The best book I have ever read about the LAPD, 'One Time' is former LAPD officer Brian S. Bentley's pseudo-memoir about working for the LAPD. After it was published, Bentley was interrogated for 12 hours by the LAPD about events in the book, and decided to resign following a lengthy investigation into his life and LAPD career.
'One Time' pulls no punches and holds absolutely nothing back. I stumbled upon this book in the LA Public library in downtown LA a few years ago, and decided to read it again this year. It is one of the only books that ges my adrenaline flowing. It is so uncompromising and brutal, that it made me seriously reconsider pursuing a career in law enforcement, for fear of turning into the kind of officer and person that Bentley admitted to becoming.
If you read one book about the LAPD, read this one. Forget all those mysteries or ghost written books by Mark Fuhrman or Joseph Wambaugh, this book tells it like it is. It's an easy and compelling read, and I just can't say enough good things about it. In my opinion, Bentley is like Edward Bunker in that he writes what he knows about the criminal underworld in Los Angeles, and he sugar coats absolutely nothing.
I emailed Bentley about his book after I read it the first time, and he was gracious enough to respond to my email. That has nothing to do with the book, but I just thought I'd mention it, as I think it's pretty cool.
Bentley's writing style is as unpretentious as it gets. Don't look for metaphors, symbolism or hidden meanings here. Bentley lays all his cards on the table, and what you see is what you get.
And what you get is an amazing book that will shake you to your very core.
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