The wire

THE WIRE is one of the most critically acclaimed drama series in the history of television. It portrays the war of attrition between Baltimore's hardened police force and its drug dealers, and the blurring of good and evil, justice and injustice, and right and wrong that happens every day as men and women struggle against the insitutions they are bound up in. Over its five series it has built up a detailed, rich and layered portrait of Baltimore: from its corner boys touting dope and its dock workers facing extinction, through the strained education system and tainted halls of power, to the crumbling media establishment. Rafael Alvarez - a reporter, essayist and staff writer for the show - brings the reader inside this world, detailing many of the real-life incidents and personalities that inspired the show's storylines and characters. Packed with photographs and featuring an introduction by the show's creator and executive producer David Simon, as well as essays by acclaimed authors George Pelecanos and Laura Lippman, THE WIRE: TRUTH BE TOLD covers all five series in glorious detail.