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Glenn Wood

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The Laughing Policeman: My Brilliant Career in the New Zealand Police (The Laughing Policeman Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Glenn Wood (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.8 610 ratings

Book 1 of 2: The Laughing Policeman

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*Amazon #1 Humour - #1 Memoirs and Biographies*

"What a delight this book was! The autobiographical book was very well written, and his entertaining, dry humor made me laugh out loud frequently!"

" I found his writing very entertaining with several belly laughs, lots of chuckles and even some snorts. Great book!"

"If you don't laugh at this, I don't think you can!"

The Laughing Policeman: My Brilliant Career in the New Zealand Police is the hilarious account of Glenn’s adventures as a police cadet from the time he first thought of the idea as a naïve teenager who hoped the uniform might attract girls, to his first nervous and calamitous months on the beat.

A multitude of disasters accompany Glenn during his testing year at police training college. No-one is more surprised than he is to survive, relatively intact, the physical, intellectual and emotional challenges of such a rigorous course and to emerge as a highly-trained, competent police constable. Well, more or less…

This is a warm and funny book that was a best seller in New Zealand but will appeal to anyone who loves a laugh.
This popular book has been re-edited and updated as an ebook.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CNXRBTK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ ; 2nd edition (May 5, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 5, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 613 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 257 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #772,769 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,015 in Law Enforcement Biographies
- #4,130 in Historical Biographies (Kindle Store)
- #6,031 in Humor (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
3.8 610 ratings

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Glenn Wood

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Hi. I'm Glenn Wood but then you already know that because you've come to my page. I'm a freelance writer with four published books - Two about my misadventures in the Police and two children's books - The Brain Sucker and The Bully Chip (not available on Kindle yet but released in all good bookstores in Australia and New Zealand). I surf. I like dogs, and cats, Hell, let's just include the whole animal kingdom and be done with it (except those monkeys with the red butts, they're just plain weird).

To find more of my writing go to glennw.substack.com

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5

610 global ratings

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Ralph E. Vaughan

Brilliantly Snarky

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2014

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When I first picked up this book, I expected a rather dry, yet interesting account of a life in law enforcement in New Zealand, much as Chester Porter's autobiography was an account of a life in Australia's legal system. I quite forgot that "brilliant" has a particular meaning in the Queen's English, very often with a snarky twist. During the course of this book, Glenn Wood proves himself quite snarky, often wonkey and at times even a bit gonzo. It is one of the funniest books I have ever read, eliciting from me quiet chuckles, not-so-quiet guffaws, and even peals of laughter accompanied by tears. I frequently annoyed the Wife with my outbursts, and annoyed She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed even further by sharing aloud the bit that amused me...well, at least the ones not too profane for mixed company. She laughed too.

Woods has a deft touch when it comes to relating the events of his life in an absurd and absorbing manner. He begins with his life just before deciding to join the police and ends with his starting out as a working police officer, but he majority of the book is occupied by his quasi-military and usually harrowing training period as a police cadet. Though the narrative is not quite in the same vein as the "Police Academy" films, he nonetheless manages to portray himself and his fellow cadets and instructors (all whom you get to know quite well) as if they were players in a Ritz Brothers' film, with the film written and directed by the inmates of Bedlam. The lengthy periods of hilarity are tempered now and then with moments of deep feeling and insight. The vocabulary is not American English, of course, but the humor transcends national and cultural divides.

4 people found this helpful

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Kathleen Lovell

Interesting read

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2013

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This book is a quick read with quite a bit of humor. The characters are rich and varied. I would recommend this to any one in law enforcement , people interested in New Zealand mores and morals. A few places were rough but still readable. I actually wanted more. Sequel, maybe? Light, enjoyable. Great for rookies in law enforcement ,partners of cops.

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2014

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The book was well written, but I started losing interest as I went along. I did finish the story, but felt it was pretty much the same things retold throughout. If I would have stopped reading about half way through as I felt like doing, I wouldn't have missed a whole lot. The author has a second book in the works which takes the reader into his career after his training. I think I would have enjoyed his story a lot more if he would have made one book out of the two. If the next book is anything like the first I think he could have tightened up his storytelling and come up with a much higher rating.

Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2014

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What a delight this book was! The autobiographical book was very well written, and his entertaining, dry humor made me laugh out loud frequently! It's probably the most well-written, entertaining book I've read in a long time. I finished it too quickly, and as soon as I did, the sequel to it popped up on my Kindle, and I bought it and began reading it immediately.

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Debbie G.

Light Entertaining Reading

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2016

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I bought this for my husband who's a retired detective, so this is more his review than mine. He's in the process of reading now, and he says it's funny in spots. Having seen his own share of nutty arrests, situations that didn't go as planned, etc. he may be a tough audience. I read just a few pages of it and found it entertaining -- I liked Glenn Wood's way of telling a story. It's not constant hilarity, but you'll have a good time imagining his experiences and you'll be smiling a lot.

Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2014

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A fun read with insights into police work outside the US. There were a few laugh out loud moments. I found the change of perspective to an immature, and less than gung ho cop to be refreshingly honest.

Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015

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While the book was amusing it was more like one of those articles they publish in a magazine that requires you to buy more copies to find our how it ends. I guess I shouldn't complain since it was less than half the price of a real book.

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2013

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Just finished reading and sorry it ended. Some could write about their experience and bore you to death, however, this story will leave you laughing for days. The author is very honest about his shortcomings and does't try to blow himself up. In other words it is a simple, easy read story, and totally enjoyable

8 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Cathie

Fast-paced and funny!

Reviewed in Canada on September 27, 2020

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This peak into the New Zealand Police Force is a really enjoyable read. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the stories and touched by others.

Kindle Customer

Unfinished copy

Reviewed in Australia on August 28, 2022

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I enjoyed the book right up to the bit that said, "Nearly the end." Surely an editor would have picked up such a glaring, unsatisfactory, not only omission but pathetic conclusion to the book. I'm not sure whether I'd bother reading another book by the same author. Maybe the author needs a different editor?

Mrs. J. A. Flisher

If you want a very enjoyable read, then this is the book for you.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2015

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By accident my first encounter with Glen Wood's books meant that I read his 2nd book first, which I thoroughly enjoyed. His writing style means that his books are very easy to read and contain the right amount of humour but also the more dark side of police work. When I found this book then I couldn't wait to share another episode of his adventures in becoming a police officer in New Zealand. I was interested to read that he was dyslexic (but not surprised) and I suspect he is Dyspraxic as well, hence his ability to trip over things which led to his Gonzo nickname.

Jennifer90

The Laughing Policeman

Reviewed in Germany on December 12, 2014

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It is a funny book and gives a nice insight into New Zealand's police training. Still, I was disappointed that the book just finished when the author starts his real job after training. Still, a nice and quick read.

Bruce Y.

Police Academy in NZ

Reviewed in Canada on October 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

A rollicking good read ! It's shades of Police Academy in NZ in the 60's. I love these first person accounts & especially when they're from another country/culture, so I can learn something about it, as well (yes, I'm a teacher & a history major, with a sociology minor). Our hero experiences his coming of age in a quaint & primitive training facility. We learn that his class will become the last class to inhabit it. Having spent a year in residence at our city's teachers college - boarding in one of 3 or 4 huts that were built at the start of WW2 by the RCAF. The intention was that they would last only for the duration, but, were still being inhabited by us hapless high school graduates 30 years later !
I appreciated that he was very transparent, showing himself to us, "warts & all." I'm looking fwd to reading the part 2, when I get around to it.

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The Laughing Policeman: My Brilliant Career in the New Zealand Police (The Laughing Policeman Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

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Glenn Wood

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