Official Review: Angel with a Gun by Joe DeCicco
Posted: 11 Mar 2014, 09:50
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Angel with a Gun" by Joe DeCicco.]
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Angel With a Gun by Joe DeCicco is a fiction novel that follows the life and early career of a man as he enters the police force in New York City.
The main character, Mike Romano, is a young, married man who has dreams of being a police officer in the 1970’s. He is friends with some other officers in the city, and has a connection with the force in that way before he even enters the training academy. The story starts with Mike walking his dog and seeing some police activity at an apartment building, so he watches what he can see of the scene. Later he speaks to his police friends and finds out what happened in that building, and this strengthens his decision to join the police force. As the story continues, it tells of Mike’s trials and tribulations as he goes through training, becomes an officer, and lives his day to day life as a policeman in New York City. Over the course of a few years, Mike never forgets the original crime which made him ultimately decide to join the force, and has made it his personal goal to find the perpetrator of the crime from that night who was never apprehended.
I feel this book was a fairly entertaining read. Since I enjoy reading police and crime tales, I found the subject matter interesting and it was able to keep my attention through to the end. Since it was written by a former police officer, it made the book feel more realistic as far as police work goes. I liked learning about some of the police jargon I had never heard of, as well as how sometimes police can be a little loose with the rules, especially in previous decades like when this book takes place. I also enjoyed reading the tale from the perspective of other characters at times, not only that of the main character.
What I didn’t enjoy about this book was the quality of the writing. While I enjoyed the actual story, many times during the reading of it I got quite confused. The thoughts between characters in a conversation switch too abruptly, which makes it hard to follow. I also felt while I was reading that this book has not been edited properly, or at all. There are a large number of typos or words used in the wrong place or context. Sometimes when the author is explaining something in police jargon, he puts the “layman’s definition” of it in parentheses, and sometimes he does not. I also had no idea when this book took place until the main character takes his exam to get into police academy; nowhere is it mentioned that it is the 1970’s until this point, which I think is important to know from the beginning. Like I mentioned, the book was able to keep me reading through until the end, but it didn’t really read like a novel; it almost felt like I was reading a documentary.
I would give this novel 2 out of 4 stars, because I did find the subject matter entertaining and I believe that others would also enjoy reading it. I did not give it 1 star because I don’t think it is a terrible book; I think with some good editing it could be even better. I did not give it 3 stars only because I feel that it has not been edited properly and it feels unfinished, like a first draft.
***
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The main character, Mike Romano, is a young, married man who has dreams of being a police officer in the 1970’s. He is friends with some other officers in the city, and has a connection with the force in that way before he even enters the training academy. The story starts with Mike walking his dog and seeing some police activity at an apartment building, so he watches what he can see of the scene. Later he speaks to his police friends and finds out what happened in that building, and this strengthens his decision to join the police force. As the story continues, it tells of Mike’s trials and tribulations as he goes through training, becomes an officer, and lives his day to day life as a policeman in New York City. Over the course of a few years, Mike never forgets the original crime which made him ultimately decide to join the force, and has made it his personal goal to find the perpetrator of the crime from that night who was never apprehended.
I feel this book was a fairly entertaining read. Since I enjoy reading police and crime tales, I found the subject matter interesting and it was able to keep my attention through to the end. Since it was written by a former police officer, it made the book feel more realistic as far as police work goes. I liked learning about some of the police jargon I had never heard of, as well as how sometimes police can be a little loose with the rules, especially in previous decades like when this book takes place. I also enjoyed reading the tale from the perspective of other characters at times, not only that of the main character.
What I didn’t enjoy about this book was the quality of the writing. While I enjoyed the actual story, many times during the reading of it I got quite confused. The thoughts between characters in a conversation switch too abruptly, which makes it hard to follow. I also felt while I was reading that this book has not been edited properly, or at all. There are a large number of typos or words used in the wrong place or context. Sometimes when the author is explaining something in police jargon, he puts the “layman’s definition” of it in parentheses, and sometimes he does not. I also had no idea when this book took place until the main character takes his exam to get into police academy; nowhere is it mentioned that it is the 1970’s until this point, which I think is important to know from the beginning. Like I mentioned, the book was able to keep me reading through until the end, but it didn’t really read like a novel; it almost felt like I was reading a documentary.
I would give this novel 2 out of 4 stars, because I did find the subject matter entertaining and I believe that others would also enjoy reading it. I did not give it 1 star because I don’t think it is a terrible book; I think with some good editing it could be even better. I did not give it 3 stars only because I feel that it has not been edited properly and it feels unfinished, like a first draft.
***
Buy "Angel with a Gun" on Amazon
Buy "Angel with a Gun" on Barnes and Noble