The Sticking Place by T. B. Smith

This is not a mystery in the usual sense of the word. But I think anyone interested in mysteries would like this book. The story follows two rookies in the San Diego police department, Luke and Denny. The reader follows along with them as they go out on patrol, confront criminals and other unsavory characters, deal with political pressures on the department, and personal struggles. Luke has a graduate degree in English lit and eases his stress by quoting appropriate lines from Shakespeare. At times this seems a little forced but its an interesting twist. You get a real sense of the emotional demands placed on them by this kind of work. This is a first novel, I think, but it reads like Smith plans more books about these two. My only knowledge of police procedures comes from tv shows but the action in this book seems very real.