The People’s Police by Norman Spinrad

Published: February 7th 2017

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Martin Luther Martin is a hard-working New Orleans cop who has come up from the gangland of Alligator Swamp through hard work. When he has to serve his own eviction notice, he decides he’s had enough and agrees to spearhead a police strike.

Brothel owner and entrepreneur J. B. Lafitte finds himself in a tight spot when his whorehouse in the Garden District goes into foreclosure. The fat cats responsible for the real estate collapse after Katrina didn’t differentiate between social strata or vocation.

MaryLou Boudreau, aka Mama Legba, is a television star and voodoo queen—with a difference. The loas really do speak through her.

In the television studio, Martin, hoping for publicity for the strike and support from the people, calls for them to make a stand against the banks, corporate fat cats, and corrupt politicians. And his question, “What will it take?”, changes everything in the Big Easy.

What a unique and compelling book. A huge, thank you to Tor Books for the review copy! This is one of the greatest politically charged novels I have ever read.

Spinrad has a strong voice and an even stronger view on politics. Some borders on anarchy, and for this story–it absolutely works. It makes the reader turn the pages as fast as they can, devouring every word!

New Orleans has a fascinating culture and city, so this already was a huge selling point of the story. It served as an amazing backdrop to weave such strong political views into.

I have always had an interest in the world of voodoo and what it means to the people of New Orleans. It was interesting to understood how much this religion is revered and practiced both in the city and the surrounding swamplands.

In this current day, it is rather scary how accurate and believable ‘The People’s Police‘ actually is. This sort of anarchy could easily happen today.

Brilliant book.

Worthy of a second read!