"Lima Thirty-Six" Is An Intense Police Adventure Written By A Local Law Enforcement Officer

Author J.L. Hoffman with his book, Lima Thirty-Six

By Thomas Leturgey

[Originally published in the Valley Mirror newspaper. Select print copies of this issue of the Valley Mirror are available via tom.leturgey@gmail.com, $2 including postage and handling.]

J.L. Hoffman is quite serious about his work. A second-generation law enforcement officer, Hoffman, didn’t initially want to go into police work. But as a young man he took a security job that interacted with men and women in blue. Add to that the respect and admiration he had for his father—a 37-year veteran on the job—Hoffman soon knew what he wanted to do with his life and career.

The Mon Valley native earned his degree in Criminal Justice and in 1996 began his career in law enforcement.

During COVID and the pandemic of 2020, Hoffman took solace in writing fiction, but initially “shelved” the first 10-page chapter he crafted.

Hoffman says he was later inspired by a particular comment from a friend on social media—a retired corrections officer who also watched news of riots and unrest—and he pulled the project from the shelf in 2021.

“I learned when I was younger, I had an ability to write,” he said recently. For 27 years he has written police reports and detailed narratives on use of force incidents, but not fiction. “I wrote about the anti-police movement.”

Invigorated, the veteran officer sometimes wrote for three hours at a time and quickly felt he had the beginning of a novel. At times frustrated, he’d toss whole chapters away and curse himself out in the process. But the next day he’d write more. He never expected the “passing time” project to go anywhere, but as he shared his thoughts with friends and colleagues, they encouraged him to continue putting pen to paper.

In February, Hoffman, 52, completed his passion project and with it, “Lima Thirty-Six: A John Macandale Novel” was born.

A self-published work, Hoffman ordered and sold over 200 autographed softcover copies to fellow officers, friends and family. He noticed that the quick, 226-page read was something that readers shared with one another. His own Aunt was surprised to read J.L.’s work. His target audience was for fellow law enforcement professionals, but he’s glad to learn that “civilians” are gaining an education and enjoying the book.

Hoffman wrote about what he knows. Police work, law enforcement and current events. A well-thought-out and researched observer, Hoffman routinely posts extremely detailed and precise opinions on police-related news items.

 The creation of the “complex” Macandale emerged from the actions of riots that saw local roads closed and businesses looted by protesters. Hoffman has done his research. There aren’t other police and “vigilante” procedurals about that relatively recent time in U.S. history.

According to the description on Amazon, “John Macandale was a respected police officer in the small town of Logan, Pennsylvania. Happily married, he only wanted to serve his community and work until retirement. But in a time when the anti-police movement gained power and influence, it just wasn't meant to be. Following a high-profile use of force incident and subsequent murder attempt against him and his wife at their home, Macandale's ordered existence soon turned to chaos.”

Logan, Pennsylvania is a fictitious Western Pennsylvania town, but Pittsburgh, and a local television news station play roles in the action.

The book’s story starts with exposition and moves quickly. Hoffman calls it a “ground level” story about a small-town police officer before things go sideways in a “high profile incident.” It is filled with law enforcement lingo and exacting detail to all the police equipment. “Lima Thirty-Six” is Macandale’s sign and badge number. That was intentional. So was the graphic violence contained in the novel.

Hoffman enjoyed Stephen King’s “early works” and is a fan of Robert B. Parker, author of the “Spencer for Hire” books, but his favorite is “First Blood” David Morrell’s epic novel about Vietnam veteran John Rambo. There’s a lot of those characters—as well as Frank Castle, the “Punisher”—another of Hoffman’s favorites. But there are also “real life” arguments, situations and cases in the pages of Macandale’s adventure.

“Initially, [Macandale] was different than how he comes out,” Hoffman says. “He does some violent and dark things. He does have a lot of complexities. He is an honorable person who has weak spots and vulnerabilities.

“I relate to his frustrations,” he says. “He’s generally an easy-going guy who reaches a breaking point.” And while Macandale is driven to extremes, Hoffman explained in the interview, there are certain aspects of his personality that don’t stop being a police officer.

 “Lima Thirty-Six” is a page turner that—spoiler alert—sets up for a sequel J.L. already has in motion. “I have written about 20 pages,” he says. And what if “Lima Thirty-Six” catches Hollywood’s attention? Hoffman believes that would never happen since the book is “anti-Hollywood”.

“All I want is for people to read it,” he says. “It’s controversial. It’s one of those stories that will make some people uncomfortable, but there is an actual human element to it.”

[In addition to the few remaining print copies (he’ll order more if the demand is strong), there’s also a Kindle version of the book for sale on Amazon.]

The link is below.

LIMA THIRTY-SIX: A JOHN MACANDALE NOVEL https://a.co/d/8XFxIt5