City brings the sensibility of a classic western to the contemporary crime novel, and the result is an exhilarating read that reinvigorates a tired genre.

©2012 Lee Goldberg (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Entertaining

Fun characters and an entertaining storyline. I hope there are more Tom Wade books in the making.

Average at best

I got turned off constantly listen to "he said" "she said".... Over and over and over..... Story was a bit far fetched but still enjoyable...

First time listening to an audiobook

Would you consider the audio edition of King City to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version yet

What was one of the most memorable moments of King City?

Tough call here, I would say the whole story was memorable.

What does Patrick Lawlor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Patrick was a very good narrator, he put feeling into the story along with changing his voice for each character. Wasn't like listening to a computerized voice
Patrick made the story come alive.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed at times

Encore !?!

Of all the Lee Goldberg because I have read this has been my favorite. But why did you stop at one? It seems he set up all the characters in King city for a long running series. I want to follow them and know what happens. Please write more!

Very good detective story

This is the first book that I have read from this author. It was very well written and had humor laced with the story. It was enjoyable. Ithad a smattering of romance in it but nothing gratuitous. I would definitely read another story from this author. Narration was also very good.

Gritty

Gritty, sometimes over-the-top in a way that reminded me of Breaking Bad. Great character development. An excellent performance.

Lightweight read

Light read filled with a lot of cliche characters and worn story. Goldberg writes well, but we've seen all of this before.

Solid gem in the rough.

To start, it's a little vulgar if that's not your thing. But it was a great well told, humorous story. I couldn't wait to listen to it everyday on my drive. The narrator also nailed it. Well done.

The Duke morals old school

if you like old Western movies this is one for you. where the sheriff cleans up the criminals after arriving in town. With the unflinching value system of good vs evil right down to a fault.

I really enjoy Lee Goldberg’s books

Characters, plot, action, author’s great dry humor, it’s got it all. Fun reads! Hope for more soon.