Tag: Police Stories

Boston Blue

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn EntertainmentLeave a comment

Good news Blue Bloods fans! Executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Donnie Wahlberg have teamed up to bring us Boston Blue, a spin-off to carry on the Reagan family tradition. The pilot opens with Sean Reagan as a cop in Boston, who gets injured while running into a working fire. His father, Danny Reagan, visits him in the hospital and inserts himself into the investigation.

Sean is played by a new actor but another Reagan makes an appearance, as well as Danny’s New York partner (look for the love connection). The rest of the cast is new but similar to the Reagan clan, with family members in policing and the DA’s office. It’s hinted from the start that Danny Reagan is in Boston to stay, where he can keep an eye on his son.

The story is filmed on location in Toronto and Boston, and from what I’ve seen, promises to be a continuation of the Blue Bloods legacy. Call is Boston Blue Bloods if you will.

It’s on CBS but we’re steaming it on Paramount +

Quicksand – Murder Unresolved

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My latest Norm Strom Crime novel has just been released – available in eBook on Amazon NOW. The release in paperback there and on your other favorite book site is coming soon.

Quicksand is a fictional story of an unsolved local murder that occurred in a quiet lakefront village where Norm Strom resided before moving back to Windsor, Ontario. Annie Gladstone is run down in broad daylight by a hit and run driver who is never identified or arrested.

One of Strom’s co-workers, a fellow cop, was dating Annie and is questioned about the incident. Her estranged ex-husband quickly becomes a person of interest and later the main suspect. An arrest is made several years later and the Gladstone family relives the entire event in court.

The case is still open and the murder remains unresolved to this day.

Echoes in Eternity – Street Cop Stories

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Echoes in Eternity: Street Cop Stories
by James Disser

Edmond Gagnon‘s review Oct 15, 2023  

I didn’t find this book all that interesting, perhaps because I also worked the streets for over 31 years and lived the same stories.
Having said that, Disser offers a real look into the types of calls and crimes that police officers face on a daily basis.
As an author, I think this former cop fell into the same trap I did with my first book, telling his tales as if writing a police report,without much emotion. Not that the individual stories weren’t inciteful for most people, they just lacked enough feeling to drag readers into the events he related.
For anyone who wants a real-life account of what happens during a variety of police investigations, this book is a good example.

Border City Chronicles – Four More

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BORDER CITY CHRONICLES – BOOK 2 – 4 stars out of 5 – Editorial Review:

Detective Norm Strom is back, along with several detectives we already know. Our favorite detective relates four more stories of local crime in the Windsor area. Although more detailed in police procedures, each story relates a varied and interesting case file.

1. GONE FISHING – A fishing story that involves catching brutal attackers rather than fish and explains the failings of the judicial system in caring for victims.

2. THE HATFIELDS AND MCKAYS – A tale of a family feud that ends in murder.

3. VICTIMLESS CRIME – a narrative explaining the flaws in the system that is supposed to protect people from scams and frauds.

4. 30 YEARS COLD – A body of a man is discovered. Missing 30 years ago, the discovery shakes his family. This story of his death echoes your mind.

This book held my interest as Norm worked the various cases. The suspense and intrigue ran through the narrative and each story held different perspectives of police work. This book is a well-written story and its social and political implications gave a realistic feel to the plot-definitely a book worth reading.

Official Release Date: August 1st, 2023 – Pre-orders now available

Behind The Badge – Her Story

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Behind the Badge: Her Story
by Antoinette M James

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Jul 22, 2022  

I met the author, Antoinette James, at the Detroit Bookfest and purchased a copy of her book, Behind the Badge. After listening to her pitch about her memoir, a true story about her life on the Detroit Police Department, I was sold.
I got fooled on this one. The book is more about the author’s personal life, weighing heavily on events that transpired before her time as a cop.
This woman had a life-long dream of being a Detroit Homicide detective, after watching numerous tv cop shows. Her naivety started at a young age, when she tells us in great detail how she was sexually exploited by her father. By the age of 15 she is pregnant, then hooks up with one wrong guy after another, learning nothing along the way.
The author spent only a few years as a cop and says she left the force because of sexual harassment but openly admits having sex with various men for personal advancement.
Some of my women reader friends might enjoy this book but I don’t recommend it as a must read.

Gas of Tank – Todd Ternovan with Matthew St. Amand

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Gas of Tank: A Canadian Law Enforcement Odyssey 1979 – 2019
by Matthew St. Amand, Todd Ternovan

Edmond Gagnon‘s Review – Jun 07, 2022  

Best book I’ve read in a long time.
You might call me bias because like the author, I’m a retired police officer and also an author. But with the help of Matthew St. Amand, former O.P.P. Constable Todd Ternovan offers an emotional and insightful view of what policing it really all about. It’s about people.
If you want an honest and accurate picture of what it’s like to work the front lines in law enforcement, this is a must-read. Many of Todd’s stories brought me back to moments in my own policing career – the good and the bad.
Our paths crossed at least once or twice during our respective careers, somewhere in between 1990 to 2009 but I didn’t really know the man. Reading this chronology of his career made me realize we shared a lot of the same work ethic. He’s done an amazing job on his first book and is obviously a great story teller. His use of witty and colorful metaphors had me laughing out loud. His dry and sometimes sarcastic sense of cop humor showed through.
I thought the title was weird at first, but as Ternovan says, it is befitting the surreal, upside-down and unbelievable experiences police officers face every day.

Pop Goes The Weasel – M. J. Arlidge

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Pop Goes the Weasel (Helen Grace, #2)
by M.J. Arlidge

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Feb 27, 2022  

First off, after reading this book, I have no idea where the title comes from. There’s also a book of the same title by James Patterson.
One of the reviews says that M.J. Arlidge is the the next Jo Nesbo. I disagree.
I found the book a choppy read with a bit too much touchy-feely stuff for my liking, where we were told how the characters ‘felt’ at each and every turn. Perhaps that comes from the voice of female authors, since I find it more often than not.
I also think the author went overboard on female characters…the protagonist, antagonist, and most other characters, with the exception of two males. In any policing organization that I am aware of, that is just not the norm.
Other than those quirks, the story is a good read.

The Late Show – Michael Connelly

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The Late Show (Renée Ballard, #1; Harry Bosch Universe, #29)
by Michael Connelly (Goodreads Author)
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Mar 24, 2021  


I really like Michael Connelly and the unique characters he’s created over the years to carry the stories in his crime novels. I wasn’t sure about his latest, Renee Ballard, at first, but grew to understand and eventually like the new crimefighter more as the plot unfolded.


LAPD Detective Ballard is no Harry Bosch, but she is a good cop with her own style, perhaps more representative of the newer breed of crime investigator. In ‘The Late Show’ Ballard is not only challenged by the serious cases that come her way, but she has to stand up for herself and fight to regain her good reputation that was sullied by a former boss.


The story is a bit slow at first, but the intrigue and action build at a good pace. The twist thrown in near the end completely took me by surprise.
I think Renee Ballard is a good addition to Connelly’s cast of characters.

The Snowman – Jo Nesbo

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The Snowman (Harry Hole, #7)
by Jo Nesbø 
Edmond Gagnon‘s reviewFeb 07, 2021 


The Snowman is the first ‘Harry Hole’ Jo Nesbo novel that I’ve read. Although a Norwegian author, he can weave a crime fiction tale with the best of them.
I had some difficulty getting into this book, and keeping things straight as the story progressed, because of all the Norwegian names of places and characters. For me, it was hard to concentrate when I couldn’t pronounce or remember most of the proper nouns that were used.
Having said that, the plot was intricately pieced together, with enough twists and turns to keep any crime reader fully engrossed.
Nesbo’s police protagonist and sadistic antagonist were equally likable, especially once the latter was eventually discovered.