Weekend Buff

Night falls on a forsaken city... sound familiar?

This weekend we recommend the novel Night Dogs, by Kent Anderson. Anderson writes compellingly of a Vietnam vet turned cop in Portland, Oregon. Our protagonist, P.O. Hanson, is working North Portland, the city’s roughest precinct. He is still haunted by Vietnam, and now haunted by the horrors of being a cop in a very high crime area.

The book is like patrol itself — that is, episodic, with no solid plot. Hanson himself is really the plot. The book depicts the daily drudgery of patrol from the eyes of an already-damaged man. It gets into characters well-known to every cop: the bosses who don’t care; the cops who are burnt out; the buffy guys looking to get a thrill from every gun-run; the perps, the perps, the perps. And the hopelessness that takes hold as you try help, runningfrom one job to another.

The story was written in the 90’s and takes place in the 70’s. Sure, things are different now, but the themes are the same. There is no video or body cameras and there is no one watching. But there is violence and misery, mental anguish and disgust. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This is a book that will stick with you. Hanson’s deterioration and pain will speak to you as a reader. If you are a cop you will know the feelings. If you are not you will get rare insight into a mentally tough job.

The author, Kent Anderson, was a Vietnam vet and cop for a number of years. You can tell from the writing that he is speaking from the heart. This is not a feel-good story, but it is a must-read. But brace yourself.

You can find it on Amazon for about 10 bucks.