Floaters (ISBN 0553103512)

wambaugh's scriptwriting is flawless:
This is my second experience reading Wambaugh, the first being "The Golden Orange". Wambaugh's strength lies in his sharp, cynical, sarcastic and blackly humerous use of language. I laughed out loud at his witty and dark brand of humor. His command of the English language and cynical look at Americana seen through the eyes of cops and robbers is worth the price of admission alone. This novel works mostly through his style, and the plot is greatly enhanced through his wordplay. I learned more about Americas Cup racing than I ever wanted to know, yet was never bored throughout "Floaters". A lesser writer might not have been able to make such a plot work, since the finale is laced with coincedence and irony, yet Wambaugh's style more than makes up for any potentially lame plot twists. This is not to say that the plot is poor or predictable; it's neither. But the fact is that few writers would be able to pull off such a tale.

Not exactly typical:
Being a fan of The Glitter Dome, Delta Star and his other works I was expecting a typical Wambaugh. This one wasn't. It struck me more as an Elmore Leonard with Wambaugh humor in it. It was funny. It did make me laugh out loud causing stares for it seems America needs to get a good sense of humor. I would have been asking the title something like the woman in the Restaurant scene in Harry and Sally. The plot revolves around saving the Americas Cup for the USA and the people that play a part in the crime and the people that effect the efforts of the police and the crime. The view switches between the leads. The cup itself is the main character not any one person. This can lead to thinking it is a slow plot or confusing. The talk of the cup and the racers reaches a point of boredom but Wambaugh himself writes into the book that no one else cares about this stuff just when you are about to say "Give the cup away." Not your typical Wambaugh.

Quite funny, ended quietly:
I haven't read a Wambaugh in over a decade so thought I would give him a return read. The writing reminds me a lot of Carl Hiaasen which is a huge compliment but lacked the bite of the Floridian. Found the book to be entertaining and had some twists in it that I enjoyed just that it ended very quietly with no conclusion for some of the characters. Not his greatest (try The New Centurions or The Choir Boys) but I enjoyed it.

Classic Wambaugh:
Perhaps not his very best work but the familiar and welcome style, angsty villains, mixed up, wise-cracking cops. It was nice to be able to read an item which is currently not in print in the UK but i'm sure it should get a UK release.

50% Submerged:
The book has decent characters and moves along nicely My biggest beef is that I don't buy the motivation for the crime or the character behind it. Same character, better plot would be a better book.