A Danger to Himself and Others: Bomb Squad NYC Incident 1 Paperback – Import, 9 September 2013

An excellent read. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

I don't usually review books here. I read mostly genre fiction (thrillers/mysteries/suspense) and books by bestselling authors are by and large a known quantity, so who needs to hear from me? On the other hand most other books of this type we expect to be mediocre and we almost always get what we expect.But you know that pleasant feeling of stumbling across a new author, and if luck is with us the beginning of a new series, that is can't-put-it-down good? That's how I felt about this one.Darn good writing, good plot, some interesting characters (that can be developed further as the series continues) and seemingly authentic details surrounding the workings of the NYPD bomb-squad.I'm looking forward to more from this author.

When I started A Danger To Himself And Others, I have to admit the "voice over" cop humor struck me as a corny beginning introduction to the book. I actually had a flashback of picturing one of my male (yes, male) former military rookies thinking exactly like that (shaking my head). So with that aside, Fishman did capture the male-ego-cop thought process in a sports sense. Yes, being a girl...I rolled my eyes and Fargo smirked right there during the onset. Maybe it's just a girl thing.The book overall was excellent, filled with suspense and details so descript you felt you were right in each moment, adrenaline pumping alongside the characters. It is full of testosterone and fact paced action. Kudos to Fishman for his writing capabilities and details.In fact, if you aren't familiar with the inside of a bomb squad, you will be when you have finished reading A Danger to Himself and Others. Fishman has a true talent for capturing moments, especially during a "heat of the moment." The main character, Manny Diaz, is a complex person with years of experience and a personal life that mimics one that goes on behind the shield. It's plausible for sure.Inside the story line, you also find attention to technical detail where Fishman's research and the care he gave to writing in proper procedures served well in preserving the importance of capturing all the components. I liked the twists and turns and the villains were not simplified, but just as complex as the good guys. A nice touch was the characters had surprise moments and everything was not predictable. The emotion of police and military veterans was also believable in the story, which is often left out of or only glanced upon by other authors. A Danger To Himself And Others has action packed depth and I would highly recommend it.

Others have given a synopsis, I'll skip past that.It is not literature, but it is a good read. I enjoyed it (but not enough to make me buy the other books in this series).

Very good holiday reading !