Probing By Fire by Stephen Grave

[Bren10]

This is my little review/random observations on the Miami Vice novel Probing By Fire by Stephen Grave. Beware spoilers bookwise. These books also contain light profanity. Cover art is 3rd season.

https://www.amazon.com/Probing-Fire-Miami-Stephen-Grave/dp/0352320222/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Probing+by+fire+Stephen+grave&qid=1577929383&s=books&sr=1-1

The book is an adaptation of both Back In The World and Stone's War combined. For any who are interested, I read most of this while listening to my Xmas present which I highly recommend here:

https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Mans-Pop-4CD-1LP/dp/B07STGZMCH/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Replacements+dead+man's+pop&qid=1577929429&s=music&sr=1-1

Probing by fire in the book is defined as, "When you were out on night patrol and were uncertain of the enemy's position, you fired several rounds at where you thought he might be lurking...and if he shot back, then you had him. That was probing by fire". 

The description of the opening stakeout at the runway is very reminiscent of the opening of Prodigal Son, almost to the point that I wondered if I had the right book. Sonny is armed with an M15A in this scene. Apocalypse Now, reportedly Mann's favorite film, is referenced a few times. Stone is described as having reddish balding hair, a ruddy beard and stache, and a stocky build. I kept picturing a young George Dzundza in the role. Instead of opening the proceedings in the book, the flashback scene of Stone showing Sonny Scotty Shepard's body being used as a heroin mule (on the US Midway) takes place after the failed bust on the runway. Mysteriously, the actual branch of the military Sonny is in is not mentioned by name. But his attending jumpschool is, as well as him owning a Fightin' 91st cigarette lighter. Anyway, before the aircraft carrier scene but leading into it, we get an entire combat sequence taking place in the city of Saigon itself along with Scotty Shepard before he dies. So anyone who wants to actually experience Sonny in action while in "Nam, I recommend they read this. It's not a lot but it's something. Stone's nickname for Sonny is "Crockers" and it is used liberally. Apparently Switek is known as Ernie to his family back in Kansas City. Zito isn't in attendance but is referred to once as Tommy Ray Zito, but is also called Larry later on. There are plenty of Doors references, as would be expected. Crockett and Tubbs rough up Dakotah pretty hard, more so than in the episode. There is mention of concern about slowly burning out on the job which I find interesting considering that this story starts only in the 2nd season. Stone does not steal the Spyder here because-and this is the biggest deviation from the entire series-it is the Spyder that gets forked and compacted by the garbage truck in the night escape scene. There are implications, though it is not directly stated, that the garbage truck was remote-controlled. Sonny uses an M16 that he keeps on the St Vitus to rescue Stone. The end of Back In The World with Stone shot is pretty emotional.

6 weeks pass between eps here. There is no mention of a wardrobe change or Sonny getting a haircut. He does, however, smoke throughout this whole thing when in actuality he would've quit somewhere in there (I think). There is more story past the Back In The World conclusion. We get to see Sonny receive his first replacement vehicle after the Spyder, which is a beat-up, dark brown 1972 Comet and not the Chevy truck. It gets a little over the top with how awful the car is but I understand it's for comic relief, after all this story is pretty heavy. In the book, Sonny's tv is built-in and has no jack for Stone's camera unlike in the show where he claims to have no tv at all. O'Hara is a big, white guy with short, red hair and of Irish descent in this. That makes a little more sense given the name. And he is an odious SOB in this. Every bit as bad as Raymond Forchion's portrayal, if not worse because you actually get inside his head for a little bit. The scene of Stone getting chased and shot at and escaping on the back of the van is explained to Sonny in retrospect and not seen in real time. Sonny doesn't get hit and knocked out on the St Vitus, but is tazered in the chest and is knocked out from that by O'Hara's partner Bittenhaus, who has an Amish-style, horshoe beard. So the henchmen are "Irish and Amish" for all intents and purposes. We find out that Stone had foreknowledge of the attack on the village of Ascension but chose not to warn anyone so that he could get his big story. This makes him a WAY darker character imo. He even equates that with the junkies and informants that Sonny has put in danger so he could bust the big kingpins of the world, and throws it in Sonny's face. Nasty. Crockett tries to take Stone to Tubbs' place to stay but it is here that Tubbs promptly arrests him for the warrants on him. Also, Tubbs says he got a visit from the feds himself looking for Stone, but this encounter was non-threatening. The meeting with Maynard and the duplicate tape takes place at Miami International on the airfield area and not the parking garage like the episode. The encounter with judge Zarvo in the elevator is longer and more threatening, to the point that Tubbs gets concerned. Jimmy from Smuggler's Blues is mentioned and... he's dead. Sorry everybody. Finally, Stone is tortured with the .22 pistol while hung up like we see him earlier, not while on the floor like the ep. Sonny has to cut him down, ultimately. The final shootout is essentially the same with Sonny getting hit and Stone dying in another emotional, but necessarily shorter scene because C&T have to give chase to Maynard. This actually resolves in a pretty cool way as Maynard waits at the plane to see if they would pursue. But they have to stop short many yards away because Maynard has machine gunners to either side of him. So Maynard and C&T face off from a safe distance with Maynard giving a mock salute and boarding the plane for takeoff. The book ends differently not with Sonny alone with the radio, but with Rico fishing on the St Vitus with him as they hear the message. Some of that "sanity maintenance" is in order.

Overall, I have to say I really enjoyed reading this. I liked it more than China White, which is the Golden Triangle adaptation. (And that actual ep I always thought was a bit of a mess anyway, inspite of all the good things it has going for it). But I am a little biased since I have an interest in all things Viet Nam (right Robbie?). I don't know how deep the other novels go into Crockett's past pre-Vice because I haven't read them yet, but I highly recommend this one for that very reason, even if it isn't "canon" per se.

 

 

[IA-SteveB]

Nice review.

I can still remember reading this book and not knowing that they were adaptations from episodes.  One night I had Miami Vice episodes streaming while I was reading this book early on.  I didn't really pay much attention to what episode it was or what was going on.  I had read through a conversation between Crockett and Stone when they met again and not more than ten minutes later, the exact conversation was on the television.  My mind picked up on it and I was like, "what the heck is going on here?"  I had to look at the book again to see if it was based on anything.  Sure enough ...    I just randomly selected an episode to play for background noise and it was the book I was reading.  I played the lottery the next day but there is no Testarossa sitting in my driveway as a result.