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Shane Scully #5
Cold Hit
Shane Scully and his partner are assigned to the case of "the Fingertip Killer"-a serial murderer preying on homeless veterans in Los Angeles. Every two weeks he strikes: he beats his victims, then shoots them in the back of the head. Once they're dead, he cuts off their fingertips, and tosses them in the river. The latest killing, however, does not quite fit the pattern. It appears to be the work of the Fingertip Killer, but Scully suspects an elaborate copycat murder meant to hide a criminal conspiracy. After heavy-handed FBI agents throw him off the Fingertip Killer case, Scully teams up with his wife and boss, Alexa, and a pair of tough cops from the LAPD's anti-terrorism squad. Outside the law and deep undercover, they fight to see justice done.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2005
18 people are currently reading
447 people want to read
About the author
Stephen J. Cannell
57Ìýbooks262ÌýfollowersStephen J. Cannell was an American television producer, writer, novelist, and occasional actor, and the founder of Cannell Entertainment (formerly Stephen J. Cannell Productions) and the Cannell Studios.
Cannell created or co-created several successful TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s. Creations included The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish. He was an Emmy winner and was awarded The Eye - Lifetime Achievement Award by the Private Eye Writers of America.
Cannell created or co-created several successful TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s. Creations included The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish. He was an Emmy winner and was awarded The Eye - Lifetime Achievement Award by the Private Eye Writers of America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
January 27, 2023
In Cold Hit I learned quite a lot about the Russian mafia, Homeland Security and their "roving bugs" - AKA: indefinite tapping - which was put in place to be used at Homeland Security's "discretion" following 9/11.
In addition to being a suspense-filled thriller, Cold Hit touches on some eyeopening topics which provides much food for thought and discussion.
I definitely would not have appreciated the storyline nearly as much had I not listened to the audiobook edition narrated by the impeccable Mr. Scott Brick.
In addition to being a suspense-filled thriller, Cold Hit touches on some eyeopening topics which provides much food for thought and discussion.
I definitely would not have appreciated the storyline nearly as much had I not listened to the audiobook edition narrated by the impeccable Mr. Scott Brick.
June 20, 2017
Not much of a cohesive story here that deviates from murder to alcoholism and to college football recruitment. Mr. Cannell has written much better. For that reason alone, I'll bump it up to 1 of 10 stars
October 8, 2017
*** 4.25 ***
This is another great book, very entertaining, the motion picture type of book that will make you feel like you're watching a good movie.
Full of action and suspense, we have our main protagonist L.A. homicide detective Shane Scully and his partner working on what turns to be a very complex and intricate serial murder case. On top of this, his team-partner is experiencing significant distress due to a divorce and the prospect of bankruptcy, combined with heavy drinking and because of it, not only that is weakening the team, but also in a twisted way places the old time friend and partner on the suspect list - which in itself makes the book even more interesting and captivating.
Full of fast-paced action, tension and thrills at every corner, great characters, very funny dialog at times, all that and more constructed on and around an intriguing plot makes this book a great read if you like the murder investigation style. I couldn't let it go until I was done with it.
I for one, will definitely follow this author and continue with this series.
This is another great book, very entertaining, the motion picture type of book that will make you feel like you're watching a good movie.
Full of action and suspense, we have our main protagonist L.A. homicide detective Shane Scully and his partner working on what turns to be a very complex and intricate serial murder case. On top of this, his team-partner is experiencing significant distress due to a divorce and the prospect of bankruptcy, combined with heavy drinking and because of it, not only that is weakening the team, but also in a twisted way places the old time friend and partner on the suspect list - which in itself makes the book even more interesting and captivating.
Full of fast-paced action, tension and thrills at every corner, great characters, very funny dialog at times, all that and more constructed on and around an intriguing plot makes this book a great read if you like the murder investigation style. I couldn't let it go until I was done with it.
I for one, will definitely follow this author and continue with this series.
September 30, 2018
I have a soft spot for Stephen Cannell & the Shane Scully series. Sadly Stephen Cannell died before we supposed to meet at a fundraiser for dyslexia. I'll admit I've been slow reading the series knowing I don't have many of his books left to read.
I enjoyed COLD HIT a lot. It's quite an intense story about a post 9/11 world. My only complaint was the dickish FBI agent was a little cliched. Other than that, a fun read.
I enjoyed COLD HIT a lot. It's quite an intense story about a post 9/11 world. My only complaint was the dickish FBI agent was a little cliched. Other than that, a fun read.
April 14, 2017
Shane Scully is paired with a partner on the way to the skids, when he discovers some serial killings. This is a big case, but as usual in these kinds of books, they lead to something even bigger. Meanwhile, the higher ups form a task force that just gets in the way, because everybody on it is just trying to get a book deal.
A pretty good entry in the series.
A pretty good entry in the series.
June 18, 2017
Cold Hit (2005) is Stephen J. Cannell’s fifth novel featuring LAPD Detective Shane Scully and the second I’ve read. The first title I read, On the Grind (2009), was disappointing in its lack of depth, character development and over-easy plotting, but Cold Hit is a top-notch police procedural that renders a fully-realized Shane Scully. A complex plot with more than one surprise, and an alluring Southern California setting.
Shane Scully and his partner Zack Farrell are the primary detectives on a series of killings targeting homeless men. After the victims are killed with a bullet to the head, their finger-tips are removed and a symbol is carved into their chests. With the case going nowhere—no suspects, witnesses, clues, or the victims� identities uncovered—the LAPD’s brass are threatening to remove Scully as the primary detective and form a multi-agency task force to continue the investigation.
Cold Hit is a nicely developed, finely plotted, character driven procedural. It has a sense of the believable from the police investigation to Scully’s relationships with his partner—drowning in alcohol and divorce—and his family. He is likable, something of a maverick who struggles against authority, and tough without being super human. The investigation deepens into the realm of national security and there is an interesting discussion about the post-9/11 world’s enhanced federal law enforcement powers without the story losing its appeal or momentum. Even better, it made me want to read another Shane Scully novel.
Shane Scully and his partner Zack Farrell are the primary detectives on a series of killings targeting homeless men. After the victims are killed with a bullet to the head, their finger-tips are removed and a symbol is carved into their chests. With the case going nowhere—no suspects, witnesses, clues, or the victims� identities uncovered—the LAPD’s brass are threatening to remove Scully as the primary detective and form a multi-agency task force to continue the investigation.
Cold Hit is a nicely developed, finely plotted, character driven procedural. It has a sense of the believable from the police investigation to Scully’s relationships with his partner—drowning in alcohol and divorce—and his family. He is likable, something of a maverick who struggles against authority, and tough without being super human. The investigation deepens into the realm of national security and there is an interesting discussion about the post-9/11 world’s enhanced federal law enforcement powers without the story losing its appeal or momentum. Even better, it made me want to read another Shane Scully novel.
December 22, 2021
Far too many agencies, chiefs, etc. involved. Bit confusing. Still a good read.
July 24, 2023
Streaming E-book.
July 19, 2021
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Print: 8/1/2005; St. Martin's Press; 1st edition; 978-0312269609; 384 pages.
Audio: 5/18/2006; Macmillan Audio; 978-1427220516; Duration 10:48:54; Unabridged; 9 parts
Feature Film or tv: Not that I know of.
Series: Shane Scully book 5
Main characters:
Shane Scully--LAPD
Alexandra (Alexa) Scully—LAPD
Chooch—Shane’s son, Alexa’s step-son
Zack Farrell � a Detective - Shane’s partner
SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
The case to solve in this episode is “the Fingertip Killer�. Working through it takes a lot of sleuthing and second-guessing to figure out. Not to mention a major talent in bullet-dodging.
AUTHOR:
Stephen Cannell (February 5, 1941 � September 30, 2010). According to Wikipedia, Stephen “was an American television producer, writer, novelist, and occasional actor, and the founder of Cannell Entertainment (formerly Stephen J. Cannell Productions) and the Cannell Studios.
After starting his career as a television screenwriter, Cannell created or co-created several dozen successful TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s, often with his creative partner Frank Lupo. Cannell's creations included The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish. He also wrote novels, notably the Shane Scully mystery series.�
NARRATOR:
Scott Brick. (January/30/1966).
Scott’s edgy delivery is perfect for this series.
Excerpt in Audio File magazine from an interview: “Like most narrators, I was first an actor. For me, the "Aha!" moment came when I was a Theater major at UCLA and auditioned for a professor, Gary Gardner, at the beginning of my third year. He took me aside afterward and said, "What have you done with your voice? � I had no idea what he meant so I just said I didn’t do anything with it.
“No,� he said. “Somewhere over the summer you realized it was a very potent instrument and you learned how to use it." I just shook my head No, but I trusted that something might have happened, even if I couldn't recognize it. When I think back now to the beginning of my voiceover and audiobook career, it was that day in room 1330.
The cool third act of the story is that last year UCLA brought me back to the Theater Department as an instructor. I'm teaching two classes on campus, Audiobook Narration and Introduction to Voiceover, the latter of which was taught in room 1330. The first day of class, I stood in the spot where I'd stood all those years ago and told the class my story about Gary Gardner. . Then I went outside to the spot where Gary would always grab a smoke, what we call the Gary Gardner Memorial Bench, and thanked him.�
GENRE:
Fiction, Mystery, thriller, crime, police procedure
LOCATIONS:
Los Angeles, Venice Beach
TIME FRAME:
Current-2006
SUBJECTS:
Under Cover policing, crime, criminal gangs, family, Russians, guns
SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 1,
�2:30 AM
The phone jack-hammered me up out of a tangled dream.
‘Detective Scully?� a woman’s voice said. ‘This is Homicide Dispatch. You just caught a fresh one-eighty-seven. The DB is on Forest Lawn Drive one block east of Barham Boulevard, under the bridge.�
‘In the L.A. River again?� I sat up and grabbed my pants.
‘Yes sir. The patrol unit is there with the respondents. The blues say it looks like another homeless man so the duty desk at Homicide Special told us to give you the roll out.�
‘Isn’t that in Burbank? Have you notified the BPD?�
‘According to the site map, it’s just inside L.A., so there’s no jurisdictional problem. I need to give patrol and ETA.�
‘It’s gonna take me forty-five minutes.� I started to hang up, but hesitated, and added, ‘Have you notified my partner, Detective Farrell?�
‘We’ve been trying,� she replied carefully, then paused and said, ‘He’s not picking up.�
There was doubt and concern in her tone. Damn, I thought. Did even the civilian dispatchers in the Communications Division know Zack Farrell had become a lush?�
‘Keep trying,� I said, and hung up.
I rolled out of bed, trying not to wake my wife, dressed quickly in fresh clothes, and went into the bathroom where I did my speed groom: head in the faucet, towel dry, hair comb with fingers, Lavoris rinse, no shave. I checked myself for flaws. There were plenty. I’m in my late-thirties and look like a club fighter who’s stayed in the ring a few years too long.
I snapped off the bathroom light, crossed to the bed, and kissed Alexa. Aside from being my wife, she’s also my boss and heads the Detective Services Group at LAPD.
‘Wazzzzit?� she mumbled, rolling toward me and squinting up through tousled, black hair.
‘We got another one.�
Coming up to a sitting position immediately alert, she said, ‘Son of a bitch is six days early.�
Even in the half-light, Alexa took my breath away. Dark-eyed, with glossdy hair and the high cheekbones of a model, she could have easily made a living on the covers of fashion magazines. Instead, she was down at Parker Center, in the biggest boys club on earth. Alexa was the only staff rank female officer on the sixth floor of the Glass House. She was an excellent commander, and deft at politics, while managing to avoid becoming a politician.
‘The L.A. River?� she asked.
‘Yeah, another homeless guy dumped in the wash near Barham just inside our jurisdiction. I don’t know if the fingertips have been clipped off like the other two, but since it’s almost a week off his timeline, I’m praying it’s not our unsub.�
Unsub stood for Unknown Subject, what law enforcement called perpetrators who hadn’t been identified. We used to use words like him and his, but with more and more female perps, it no longer made sense to use a pronoun that eliminated half the population.
‘If the vic’s homeless and is dumped in the river, then it’s our unsub,� she said. ‘I better get downtown. Did dispatch call Tony?�
Police Chief Tony Filosiani was known affectionately by the troops as the Day-Glo Dago, a term earned because he was a kinetic fireplug from Brooklyn. The chief was a fair, hard-nosed leader who was a pretty good guy when he wasn’t causing havoc by reorganizing your division.�
RATING:
I gave this book 4 stars. It has a strong plot that held our attention.
STARTED READING � FINISHED READING
7/4/2021 � 7/17/2021
Print: 8/1/2005; St. Martin's Press; 1st edition; 978-0312269609; 384 pages.
Audio: 5/18/2006; Macmillan Audio; 978-1427220516; Duration 10:48:54; Unabridged; 9 parts
Feature Film or tv: Not that I know of.
Series: Shane Scully book 5
Main characters:
Shane Scully--LAPD
Alexandra (Alexa) Scully—LAPD
Chooch—Shane’s son, Alexa’s step-son
Zack Farrell � a Detective - Shane’s partner
SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
The case to solve in this episode is “the Fingertip Killer�. Working through it takes a lot of sleuthing and second-guessing to figure out. Not to mention a major talent in bullet-dodging.
AUTHOR:
Stephen Cannell (February 5, 1941 � September 30, 2010). According to Wikipedia, Stephen “was an American television producer, writer, novelist, and occasional actor, and the founder of Cannell Entertainment (formerly Stephen J. Cannell Productions) and the Cannell Studios.
After starting his career as a television screenwriter, Cannell created or co-created several dozen successful TV series from the 1970s to the 1990s, often with his creative partner Frank Lupo. Cannell's creations included The Rockford Files, The A-Team, The Greatest American Hero, 21 Jump Street, and The Commish. He also wrote novels, notably the Shane Scully mystery series.�
NARRATOR:
Scott Brick. (January/30/1966).
Scott’s edgy delivery is perfect for this series.
Excerpt in Audio File magazine from an interview: “Like most narrators, I was first an actor. For me, the "Aha!" moment came when I was a Theater major at UCLA and auditioned for a professor, Gary Gardner, at the beginning of my third year. He took me aside afterward and said, "What have you done with your voice? � I had no idea what he meant so I just said I didn’t do anything with it.
“No,� he said. “Somewhere over the summer you realized it was a very potent instrument and you learned how to use it." I just shook my head No, but I trusted that something might have happened, even if I couldn't recognize it. When I think back now to the beginning of my voiceover and audiobook career, it was that day in room 1330.
The cool third act of the story is that last year UCLA brought me back to the Theater Department as an instructor. I'm teaching two classes on campus, Audiobook Narration and Introduction to Voiceover, the latter of which was taught in room 1330. The first day of class, I stood in the spot where I'd stood all those years ago and told the class my story about Gary Gardner. . Then I went outside to the spot where Gary would always grab a smoke, what we call the Gary Gardner Memorial Bench, and thanked him.�
GENRE:
Fiction, Mystery, thriller, crime, police procedure
LOCATIONS:
Los Angeles, Venice Beach
TIME FRAME:
Current-2006
SUBJECTS:
Under Cover policing, crime, criminal gangs, family, Russians, guns
SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 1,
�2:30 AM
The phone jack-hammered me up out of a tangled dream.
‘Detective Scully?� a woman’s voice said. ‘This is Homicide Dispatch. You just caught a fresh one-eighty-seven. The DB is on Forest Lawn Drive one block east of Barham Boulevard, under the bridge.�
‘In the L.A. River again?� I sat up and grabbed my pants.
‘Yes sir. The patrol unit is there with the respondents. The blues say it looks like another homeless man so the duty desk at Homicide Special told us to give you the roll out.�
‘Isn’t that in Burbank? Have you notified the BPD?�
‘According to the site map, it’s just inside L.A., so there’s no jurisdictional problem. I need to give patrol and ETA.�
‘It’s gonna take me forty-five minutes.� I started to hang up, but hesitated, and added, ‘Have you notified my partner, Detective Farrell?�
‘We’ve been trying,� she replied carefully, then paused and said, ‘He’s not picking up.�
There was doubt and concern in her tone. Damn, I thought. Did even the civilian dispatchers in the Communications Division know Zack Farrell had become a lush?�
‘Keep trying,� I said, and hung up.
I rolled out of bed, trying not to wake my wife, dressed quickly in fresh clothes, and went into the bathroom where I did my speed groom: head in the faucet, towel dry, hair comb with fingers, Lavoris rinse, no shave. I checked myself for flaws. There were plenty. I’m in my late-thirties and look like a club fighter who’s stayed in the ring a few years too long.
I snapped off the bathroom light, crossed to the bed, and kissed Alexa. Aside from being my wife, she’s also my boss and heads the Detective Services Group at LAPD.
‘Wazzzzit?� she mumbled, rolling toward me and squinting up through tousled, black hair.
‘We got another one.�
Coming up to a sitting position immediately alert, she said, ‘Son of a bitch is six days early.�
Even in the half-light, Alexa took my breath away. Dark-eyed, with glossdy hair and the high cheekbones of a model, she could have easily made a living on the covers of fashion magazines. Instead, she was down at Parker Center, in the biggest boys club on earth. Alexa was the only staff rank female officer on the sixth floor of the Glass House. She was an excellent commander, and deft at politics, while managing to avoid becoming a politician.
‘The L.A. River?� she asked.
‘Yeah, another homeless guy dumped in the wash near Barham just inside our jurisdiction. I don’t know if the fingertips have been clipped off like the other two, but since it’s almost a week off his timeline, I’m praying it’s not our unsub.�
Unsub stood for Unknown Subject, what law enforcement called perpetrators who hadn’t been identified. We used to use words like him and his, but with more and more female perps, it no longer made sense to use a pronoun that eliminated half the population.
‘If the vic’s homeless and is dumped in the river, then it’s our unsub,� she said. ‘I better get downtown. Did dispatch call Tony?�
Police Chief Tony Filosiani was known affectionately by the troops as the Day-Glo Dago, a term earned because he was a kinetic fireplug from Brooklyn. The chief was a fair, hard-nosed leader who was a pretty good guy when he wasn’t causing havoc by reorganizing your division.�
RATING:
I gave this book 4 stars. It has a strong plot that held our attention.
STARTED READING � FINISHED READING
7/4/2021 � 7/17/2021
July 22, 2019
LAPD Detective Shane Scully is investigating a series of murders of homeless men dubbed the Fingertip killer case but by the powers vested in them by the Patriot Act and Homeland Security Act, FBI and CIA agents takes them off the case. Shane questions the Fed's motives and suspects they bury the facts along with the victims. So Scully must do his own undercover work that reveals a tangled and dangerous mess of Russian gangsters. To add aggravation to the job, Scully's partner Zack Farrell has gone off the rails after a divorce and to try to hide his disfunction from his LAPD bosses, Scully enlists the help of his Chief of Detectives wife Alexa to get Zack committed to psychological care.
I got lost in the morass of plots and characters, but it's always fun to go along for a ride with Cannell. Since he wrote for televison, his scenes are vivid - a Russian mobster's house, for example, has "enough nude statuary and crystal swag to decorate every whorehouse in New Orleans" - and his dialogue is sassy.
I got lost in the morass of plots and characters, but it's always fun to go along for a ride with Cannell. Since he wrote for televison, his scenes are vivid - a Russian mobster's house, for example, has "enough nude statuary and crystal swag to decorate every whorehouse in New Orleans" - and his dialogue is sassy.
July 10, 2017
Cold Hit by Stephen Cannell is the next Shane Scully story. "Shane and his partner, Zack, are trying to catch the Fingertip Killer. After 7 weeks and no leads a task force is set up and Scully butts heads with the task force commander, SAC Underwood. Scully doesn't believe he can catch the killer this way and convinces some other detectives to help him. So why does he end up being held by Homeland Security for 10 hours. What is the Russian Mob's involvement? Why do the CIA agent and the Russian attaché keep meeting? Who is the bad guy?"
The first half of this book was more about the politics of crime fighting than actual detective work - a little disappointing actually. Once there's some actual police work the story picks up. Crazy ending - shootout at the lake house. A decent Scully story.
The first half of this book was more about the politics of crime fighting than actual detective work - a little disappointing actually. Once there's some actual police work the story picks up. Crazy ending - shootout at the lake house. A decent Scully story.
April 13, 2018
This book is so full of similes, I was embarrassed for the author. I could not enjoy much of the mystery because of this. Scully's use of what he perceived as Southernisms were way off-base; I don't know who his consultant was for creating the Southern character, but it was awful.
I probably won't read another of this author's books because of the trite writing.
I probably won't read another of this author's books because of the trite writing.
April 6, 2018
Excellent police mystery. We wonder all along whodunnit and why. As the story progresses one is struck by the vulnerability of our world to those who wish to infiltrate security/communication and more
June 11, 2018
Another fun and exciting read with a familiar character. And the personality conflicts and slang cop talk again had me laughing out loud. This one included some psychology 101 and, of course, guessing who the "perp" could be. A pleasure from start to finish.
December 15, 2017
Always twists and turns in his books and that is why I like them! His characters are always so human and believable.
February 4, 2018
Great police detective novel by a writer of some of my favorite "old" TV shows!
September 6, 2018
Detective Shane Scully beats the odds again....
October 19, 2018
a page turner, I couldn't put it down!
June 17, 2019
Best mystery in the series so far.
August 14, 2019
Why do authors think that having a character being a drunk makes them interesting?
Read
April 13, 2020I binge read the series during Pandemic and found them all quite entertaining. And in the early ones, I was very surprised by the insight the characters had. I wasn't expecting that
July 5, 2020
2.5 stars. Kept my interest.
DD@Phila
DD@Phila
September 22, 2020
Storyline iffy, but well written
February 9, 2021
Good action. Keeps you reading to see what happens next.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
February 16, 2021Killing off a dog, within the first few minutes no less, and I’m out; this is my personal number one deal-breaker.
June 28, 2021
Pretty good installment.
Finished this and went directly to the next in the series.
Finished #6 in one day...bang on!!
Finished this and went directly to the next in the series.
Finished #6 in one day...bang on!!
June 28, 2021
A lot of 1970s detective TV tropes here, including yet another dip into the world of organized crime. I guess it sells books.
July 6, 2021
We all have a history that lays beneath the surface, hidden from all but a few.
Who do you trust to watch your back?
Who do you trust to watch your back?
August 6, 2022
Read in 2006. Sinister government conspiracy.
November 9, 2023
Well done� Detective protagonist Shane Scully takes on his partner,the department,home land security,and spies to solve a serial murder case.
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