Character has always been a primary strength of Wambaugh's fiction. His plots and scenes have always been competently developed, but it is the behavior and language of his men and, increasingly, his women that provide the main interest. This behavior and this language tends to be extravagant.

Wambaugh is not much of a psychologist; he does not pursue Jamesian nuances. Subtlety appears sometimes in the nonfiction books, as he attempts to interpret the character of real persons, but his fictional figures express themselves in large gestures. When he is successful, these large gestures make for entertaining and memorable personalities. Abel Durazzo and Shelby Pate belong in this category.

Wambaugh's protagonists have always been cops. His early cops were also large gesture creations. His later cops have tended to be cut to pattern: white, male, fortyish, divorced, near retirement, alcoholic, blessed with uncommon given names (Winnie, Lynn, Finbar). They...