Hollywood Station

Despite his status as an MWA Grand Master (awarded in 2004), Joseph Wambaugh seems to be highly underrated as a crime writer. His books have mostly faded into obscurity, and he never reached the popular heights of his peers like Michael Connelly. Nonetheless, Wambaugh wrote a number of extremely impressive procedural novels, few better than his late-career Hollywood series featuring the unique personalities of the LAPD's Hollywood Division. Hollywood Station is the first and best of these; while the book's plot is somewhat undeveloped, Wambaugh creates a series of character-driven scenes involving unforgettable cops and crooks, and wraps it all up with an extremely satisfying conclusion.