Far From the Beat?

Joseph Wambaugh “is what he has always been,” writes Jim Newton (“The Beat Goes On,” May 28). Wrong. Wambaugh may still be “irascible, opinionated and perceptive” but he no longer has “his ear tuned to the cadence and language of the beat,” simply because he has distanced himself too far from that very beat.

One cannot live in a “spacious home behind a security gate” with all the other amenities of a wealthy man and have the feel for the streets.

Wambaugh’s books now reflect his current lifestyle, far from the nitty-gritty, with settings in Palm Springs, Newport Beach and now Point Loma and the San Diego Yacht Club.

EDWIN O. LEARNARD

San Diego