police procedural

Happy New Year everybody! I wish you all a happy and healthy 2024. 

Today we're going to do something a little bit different. Back on November 22nd, I sat down virtually with Sarah Rosett and Jamie Albright on their fantastic podcast wish I’d known then. We talked about common errors writers make when it comes to crafting their police stories and how to improve their thrillers or mysteries.

Check out the Wish I'd Known Then Podcast with Jamie Albright and Sara Rosett!

Check out Field Training (Brew City Blues Book 1)!!
Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series.
Please visit the Cops and Writers website. 

Only for Cops and Writers Podcast listeners! Get 50% off the audiobook version of the F.B.I. K-9 thriller, Avenging Adam by Jodi Burnett. Use code, https://jodi-burnett.com/copsandwriters/

This episode of Books for Men features The Poet by Michael Connelly. A crime novel about a small-time reporter trying to solve the murder of his homicide detective twin brother. It turns into a secret FBI hunt for a serial killer who always leaves a line or two from Edgar Allen Poe with each of his victims. It's dark and propulsive. Listen for more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the podcast. Any of the three things below will help provide awareness for the initiative—inspiring (more) men to read and bringing together men who do. (Ladies, of course, you're always welcome!)

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3. Leave a rating or review

Visit BooksforMen.org to sign up for the Books for Men newsletter, a monthly round-up of every episode with full book and author info, all the best quotes, and newsletter-only book recommendations!

My guest today is crime thriller writer David Putnam, author of 13 books, including 10 in the acclaimed, award-winning Bruno Johnson series. Dave was a police officer for decades in Southern California and Hawaii, but has been fascinated with writing for a lot longer even than that. I had the opportunity to spend a little time chatting with him recently at the Left Coast Crime writers conference in Tucson and I learned very quickly that 1) he is a great storyteller and 2) I needed to have him on the Open Mic.

A trio of books by women about bodies, ballet, grief and working mothers. Meg Howrey on They're Going to Love You, Inga Simpson on Kath O'Connor's posthumous debut novel Inheritance, and Dinuka McKenzie on the physical pain of being a breastfeeding mother returning to the police force. 

It’s all or nothing now! With the fate of the city in James’s hands, and the lives of his men on his conscience, there’s nothing for it, the tunnels are waiting! But what monsters lurk within?
 

The final installment of season 1 of The Meridian Watch! 

An old friend returns, back from the dead… and he’s found himself in strange company. But he’s not the only surprise at Mobius’s ball!

James feels the eyes of the Department on him as he pokes deeper into the lives of Midstadt’s elite… but has he gone too far this time?

 Consider supporting our work on Patreon and access the last episode in advance: https://www.patreon.com/sentinelcreatives

It’s clear Cop Rock fatigue is starting to set in.  The Aquaboys spend the better part of this episode trying to find other things to talk about besides the obvious.  Which is strange considering the ‘Baby Merchant’ episode is arguably the most famous of the failed series.  Pushing the envelope of tonal whiplash, this episode frolics effortlessly between topics like child trafficking, weight loss, inmate violence and attorney-client privilege.

Will the Aquaboys vote to renew yet again?  You’ll find out after some pointless banter, a game show, and pot talk.  Buckle-up buttercup. 

Cop Rock is an American police procedural musical television series created by Steven Bochco and William M. Finkelstein for the American Broadcasting Company. It premiered on September 26, 1990, and broadcast eleven episodes before concluding on December 26. It was both a critical and commercial failure when it originally aired.

The Watchhouse is in ruins, djinn-touched bombs tearing the precinct apart by the roots. But why? And was it really the work of Dunbar and his anarchists? 

As the officers of the watch search for the culprits, something in the sewers begins to stir…

Midstadt used to be a monarchy. Until it wasn’t

Now, 100 years after the blood of the last king flowed from the steps of Parliament Square, another rotting Empire has the jewel of The Ragged Sea in its sights.
It means to bring them into its fold, to swallow up the fledgling Republic before the fires of its industries can sweep across the world.

But in Midstadt, they’ve found something… something they shouldn’t have…

While anarchists wage battle with monarchists beneath the streets, and war brews in the South, Sergeant James Delwar and the officers of the Meridian Watch begin an investigation that will take them to the distant heights of the old aristocracy, and to its very depths...

It’s not just the city that’s at stake, but their souls too.

Black powder squares off against black magic in this epic dark fantasy police procedural.
Starring Scott Miller, Anna Capraro, Paul Casselle, and Tim Redman.

Available now on Patreon: Sentinel Creatives is creating fiction podcasts, audiobooks, anthology collections, and more! | Patreon

The final teaser from our forthcoming audio drama "The Meridian Watch".

Midstadt used to be a monarchy. Until it wasn’t

Now, 100 years after the blood of the last king flowed from the steps of Parliament Square, another rotting Empire has the jewel of The Ragged Sea in its sights.

It means to bring them into its fold, to swallow up the fledgling Republic before the fires of its industries can sweep across the world.

But in Midstadt, they’ve found something… something they shouldn’t have…

While anarchists wage battle with monarchists beneath the streets, and war brews in the South, Sergeant James Delwar and the officers of the Meridian Watch begin an investigation that will take them to the distant heights of the old aristocracy, and to its very depths...

It’s not just the city that’s at stake, but their souls too.

Black powder squares off against black magic in this epic dark fantasy police procedural. 

Starring Scott Miller, Anna Capraro, Paul Casselle, and Tim Redman.

Genre Fans Joe and Katie discuss whether Umberto Lenzi's Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972) is "Definitely," "Kinda," or "Not Really" a giallo. 

• YouTube
• IG: @genre.fans
• Twitter: genre_fans
• Music: "Mojo Flag (Sting Version)" by Tayler Watts (Epidemic Sound)

Available now on Patreon: Sentinel Creatives is creating fiction podcasts, audiobooks, anthology collections, and more! | Patreon

Midstadt used to be a monarchy. Until it wasn’t

Now, 100 years after the blood of the last king flowed from the steps of Parliament Square, another rotting Empire has the jewel of The Ragged Sea in its sights.

It means to bring them into its fold, to swallow up the fledgling Republic before the fires of its industries can sweep across the world.

But in Midstadt, they’ve found something… something they shouldn’t have…

While anarchists wage battle with monarchists beneath the streets, and war brews in the South, Sergeant James Delwar and the officers of the Meridian Watch begin an investigation that will take them to the distant heights of the old aristocracy, and to its very depths...

It’s not just the city that’s at stake, but their souls too.

Black powder squares off against black magic in this epic dark fantasy police procedural. 

Starring Scott Miller, Anna Capraro, Paul Casselle, and Tim Redman.

The Meridian Watch 

Coming soon!

The unofficial 5th Aquaboy, Special Correspondent Lane, helps our heroes deftly navigate yet another episode of the directionless (and some would argue pointless) Cop Rock.  The show continues to bewilder our even basic understanding of a police procedural drama.  From a plastic surgery fever dream to mud wrestling marital problems, this episode has it all.  (and we haven’t even mentioned the horseback riding)  There is NO WAY this gets renewed. Right?   

Cop Rock is an American police procedural musical television series created by Steven Bochco and William M. Finkelstein for the American Broadcasting Company. It premiered on September 26, 1990, and broadcast eleven episodes before concluding on December 26. It was both a critical and commercial failure when it originally aired.

Available now on Patreon: Sentinel Creatives is creating fiction podcasts, audiobooks, anthology collections, and more! | Patreon

The third teaser from our forthcoming audio drama "The Meridian Watch".

Constable Claire Carlyle knows the balance of power is shifting. As great empires turn their eyes to the fledgling Republic on their doorstep, is there any way their city can survive?

Black powder squares off against black magic in this epic dark fantasy police procedural. 

Starring Scott Miller, Anna Capraro, Paul Casselle, and Tim Redman.

Coming soon!

Genre Fans Joe and Katie discuss whether Massimo Dellamano's What Have You Done to Solange? (1972) is "Definitely," "Kinda," or "Not Really" a giallo. 

• YouTube
• IG: @genre.fans
• Twitter: genre_fans
• Music: "Mojo Flag (Sting Version)" by Tayler Watts (Epidemic Sound)

Available now on Patreon: Sentinel Creatives is creating fiction podcasts, audiobooks, anthology collections, and more! | Patreon

Midstadt used to be a monarchy. Until it wasn’t

Now, 100 years after the blood of the last king flowed from the steps of Parliament Square, another rotting Empire has the jewel of The Ragged Sea in its sights.

It means to bring them into its fold, to swallow up the fledgling Republic before the fires of its industries can sweep across the world.

But in Midstadt, they’ve found something… something they shouldn’t have…

While anarchists wage battle with monarchists beneath the streets, and war brews in the South, Sergeant James Delwar and the officers of the Meridian Watch begin an investigation that will take them to the distant heights of the old aristocracy, and to its very depths...

It’s not just the city that’s at stake, but their souls too.

Black powder squares off against black magic in this epic dark fantasy police procedural. 

Starring Scott Miller, Anna Capraro, Paul Casselle, and Tim Redman.

The Meridian Watch 

Coming soon!

Available now on Patreon: Sentinel Creatives is creating fiction podcasts, audiobooks, anthology collections, and more! | Patreon

Midstadt used to be a monarchy. Until it wasn’t

Now, 100 years after the blood of the last king flowed from the steps of Parliament Square, another rotting Empire has the jewel of The Ragged Sea in its sights.

It means to bring them into its fold, to swallow up the fledgling Republic before the fires of its industries can sweep across the world.

But in Midstadt, they’ve found something… something they shouldn’t have…

While anarchists wage battle with monarchists beneath the streets, and war brews in the South, Sergeant James Delwar and the officers of the Meridian Watch begin an investigation that will take them to the distant heights of the old aristocracy, and to its very depths...

It’s not just the city that’s at stake, but their souls too.

Black powder squares off against black magic in this epic dark fantasy police procedural. 

Starring Scott Miller, Anna Capraro, Paul Casselle, and Tim Redman.

The Meridian Watch 

Coming soon!

Genre Fans Joe and Katie discuss whether Lucio Fulci's A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971) is "Definitely," "Kinda," or "Not Really" a giallo. 

• YouTube
• IG: @genre.fans
• Twitter: genre_fans
• Music: "Mojo Flag (Sting Version)" by Tayler Watts (Epidemic Sound)

Summoning all their combined bravery, courage and subtle attractiveness, the Aquaboys tackle the second episode of the Hinderberg-like police procedural / musical Cop Rock!  The second episode manages to shed just about everything that made the first episode at least palatable.  But lucky for us, it keeps the lack-luster music, unengaging characters and wildly uneven tone.    It’s remarkable that a television show has the power to make you embarrassed for it.   

Cop Rock is an American police procedural musical television series created by Steven Bochco and William M. Finkelstein for the American Broadcasting Company. It premiered on September 26, 1990, and broadcast eleven episodes before concluding on December 26. It was both a critical and commercial failure when it originally aired.