Vigilante

In the blistering 11th and final Shane Scully novel from bestseller Cannell (after 2010’s The Prostitutes’ Ball), the tough LAPD homicide detective and his elegant millionaire cop partner, Sumner Hitchens, look into the murder of gang activist Lita Mendez, in which Nixon “Nix” Nash, the shady host of the TV reality show Vigilante, has taken a special interest. Determined to bribe Scully and Hitch, Nix leads them down one blind alley after another, and hints at high-level police corruption before the predictable adrenalized shoot-’em-up ending. Cannell’s sturdy just-the-facts style and intimate knowledge of L.A. police venues and procedures unflinchingly ring true in a culture that assumes even homicide “isn’t about justice; it’s about Nielsen ratings.” As Scully pungently puts it to Nix, “What this is really about is revolution against social order and the real joke is you’re getting filthy rich while you’re doing it.” Cannell (1941–2010) was the creator of more than 40 TV series, including The Rockford Files and The Commish. (Dec.)