Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets [Paperback]

From the creator of HBO'sThe Wire, the classic book about homicide investigation that became the basis for the hit television show

The scene is Baltimore. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the center of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit, a small brotherhood of hard men who fight for whatever justice is possible in a deadly world.

David Simon was the first reporter ever to gain unlimited access to a homicide unit, and this electrifying book tells the true story of a year on the violent streets of an American city. The narrative follows Donald Worden, a veteran investigator; Harry Edgerton, a black detective in a mostly white unit; and Tom Pellegrini, an earnest rookie who takes on the year's most difficult case, the brutal rape and murder of an eleven-year-old girl.

Originally published fifteen years ago,Homicidebecame the basis for the acclaimed television show of the same name. This new editionwhich includes a new introduction, an afterword, and photographsrevives this classic, riveting tale about the men who work on the dark side of the American experience.

Simon does an extraordinary job of getting under the skin and into the minds of the police officers. The New York Times Book Review

We seem to have an insatiable appetite for police stories . . . David Simon's entry is far and away the best, the most readable, reliable and relentless of them all. The Washington Post Book World

David Simon'sHomicidewon an Edgar Award and became the basis for the NBC award-winning drama. Simon's second book,The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood, co-authored with Edward Burns, was made into an HBO miniseries. Simon is currently the executive producer and writer for HBO's Peabody Awardwinning seriesThe Wire. He lives in Baltimore.