Stephen J. Cannell has written and produced enough TV cop shows to give him plenty of inside know-how about the LAPD, and recent events in OJ-land make the plot of The Tin Collectors--conspiracy, corruption, and murder by the boys in blue--more than credible. The tin collectors are the internal affairs cops, and they're out to make police sergeant Shane Scully the fall guy after he kills his former partner, Ray Molnar, in the midst of a domestic dispute that was just a click away from ending in the murder of Ray's wife. Not so coincidentally, she was once Shane's lover, a fact the tin collectors seize upon as evidence that Scully wanted the highly regarded Molar dead. As the wrongfully accused but redoubtable cop fights to clear his name, he discovers Ray's secret life: his other wife, his luxurious Lake Arrowhead home, and the ladder of corruption that reaches all the way to the top in the City of Angels. It should come as no surprise that this has TV-treatment written all over it. Read it now before it comes to a small screen near you, as it surely will. And applaud Cannell's growing ability to flesh out his characters with enough subtext and complexity to make a prime-time series starring Shane a strong possibility. --Jane Adams


From Publishers Weekly
Author (King Con) and Emmy Award-winning TV writer Cannell (The Rockford Files) continues his string of commercially appealing suspense novels with an offbeat, action-driven police drama about high-level corruption in the LAPD. This time around, Cannell fans will discover a refreshingDand newly sprungDconcern for his characters' motivations. Sgt. Shane Scully, a well-decorated L.A. detective, receives a late-night phone call from Barbara Molar, a former girlfriend and current wife of Shane's ex-partner, Ray. Ray has a history of violence, and right now he is trying to kill Barbara. Without waiting for backup, Shane runs to the rescue and is forced to kill Ray in self-defense. Fully expecting to be vindicated after a routine debriefing, instead Shane finds himself persona non grata with fellow officers and the mayor. He's a murder suspect, and he's accused of stealing sensitive case files that Ray was working on at home. The case is referred to Shane's former nemesis Alexa Hamilton, a legendary "tin collector" at Internal Affairs. In a subplot, Shane helps out Sandy Sandoval, a call girl turned police informant, with her confused, angry son. Sandy is involved in a sting operation and enlists Shane's help as a role model for 15-year-old Chooch, who is on the verge of being expelled from private school. While helping Chooch mature and defending his own career, Shane suddenly discovers that Alexa is really a secret ally. The pair, now tentative lovers, follow a convoluted trail exposing political land graft. Exhibiting a new sensitivity to his characters' emotional depth, Cannell continues to improve as a novelist. (Jan. 13) Forecast: Recent revelations about corruption in the LAPD add credence to Cannell's story. An excerpt in the Avon paperback release of The Devil's Workshop (Nov.) should pique advance interest, while major ad/promo, including a national author tour, and a bold dust jacket will help when the book hits the shelves. Audio rights sold to Brilliance. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Another exciting tale from the creator of the hit television show the Rockford Files and the books The Plan and Final Victim (both Morrow, 1995). The characters are compelling, events move along rapidly, and there is an action-packed boat-versus-helicopter shoot-out and chase scene near the end. Sergeant Shane Scully of the Los Angeles Police Department is awakened by an emergency call from a former partner's hysterical wife. He hurries to their home and witnesses the brutal beating of Barbara Molar by her husband. When Ray fires at him, Shane kills in self-defense. Before long, he is facing a murder charge and the enmity of the mayor, the police chief, and other officers. While Shane tries to deal with isolation, the possible loss of his career and pension, and the likelihood of a trial, he is also baby-sitting a rebellious teen. Charles Sandoval (Chooch) has been dumped on Shane for a month by his mother, a hooker turned police informant. With Alexa Hamilton, the LAPD's Internal Affairs Division prosecutor, Shane tries to make sense out of some strange discrepancies leading to a conspiracy that reaches into the highest offices in the city. The story will grab readers from the start. The characters are colorful and well-defined, and the plentiful plot twists and turns keep the action and interest brewing.-Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
This is the first of Cannell's audiobooks to be sold in unabridged form, and it makes a strong case for unabridged-only versions. This listener discarded an abridged Cannell audio a couple of years ago as being too vague and choppy. In Cannell's latest a rogue cop, who kills his former partner in a justifiable shooting and is being wrong-fully prosecuted by Internal Affairs, stumbles onto a scheme so corrupt it involves top officials and even the mayor. There is a lot of action and excitement in this audio, and events happen quickly. If a scene were cut, the offering would lose impact. Robert Lawrence does justice to the quick changes and alters his voice and tempo appropriately. Perhaps the author/publisher and Lawrence will consider unabridged releases of all Cannell's works. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
LAPD Sergeant Shane Scully intercedes in a domestic-violence situation involving his former partner Ray Molar and Molar's wife, Barbara, who was once Scully's lover. The confrontation ends with Molar dead and Scully in big trouble. Molar, who was tight with LAPD's upper brass, apparently was holding sensitive material about the department, which is now missing. The brass senses that Scully may be using the material as future leverage against possible murder charges. Facing suspension, Scully is mystified when instead he's suddenly transferred to Internal Affairs. In trying to clear his own name from inside IA--whose officers are known as "tin collectors" for their efforts to strip fellow officers of their badges--Scully ferrets out a weblike conspiracy of corruption that extends to the highest levels of L.A.'s municipal government. Cannell, formerly an Emmy-winning television producer of such shows as The A-Team, The Rockford Files, and Silk Stalkings, recently has become the best-selling author of such thrillers as The Plan (1995) and Final Victim (1996). Both his fiction and his television shows share likable protagonists, strong female characters, solid plots, and more than a little humor. Readers who enjoy cop novels by Robert Daley or William Caunitz will find Cannell right up their dark, dangerous alley. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"If you like cop novels, you're going to love this one. Cannell is a pro at the top of his game." -- Stephen Coonts

Mr. Cannell's brand of thriller is served straight up...and he knows how to cut to the chase."--The New York Times



Review
"If you like cop novels, you're going to love this one. Cannell is a pro at the top of his game." -- Stephen Coonts

Mr. Cannell's brand of thriller is served straight up...and he knows how to cut to the chase."--The New York Times



Book Description
The bestselling novelist and award-winning Hollywood producer weaves a high-tension novel of suspense around a chilling conspiracy of corruption within the LAPD, reminiscent of the classic movie "Chinatown."

Inside the department, they're called Tin Collectors: Internal Affairs Agents, the police of the police. If they catch you breaking the rules, they'll come after your badge. If they want you badly enough, they'll collect more than just your tin.

LAPD Detective Shane Scully is startled awake in the middle of the night by a call from his ex-partner's wife, who is being beaten by her abusive husband. Racing to their house to stop the fight, Scully ends up killing his ex-partner, a cop who is beloved within the department. Suddenly, Scully finds himself an outcast, shunned by his fellow cops who intend to exact vengeance no matter what the cost. Internal Affairs zeroes in on the "renegade" cop with their sharpest young prosecutor, the ice queen Alexa Hamilton, who has her own reasons for taking revenge on Scully.

Desperate to save his career, Scully starts kicking over rocks within the LAPD. What he uncovers is pure evil: a conspiracy going to the very top that ultimately threatens not just his own life but that of a young teenage boy, Chooch, entrusted to Scully's care by his mother - Sandy Sandoval. Known as the Black Widow, Sandy is a beautiful and courageous woman who also happens to be the LAPD's most important undercover informant, and Scully will do anything to keep her son safe. Stephen J. Cannell combines mystery and violence, loyalty and passion in a tale with an ending as unpredictable as LA itself.



Download Description
Inside the department, they're called Tin Collectors: Internal Affairs Agents, the police of the police. If they catch you breaking rules, they'll come after your badge. If they want it enough, chances are they'll get it. But who polices them? When LAPD Sergeant Shane Scully rushes to the aid of his ex-partner's battered wife, he doesn't expect he'll need to employ lethal force. But when the ensuing altercation becomes ugly, Scully finds himself with no time to think and no option save the unthinkable. Now, with one cop--one of the mayor's bodyguards, a friend--dead at his hands, Shane becomes prey for the Tin Collectors. After they move him to another assignment, Shane soon realizes they're trying to move him out of the picture altogether. When a crooked cadre of Internal Affairs agents try making him fall-guy for a web of corruption that extends to the highest levels of the LAPD, Shane Scully has no choice but to fight back . . .


About the Author
In his 35-year career, Emmy award-winning writer Stephen J. Cannell has created such TV hits as The Rockford Files, Silk Stalkings, The A-Team, 21 Jump Street, Wiseguy, and The Commish. He has also penned the bestsellers The Plan, Final Victim, and King Con. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their children.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Our Review
Deadly Affairs
From Emmy Award-winning television luminary Stephen J. Cannell (The A-Team, 21 Jump Street, The Commish) comes another gripping, compelling, and often poignant story of cops and crimes. In his sixth novel, The Tin Collectors, the bestselling author offers up a gritty tale of conspiracy and heroism, showing both the best and worst of the men who make up the LAPD.

When he's awakened at 2am by a phone call from his former partner's wife, Sergeant Shane Scully rushes to the aid of the battered woman. He's met with a scene of domestic abuse, and though Scully does his best to calm the enraged Lt. Raymond "Steeltooth" Molar, he's ultimately forced to kill his ex-partner. Although this should be a relatively open-and-shut case of self-defense, Molar was one of the most beloved and highly decorated officers on the force. Now Scully's not only receiving threats from his fellow cops; he's also become the target of the Internal Affairs Division -- called the Tin Collectors because of all the badges they've taken and all the careers they've ruined.

But Scully's troubles are just beginning. He learns that Molar was on special assignment as one of the mayor's bodyguards, and there's a videotape circulating containing some sort of evidence of high-placed corruption. Although Scully doesn't have the tape, the crooked individuals among the department brass and the IAD are convinced he does, and they set about to destroy Scully any way they can. To make matters worse, Scully is caring for an ex-lover's difficult teenage son, so he's forced to act as a surrogate father and a friend to the boy, even while his career is unraveling. Scully knows that he must somehow get the tape and make a stand against his own comrades in order to save his badge -- and his life.

Cannell not only has the vernacular to give the novel a true-to-life authentic feel of the street; his writing is perfectly balanced between the attitudes of both law enforcement and the common man. Cannell gives his protagonist all the instincts and experience of a hard-edged cop, but there's also a genuine sense of isolation after Scully is forced to fight against his brothers-in-arms. At one point, Scully meets a group of aggressive police officers in a garage, and for the first time he understands how frightening it must be for a citizen to be suddenly confronted by several cops at once. These moments pepper The Tin Collectors and raise it above the usual police procedural novel, giving the book the intense and illuminating merits that readers will wholeheartedly enjoy.

--Tom Piccirilli

Tom Piccirilli is the author of eight novels, including Hexes and Shards, and his Felicity Grove mystery series, consisting of The Dead Past and Sorrow's Crown. He has sold more than 100 stories to the anthologies Future Crimes, Bad News, The Conspiracy Files, and Best of the American West II. An omnibus collection of 40 stories titled Deep into That Darkness Peering is also available. Tom divides his time between New York City and Estes Park, Colorado.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The best-selling novelist and award-winning Hollywood producer weaves a high-tension novel of suspense around a chilling conspiracy of corruption within the LAPD.

Inside the department, they're called Tin Collectors: Internal Affairs Agents, the police of the police. If they catch you breaking rules, they'll come after your badge. If they want it badly enough, (chances are) they'll get it.

But who polices them?

When LAPD Sergeant Shane Scully rushes to the aid of his ex-partner's battered wife, he doesn't expect he'll need to employ lethal force. But when the ensuing altercation turns ugly, Scully finds himself with no time to think and no option save the unthinkable.

Now, with one cop dead at his hands, Shane becomes prey for the Tin Collectors. After they move him to another assignment, Shane realizes they want him out of the picture altogether. And when Internal Affairs agents try to make him the fall guy for a web of corruption that extends to the highest levels of the LAPD, Shane Scully has no choice but to fight back.

About the Author:In his 35-year career, the Emmy award-winning writer Stephen J. Cannell has created such TV hits as The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, 21 Jump Street, Wiseguy and The Commish. He has also penned the bestsellers The Plan, Final Victim, and King Con. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and children.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Author (King Con) and Emmy Award-winning TV writer Cannell (The Rockford Files) continues his string of commercially appealing suspense novels with an offbeat, action-driven police drama about high-level corruption in the LAPD. This time around, Cannell fans will discover a refreshingDand newly sprungDconcern for his characters' motivations. Sgt. Shane Scully, a well-decorated L.A. detective, receives a late-night phone call from Barbara Molar, a former girlfriend and current wife of Shane's ex-partner, Ray. Ray has a history of violence, and right now he is trying to kill Barbara. Without waiting for backup, Shane runs to the rescue and is forced to kill Ray in self-defense. Fully expecting to be vindicated after a routine debriefing, instead Shane finds himself persona non grata with fellow officers and the mayor. He's a murder suspect, and he's accused of stealing sensitive case files that Ray was working on at home. The case is referred to Shane's former nemesis Alexa Hamilton, a legendary "tin collector" at Internal Affairs. In a subplot, Shane helps out Sandy Sandoval, a call girl turned police informant, with her confused, angry son. Sandy is involved in a sting operation and enlists Shane's help as a role model for 15-year-old Chooch, who is on the verge of being expelled from private school. While helping Chooch mature and defending his own career, Shane suddenly discovers that Alexa is really a secret ally. The pair, now tentative lovers, follow a convoluted trail exposing political land graft. Exhibiting a new sensitivity to his characters' emotional depth, Cannell continues to improve as a novelist. (Jan. 13) Forecast: Recent revelations about corruption in the LAPD add credence to Cannell's story. An excerpt in the Avon paperback release of The Devil's Workshop (Nov.) should pique advance interest, while major ad/promo, including a national author tour, and a bold dust jacket will help when the book hits the shelves. Audio rights sold to Brilliance. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Another exciting tale from the creator of the hit television show the Rockford Files and the books The Plan and Final Victim (both Morrow, 1995). The characters are compelling, events move along rapidly, and there is an action-packed boat-versus-helicopter shoot-out and chase scene near the end. Sergeant Shane Scully of the Los Angeles Police Department is awakened by an emergency call from a former partner's hysterical wife. He hurries to their home and witnesses the brutal beating of Barbara Molar by her husband. When Ray fires at him, Shane kills in self-defense. Before long, he is facing a murder charge and the enmity of the mayor, the police chief, and other officers. While Shane tries to deal with isolation, the possible loss of his career and pension, and the likelihood of a trial, he is also baby-sitting a rebellious teen. Charles Sandoval (Chooch) has been dumped on Shane for a month by his mother, a hooker turned police informant. With Alexa Hamilton, the LAPD's Internal Affairs Division prosecutor, Shane tries to make sense out of some strange discrepancies leading to a conspiracy that reaches into the highest offices in the city. The story will grab readers from the start. The characters are colorful and well-defined, and the plentiful plot twists and turns keep the action and interest brewing.-Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

This is the first of Cannell's audiobooks to be sold in unabridged form, and it makes a strong case for unabridged-only versions. This listener discarded an abridged Cannell audio a couple of years ago as being too vague and choppy. In Cannell's latest a rogue cop, who kills his former partner in a justifiable shooting and is being wrong-fully prosecuted by Internal Affairs, stumbles onto a scheme so corrupt it involves top officials and even the mayor. There is a lot of action and excitement in this audio, and events happen quickly. If a scene were cut, the offering would lose impact. Robert Lawrence does justice to the quick changes and alters his voice and tempo appropriately. Perhaps the author/publisher and Lawrence will consider unabridged releases of all Cannell's works. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Cannell is a first rate storyteller and The Tin Collectors never stops: it's compelling frightening— and, in the end, very moving. Don't miss it.  — Janet Evanovich