The Force

Corrupt. When I finished reading Don Winslow’s novel titled, The Force, I experienced déjà vu. I felt the same way as I did after seeing a performance of The Book of Mormon. The performers were talented, the music lively and energetic, but I didn’t really like the play because all I could feel was that I spent two hours listening to mockery of the beliefs of millions of people. Winslow’s crime novel is exciting and he creates a clear view of a corrupt justice system from dirty cops to complicit prosecutors to politicians and wealthy and powerful people who exploit the community. I spent a few hours reading about a criminal world and the cops caught up in a corrupt system. Perhaps out of respect to my sister, a retired NYPD detective, I couldn’t like what I read, even as fiction, given the depiction of the police in this novel. The NYPD and justice system Winslow describes in this novel matches exactly what many people think is true among police departments across the country. I just can’t like a novel that adds fuel to that particular fire, especially in relation to the professional NYPD and the thousands who serve with honor and integrity. Rating: Two-star (I didn’t like it) Click here to purchase The Force from amazon.com.