These case must change you, there's no way you can remain the same innocent, naive person after going through experiences like this. There's 36 chapters each with accounts of cases or interaction with colleagues. There are some lighthearted chapters about the pranks that they pulled on each other 'meeouw': Zach worked in the city where lots of cases were drug related, and drugged up people do some crazy twisted dark shit when they are under the influence. I have a deep respect for the author based on this book.
Sure he is paranoid as hell can't blame him though and I would never try to approach him on the street, but he cares and made a difference where he could especially in the cases with children. Now I have to somehow forget about all these things I've just read otherwise there's no ways I'm falling asleep tonight.
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Curbchek-Reload: 2nd Edition (Unabridged)
Jul 15, Jeannie Walker rated it it was amazing. It is probably true that most people feel they are exempt from the law one reason or another. Everyone thinks they are special and can speed through school zones, smoke meth, drive drunk, beat their spouse - whaever they want to do and when the cops show up - they respond just like the Mountain in this novel who said, "Why don't you go out and arrest some real criminals and leave me alone?
This female It is probably true that most people feel they are exempt from the law one reason or another. This female was quiet, smart and the first ride-along he actually thought might be able to become a good cop. But, sometimes things get out of hand. It was written by a good author as well as a real-life good cop who knows how to write good novels as well as fight crime. I encourage everyone to go along for the ride - but be sure to put on your bullet-proof vest and fasten your seat belts.
It is going to be a wild ride. Jul 20, Joe rated it it was amazing. Have you ever wanted to go on a ride-along with the cops because you thought it would be cool? Did you ever watch the show COPS and think they had a tough job? Well you haven't seen anything until you have read Curbchek-Reload.
Fortier takes you on a ride with him at many of his most difficult, violent, heart wrenching, and disturbing calls. Some of these will make you question your own sanity. You will read things you never thought could be true, but they are. My dad is a cop and I used to alwa Have you ever wanted to go on a ride-along with the cops because you thought it would be cool? My dad is a cop and I used to always ask him about his calls.
These guys are everyday heroes, but they will never welcome being called that. Do I want to go on a ride-along? No chance…and especially not with Zach. This was a great read Jul 20, Stephanie rated it really liked it Shelves: This is a really interesting albeit graphic book about a cop's real world stories patrolling a dangerous area of a major city. It's interesting to see these crimes from the point of view of an experienced cop.
He talks openly about the emotion and paranoia that comes with the job. The media makes it seem like most cops are just like us, but after reading this book I see that this job is emotionally exhausting and takes a toll on their personal lives. The book is mostly well-written, and Fortier This is a really interesting albeit graphic book about a cop's real world stories patrolling a dangerous area of a major city. The book is mostly well-written, and Fortier makes the reader feel like he or she is there with him.
I found it captivating, and it was a quick read. Jul 22, Kayleigh rated it really liked it. Curbchek Reload's tagline is "Curbchek's darker, meaner cousin" and hoo-boy is that on the money! Following the already dark and gritty release of Curbchek my review here , Curbchek Reload ramps everything up a level, the cops, the criminals, the anger and frustration Once again Fortier embraces a loose chronological formation, with each chapter encompassing a self-contained Curbchek Reload's tagline is "Curbchek's darker, meaner cousin" and hoo-boy is that on the money!
Once again Fortier embraces a loose chronological formation, with each chapter encompassing a self-contained story that illuminates the difficulties that come with maintaining law and order, Fortier's own fallibility, and some insight into the general ills of today's society.
Curbchek was pretty bleak, but much of the book centred around Fortier and his own personal demons. Curbchek Reload, however, is much more about the bureaucracy and bullshit that stops police from being able to do their job, and how frustrating this is for the men and women on the front line. Like many of the books I've been reading lately this isn't a particularly happy book, but it provided a valuable insight into a world that, in all honesty, I'm unlikely to ever see first hand.
Because the two books have such similarities in terms of style I'm going to direct you to my earlier review the link's above for more on that, and focus specifically on several of the chapters that occur in Fortier's latest book. Each chapter, ranging in length from 2 pages to 12, examine the many elements of life as a cop. Some focus on the lighter side of things, such as pranks between cops or between Fortier and some employees at the hospital, some look at some of the menial and annoying aspects of being a cop, like the ride-a-long, and some are much darker examinations of the criminal underbelly of the city.
Here are a few of the chapters that I found the most interesting, disturbing, funny or eye-opening. First though, a warning, a couple of these stories are not pleasant at all. Warned but Ignored In this chapter Fortier was called to the house of a man who wanted to report himself as a threat. The man, though he looked innocent enough, admitted to wanting to hurt the children on his street.
However, because he hadn't actually done anything the best Fortier could do was have him committed to a psych ward as "suicidal". Although Fortier explained the issue to the attendants at the psych ward, the man was released the next day when he was deemed to be an attention seeker and went on to abduct and viciously rape a girl that lived on his street. It's a heartbreaking story, and it made my blood boil to think about the poor girl who suffered such a horrendous attack from a man who knew he was going to do it.
It's one of the clear issues with police and areas of government also where the focus is on fixing or solving, rather than preventing such atrocities. But what could they do?
Curbchek-Reload by Zach Fortier
If someone hasn't done anything yet you clearly can't lock them away, so what's the solution? Dreaming About Lassie and the Land Shark This was one of my favourites, the first in a string of stories about Fortier's adventure into the K9 unit. Other than knowing that training is hard work and that police dogs are awesome, I know very little about police dogs so this was informative and a nice reprieve from the devastation of much of the book!
This chapter details Zach's long desire to be part of the K9 unit, as well as discussing the dog he was finally paired up with, Emo, and the difficulty Zach came across with Emo. It's a revealing look at Zach himself the behaviour of the dogs often mirror their trainer but it's light, funny and leads into a series of chapters that are absolutely fantastic. Two well-meaning but naive young adults decide to live as their parents lived in the s. Free love, no possessions, relying on the kindness of strangers and the empty railway cars for their new existence. Unfortunately times they are a-changing.
Choosing flight over fight, the boy ran off and left the girl to be raped, beaten and cut by a vagrant who took advantage of their idealistic and trusting personalities. The world-wearied cop knows that we're living in a different world to our parents, he's seen the anger and disgust and heartbreak that take over the streets after dark.
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The university-aged couple, however, were full of youthful exuberance and positivity and are full of the romantic notions of living like a Jack Kerouac character. It's sad to think that these two amongst the s, s, or s across the world have had their dreams crash around them and will never trust as openly or as freely ever again.
Zach Fortier's books might be a touch dark, but I find them completely illuminating and intoxicating reads. Be mindful of the content and language, but be sure to search out a copy of this book for yourself. Apr 18, Aimeekay rated it it was amazing. As the fine print on the front cover states this is CurbChek's darker, meaner, cousin.
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Please do not ignore these words. This book takes you more than just one step further into Zach Fortier's world. This one is just as good as it's predecessors. Fortier is straight forward and quite blunt in his description of his life on he force. Though I really hate to use the word blunt since it sounds so negative. But he doesn't try to sugar coat the realities he faced everyday.
He does however paint an am As the fine print on the front cover states this is CurbChek's darker, meaner, cousin. He does however paint an amazingly vivid picture of what he went through and while it isn't always pretty it still catches the eye and draws one in. Forcing you to look even when you would normally want to turn away. True life is sometimes harsh and cruel, and as I said before the author doesn't shy away from painting it as he sees it.
But there in lies why his books are so good, he doesn't try to paint it any differently then what it is.
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He just lays it all bare. Even the positive parts aren't embellished or tarted up to make them into a fairy tale ending, and somehow it makes them even more meaningful that way. As I just said not everything in his newest book is negative. Whether he means to or not, he also introduces us to some people who actually would want there to be a difference in the world they are living in.
Or maybe they just stand out more because of the filth they are surrounded by in their daily lives Fortier lets us see some of the positive effects he had on people. While I don't know if it completely balances out all of the bad, it definitely proves he wasn't always out there for no reason. He did make a difference in peoples lives. We also get introduced to some of the people he worked with who he actually liked and got along with.
Plus his partner EMO, from his time in the K-9 unit. I want to see a picture of Lassie the Land Shark! Also to balance out a lot of the darker moments there are some down right funny one. I found myself laughing on more than one occasion and making people read what I read just to watch them laugh too. Now notice I said read what I read not I read it out loud to them. Some of these funny parts are dirty in their own way too, so please don't hand this book over to a youngster who might be interested in police work, or reality t. Definitely not appropriate for under Unless you are easily offended you will find yourself laughing at certain parts as well.
Getting back to the "not for under 18" and the part about it being "CurbCheK's darker, meaner cousin", in short it is. It is much darker than Curbchek was, at least in certain spots, and if you've read CurbCheK you know that it was already dark. But unless you are truly easily offended I wouldn't let this deter you from reading this newest book by Fortier. Yes the author takes the reader to dark places, places that reflect both the world he was physically in as well as the darkness that he was mentally in at the time. But it also shines a light on these places.
Showing them to the outside world, so that maybe the person reading it can get a glimpse into life in the darker places and the people who inhabit them. It also shines a light into the psyche of the police who go into this world everyday. They have to adapt to survive there, otherwise the things they see might send them screaming into the night.
Also the funny parts aren't all dirty or dark, there are a few that are just plain funny. If you enjoyed, or were intrigued, by either one, or both, of Fortier's first two books, definitely pick this one up. It is worth it.
If you have never read the author's work before I still highly recommend reading this one. Just remember I did warn you that there are some graphic and disturbing scenes. Aug 28, Tammy rated it liked it. This book was mean, in more ways than one. And believe me, these stories are pretty horrific. Perhaps being a cop for twenty-five years gives one the ability to put emotions on the back burner, but reading his matter-of-fact accounts simply made me feel sorry for him.
I wanted more of an overall arc to the book, a sense that the author has a point to make at the end, a conclusion that perhaps his many years as a cop were worth the agony, sadness and tediousness of the job. But CurbChek Reload simply ends as abruptly as it begins. After reading so many gruesome accounts of murder, domestic abuse, drug deals gone bad, and even bestiality, I was hoping for an epiphany of sorts from Fortier.
What has he learned from all this pain? What conclusions has he drawn about the human race? I can tell that he feels anger, toward both his fellow cops and society in general, but as a driving emotion, anger gets old fast.
Curbchek-Reload
I wanted a spark of optimism at the end, something that left me feeling that life is worth living. Aside from one chapter where Fortier saves a woman from committing suicide, I felt very little hope. Sentences flow smoothly, and much of the cop slang that bothered me in the first book is thankfully absent.
But good writing aside, I can only recommend this book to people who love to be shocked and grossed out. Many thanks to the author for supplying a review copy. Apr 23, Lisa rated it it was amazing. Send us a new image. Is this product missing categories? Checkout Your Cart Price. Like the two previous books, Curbchek and Streetcreds, it is based on real events that happened to Zach Fortier during a thirty year career in Law Enforcement.
Curbchek-Reload is a dark account of the final years of Zach's time spent as a cop, He is damaged and paranoid. Having survived frequent life and death battles. He is taking dangerous risks and pushing himself to the limits. Winner of the Book Pipeline competition. Finalist Book Excellence Awards for thrillers. Short list finalist in Chanticleer Clue book awards contest. Awarded Official selection x2 in the New Apple Book awards contest.
Zach Fortier was a police officer for over 30 years, specializing in K-9, SWAT, gang, domestic violence and sex crimes as an investigator.
He has written five books about Police work. The third book is by far the most gritty: Zach's fifth book is just out and is titled "Landed On Black" and covers the constant state of hyper-vigilance required to survive the double crosses and betrayals that occurred on the streets and in the police department.
Zach's latest book I am Raymond Washington, provides the reader with an unprecedented look into the life of the original founder of the Crips gang. Filled with eyewitness accounts and recollections from friends and family give the reader a look into the life of the Original Crip. If you like True Crime, take a look at Zach Fortier. You wont be disappointed. Are you an author? Help us improve our Author Pages by updating your bibliography and submitting a new or current image and biography. Learn more at Author Central. Popularity Popularity Featured Price: Low to High Price: