Book review: Green Sun, by Kent Anderson

Kent Anderson PIC: Manolo Mylonas

It's 1983, and in a violent, drug-ridden California suburb, Police Officer Hanson fights crime in the most unusual of ways. While most of his colleagues are focused only on meeting arrest quotas, Hanson believes in becoming a part of the impoverished, mostly black community that he has sworn to protect. Living within the boundaries of Oakland, he plays the role of peacemaker and all-round good cop '“ earning respect from those he serves, but pushing the boundaries of his role as an officer of the law.

This is the third instalment of Hanson’s story. The first, Sympathy For The Devil (1989), detailed his time as a special forces soldier in Vietnam, while the second, Night Dogs (1996), saw him working as a police officer in Portland, Oregon. In Green Sun, his unorthodox approach to solving crimes continues to frustrate most of his colleagues. As he charges into dangerous situations alone and fixes problems using his negotiation skills rather than official rules, we are quickly led to question whether his attitude is the result of sheer naivety or of bravado born out of his service in Vietnam.