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©1999 - 2013
Edward D. Reuss
All rights reserved. Including the right of reproduction in whole or part in any form

 

Book of the Month

Mass-Mediated Terrorism
Author: Brigitte L. Nacos
 

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The author is Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Columbia University.  Before she began teaching at Columbia, she was a correspondent for newspapers in Germany.

She is the author of several important books:

"The Press, Presidents, and Crisis"
(Columbia University Press, 1990)

 "Terrorism and the Media: From the Iran Hostage Crisis to the World Trade Center Bombing"
(Columbia University Press, 1994)

 "From Bonn to Berlin: German Politics in Transition" (Columbia University Press, 1998)

"Mass-Mediated Terrorism: The Central Role of the Media in Terrorism and Counterterrorism"
(Rowman & Littlefield, 2002)


A thorough examination of how terrorists use the media to achieve their goals. I was especially interested in Chapter 6.  The author not only studied the problem from an empirical viewpoint, but she spells out how emergency managers can take steps to deal with this difficult area of emergency management.  She gives ten specific recommendations for the response community to use in future incidents of mass-mediated terrorism. This is a refreshing departure from those who offer themselves as “expert” in this area. The role of the Public information Officer is a vital part of the Incident Command System.  This book should be part of the training given to those who will fill this critical role.

 

 

Non-fiction Books
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Fiction Books

 

Non-fiction Book

Terrorism Response:  Field Guide for Law Enforcement Package
by Hank Christen and Paul M. Maniscalco
 








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A field guide version of Managing Terrorism and Managing the Consequences.

This guide can be carried on duty as a practical and ready reference. Every police chief should order these guides and use them as a practical training tool.

 

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Mob Over Miami
by Michelle McPhee





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Michelle McPhee is a crime reporter with the NY Daily News.  Like most of her peers, she spends a lot time in areas of the city such as Manhattan where the rich and famous as well as the powerful make the headlines. One Police Plaza is the only place to be for the breaking stories.  So it takes a special person to look elsewhere in this great metropolis for a story like "Mob Over Miami".  Who would take the time to do an investigative story about a small time hood from Staten Island?  Reading her book was like reliving my last few years on the NYPD.   Names and events on the pages were familiar to any cop who worked on Staten Island.
The story is based on the outrageous rise to power of a local petty criminal determined to claw his way into the world of organized crime. The book tells the true story of Christian Ludwigsen AKA Chris Paciello.  He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.  His life in Miami's South Beach would be the envy of the criminal world. He had a good run, and he rubbed elbows with the elite of the entertainment world.  With some, he rubbed more than elbows.
His demise follows the usual pattern when the threat of imprisonment faces the former tough guys of organized crime. He betrayed his own and testified against them.  Once again, it is pathetic to watch former mob figures "roll over" and give up their closest friends. The myth of "omerta" is once again exposed and any romantic notions that the public may have about these guys are put to rest in this book.  Read this book after you watch the TV show "The Soprano's" to keep in touch with reality.

 

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23rd Precinct : The Job
by Arlene Schulman
 

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Stolen Valor - How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History
B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley

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B.G. Burkett, a military researcher, was co-chairman of the Texas Vietnam Memorial with President George Bush as Honorary Chairman. Mr. Burkett has been the object of an award-winning segment on ABC's "20/20," as well as much acclaimed articles in Texas Monthly and Reader's Digest. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee. Burkett also served in Vietnam with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Vietnamese Honor Medal, and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm.

Glenna Whitley, an award-winning investigative reporter, specializes in writing about crime and the legal system. A graduate of Texas A&M University, her work has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, D Magazine, Texas Monthly, Redbook, as well as numerous other magazines and newspapers. Whitley currently is senior editor at D Magazine in Dallas, where she lives with her husband and two sons

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The 1993 World Trade Center Bombing - Foresight and Warning
by Peter Caram

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Peter Caram, Detective Sgt, PAPD (ret) was in charge of anti-terrorist intelligence at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.  He held many assignments including the World Trade Center.  What makes the author unique is his personal knowledge of Arabic culture. He speaks Arabic for a good reason.  His parents taught him. His book  "The 1993 World Trade Center Bombing-Foresight and Warning" is a disturbing look into both the Port Authority security and the mindset of Islamic fundamentalists. Caram gave repeated warnings to those in top management positions with little success. His recommendations were either ignored or thwarted by those responsible for the security and safety of thousands of workers in the World Trade Center.
The warnings and recommendations for additional security came from a person who knew the credibility of the threats being made by Islamic extremists.
For a chilling view of how the radical Islamic martyrs see us in the West, the author includes a reading of the last will and testament of an Islamic warrior. This is a must read for those who seek answers to why the World Trade Center was selected for destruction and to understand how Islamic Fundamentalism differs from traditional Islam.

 


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Understanding Terrorism and Managing the Consequences
by Paul M. Maniscalco, Hank T. Christen

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Emergency Management and dealing with the consequences of terrorism is the subject of this thoroughly researched text. The authors are not just academicians, they have professional experience that can only be acquired by responding to the scenes of disasters.  This text serves as a training manual for emergency managers.  The Incident Command System (Incident Management System) and the unity of command critical to emergencies is covered in depth.

All street cops, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel are familiar with the disputes at scene of emergencies between the various agencies.
The inter-agency rivalry and personality conflicts that arise amid all the confusion and critical stress of these incidents was never dealt with until the issuance of Presidential Decision Directive #39  (PDD#39) in 1995. Prior to that policy directive, the question was always "Who is in Charge?"   Turf protection and inter-agency jealousy has been effectively controlled by PDD #39. The Incident Command System now specifically directs which agency takes command at scenes of terrorism, natural disasters, technological disasters, and mass casualty incidents.  Emergency Management now has grown to be of such importance, that academic degrees are now being offered in this critical field.
Any governor, mayor, police chief, fire chief, and all emergency services at the state and local level must famiiarize themselves with emergency management.  This book is good beginning.

 

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The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism
by Simon Reeve

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The New Jackals should be required reading for all Americans.  The frightening future that awaits us is a disturbing fact of life.  If we do not educate ourselves about the nature of the terrorists and their belief system, we cannot hope to preserve our system of values for our children.   Simon Reeve has shown us a fearful enemy. Knowledge is power and this book gives the reader a good foundation on which to build.

 

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Bully in Sight
Author: Tim Field

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Bully in Sight is an eye-opener. All of us have been bullied at one time or another..
Whether it is the garden-variety schoolyard bully or the more destructive version in the workplace, the tactics of the bully is revealed. If you think that bullying is not a factor in the violence we see around us in the workplace and schools, this book sends an alarming message. The effects of bullying have become topics of research by those seeking causes for the violence in our schools and workplaces.  Paranoia, feelings of persecution, and bullying are part of the patterns in many of these incidents.  This book should be read by those in upper management positions in corporate, academic and governmental organizations. 

The New York State Police website now features links to Tim Field's web-site www.successunlimited.co.uk

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Armed and Dangerous
Author: Gina Gallo

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Gina Gallo was a cop for sixteen years in the city of Chicago. She spent those years working the street.  The injuries that she sustained in the line of duty ended her career. Her first book, "Crime Scenes" took us into the world of a Chicago cop.  Now she has written a memoir of her career.  "Armed and Dangerous" takes the reader into the violence and terror of police work as experienced by a woman.  Women in policing have been viewed with condescension by many in our society. "Armed and Dangerous" puts to rest any misconceptions that such fools may still have about women cops.

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Dead on Delivery - Inside the Drug Wars Straight from the Street
Authors: Robert M. Stutman, Richard Esposito

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This former Chief of the New York Office of the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recalls the war on drugs from the street level. The facts surrounding the murder of DEA Agent Everett Hatcher is covered in all of its brutal detail.  Every law enforcement officer should get this book and never forget how law enforcement officers are held in such contempt by those deal in the drug trade and the crime that is spawned by them.

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Target Blue - An Insider’s View of the NYPD
Author: Robert Daley

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Robert Daley was a foreign and war correspondent for the New York Times.  At the time of the publication of Target Blue, he had already written ten books including three novels.  He was appointed Deputy Commissioner by Police Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy. He would be the chief spokesperson for the NYPD for only a few years, but in that period, some of the most dramatic crimes and incidents in the history of the NYPD took place.   The Knapp Commission Hearings, the story behind Detective Frank Serpico, the assassination of cops by the Black Liberation Army (BLA), the shooting of Joseph Columbo, the "French Connection" story, the "Happy Hooker" story, and the Harlem Mosque Murder are all in "Target Blue".   It is an historical account of a critical time in the life of the City of New York.  It should be in the personal library of every man and woman that wears the uniform of a police officer.

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Tears of Rage
Author: John Walsh

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John Walsh, the Host of  "American's Most Wanted: America Fights Back" has done it again.
The escaped convicts from the prison in Texas who are accused of the murder of Police Officer Aubrey Hawkins of Irving, Texas P.D were captured based on information given to law enforcement when a caller dialed the toll-free number of America's Most Wanted. The seven fugitives had been featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted" and the reward for their arrest and conviction grew to $500,000.  The caller was a diehard fan of the show and had sighted the convicts.  To understand John Walsh and his dedication to fighting back, his book "Tears of Rage" will make a lot of things crystal clear.  John Walsh has been named by CBS as one of the "100 Americans Who Changed History". Visit "America's Most Wanted" web-site at www.amw.com and join in the battle to take back the streets of our Nation.
 

 

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Crime Talk
Author: Jim Kouri

"Crime Talk" is a CD-ROM.  It is a new way of publishing for authors. Jim Kouri Interviews of some of the most interesting figures in law enforcement and criminal justice. Each interview addresses subjects such as organized crime, the drug war, Waco, and serial killers.  An interesting work by a knowledgeable author.
 

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NYPD Battles Crime
Author: Eli  B. Silverman

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Eli B. Silverman is Professor of Law, Police Science, and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.
 Professor Silverman has done us a great service.  NYPD Battles Crime debunks the entire nay saying about Compstat.  He is not a sworn member of the NYPD, but he is a champion of this modern weapon in the arsenal of crimefighting. I witnessed this weapon in operation when I attended a number of Compstat meetings in One Police Plaza.  If New Yorkers have ever wondered how the NYPD achieved so much success in turning this City around, just read this book. Police officers who aspire to higher rank and street cops who want to know what Compstat is all about need to digest this book like it is food.   City managers and all those who want to reverse the crime that plagues their cities should make this book required reading for their police chiefs.

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Black Mass: The Irish Mob, The FBI and A Devil’s Deal
Author:
Dick Lehr, Gerard O’Neill

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The authors of "Black Mass" take the reader on a voyage into a scary world. The use of informants by law enforcement agencies has a dark history.  In the world of the criminal, there is no lower form of life than the "snitch" or informer.  Organized criminals brag about their code of silence.  This book exposes the treachery and deceit that permeates their world. The Federal Bureau of Investigation takes a hit in this true account of the corruption of one of its own. 

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Thirty- Eight Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case
Author: A. M. Rosenthal

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This homicide was the crime that set the tone of the decade of the :”60s. The spirit of the times reflected an alienation of society. Nobody wanted to get involved.  Witnesses watched as an innocent woman was brutally murdered in front of her apartment building. I never forgot this crime. It haunted New York City for years.

 

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Domestic Violence: Facts and Fallicies
Author: Richard L Davis

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Lieutenant Richard L. Davis, Brockton, Massachusetts Police Department (retired), has done the very difficult. He has entered the arena and done battle with those who mistakenly seek to place the blame for domestic violence on the police. He has documented the reasons why the police have engaged in the practices that women's groups and victim's advocacy groups find so offensive.  His findings are revealing. This text by a career police officer is a well-researched and academic study on the subject of domestic violence.  Davis observes that most so-called "experts" in domestic violence are convinced that police officers have little understanding of the issue and they dismiss the honest contributions of cops as nonsense. Davis leads us back to the training of the police to deal with family disputes. The United States Department of Justice instituted, paid for and provided the training for police departments throughout these United States.  It was the leading criminologists, sociologists, and psychologists of the time that advised the Department of Justice to engage in "preserve the family" policies that restricted the police in dealing with family disputes.  The issue of "patriarchy" as the root cause of domestic violence is shown to be a sophomoric thesis.

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I Love a Cop
Author: Ellen Kirschman

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Ellen Kirschman has rendered a great service to police officers and their families by writing this book.   "I Love a Cop" is loaded with common sense knowledge of the problems that beset cops and their loved ones.  She doesn't just identify the problems, she offers practical directions for coping with the hazards that come with a career in law-enforcement.  She critiques the whole career cycle of police officers.  In Chapter 3, "Growing Old in a Young Person's Profession", she traces the four phases in a cop's career on the job. Interwoven throughout the book is the theme that modern policing exacts a price on the officers and their families. If you are a cop or you love a cop, get this book and digest it. It is food for thought.

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Cop Shock
Author: Allan R. Kates

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When you're on "The Job", the violence and horrors that police officers see on a daily basis takes its toll.  Only recently have the effects on police officers been studied. I remember being cynical about the formation of the Trauma Unit on the NYPD.  Since then, I have become a believer.  Posttraumatic stress effects us all. If you are a street cop, and have been on patrol for any number of years, the death and mayhem all around you require you to steel yourself in order to do your duty.  Cops pride themselves on this ability.  But it comes at a price.  We are made of flesh and blood.  The story about Detective Anthony Senft and Detective Richie Pastorella, NYPD Bomb Squad, and Sergeant Joseph Kroon, NYPD, should be required reading for all police officers. At last, someone has written a scholarly work on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder that the cop in the street will identify with. Police chiefs and ranking officers should use this book as a guide for dealing with traumatized cops under their command. The PBA should use it as a training manual.

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My Fathers Gun
Author: Brian McDonald

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Review by NY Cop Online Magazine.
This is THE BOOK that every cop must read!   They say that nobody loves a cop, but the affection that flows from the words of this son of a police Detective Lieutenant shines through like the sun through a stain glass window.. His grandfather was a cop who struggled under the tyranny of the old guard of Tammany Hall.  His father was the Squad Commander of the 41st  Precinct, the Precinct that was  better known as “Fort Apache” for 14 years of an era  that at times would seem like a descent into hell.  His brother Frank was a street cop who witnessed the terrors of the crime wave that nearly destroyed New York City.  The author gives us an emotional ride through three generations of his family of New York City cops. Brian McDonald may never have carried a gun, but he is truly one of us.
 

 

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Turnaround
Author: William Bratton - Former Police Commissioner NYPD

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Review by NY Cop Online Magazine
I retired from the NYPD too early to serve under this Police Commissioner.  I recall his introductory speech that was reminiscent of Winston Churchill's call to arms during the Blitz.  As a private citizen, I was amazed and thrilled at the transformation of the City of New York during his all too brief tenure as Police Commissioner. Reading "Turnaround" gives an inside view of what motivated the man who really made a difference in the lives of all of us New Yorkers.  Someone once said: "Success knows many fathers, but failure is an orphan".  There are many that will claim credit for the success of the war against crime in New York, but Bill Bratton deserves the lion's share of that credit.  When I recently attended a COMSTAT conference in One Police Plaza, I became a believer. This is one book that has found a niche on my bookshelf.

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Triumph of Spirit
Author: Penny Harrington - Former Police Chief Portland Oregon

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Book review by NY Cop Online Magazine
This Autobiography by former Chief of Police Penny Harrington should be required reading for women in police.  Her success in the field of law enforcement has made her a role model for those who have the courage to follow her.  Her tenacity served her well as she fought to overcome every obstacle that she met on the road to Chief of Police of Portland, Oregon. She advises successful women in police to serve as mentors to the many women recruits that are sure to join their ranks in the coming years. She was the first woman to lead a major police department and now she is the Director, National Center for Women & Policing.  Police officers of both genders can learn much from her experiences.

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Top Cops: Profiles of Women in Command
Author: Marion E. Gold
A must read for women police officers.

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Book review by NY Cop Online Magazine
Marion E. Gold is not a police officer, but her insight into the world of women in policing is revealed in this view of a world that has been a bastion of male supremacy.
Gold examines the history of women in policing in America and quickly turns to specific examples of women who have succeeded in the world of law enforcement. She sought out and interviewed some of the most dynamic and dedicated women who serve in police departments throughout the United States.  Their optimism and positive leadership is highlighted in this profile of women in command. Women police officers of all ranks will find this an inspiring book.  Men police officers will do well to know the trends that women in policing are bringing to their profession.

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Fixing Broken Windows:
Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities

Author: George L. Kelling, Catherine M. Coles and James Q. Wilson

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Review by NY Cop Online Magazine.
The Authors of "Fixing Broken Windows" have done us a great service in presenting an academic foundation for the reestablishment of order in society.  They champion the rights of the community that have been neglected as the law and the courts have focused on the rights of the individual. They remind us that for the past three decades, the trend in our policy as a society has been toward maximizing individual liberty and minimizing the enforcement of community control. This has led to a host of quality of life problems such as public drunkenness, begging, vagrancy, and other petty conditions that may be at the root cause of the decline of our cities. Graffiti covered walls, derelict autos, and broken windows of abandoned buildings serve as a warning for more serious decline. This book became the basis for enlightened and innovative thinking by those in policing who put its ideas into actual practice. Community Policing became the new model for policing in America. Every police commander should have this book in his library.
 

 

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Fiction Books

False Stature
Author: Dennis J. McGowan

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Color of the Prism
Author: Thomas J. Nichols

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Thomas J Nichols, retired Chief of Police of Lubbock, Texas has written this novel based on his  thirty-eight years in law enforcement and most of that in the Southwest of the United States.  Read this book to get a good view of the treachery of those who deal in drugs.

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Blood Shot Eyes
Author: Patrick W. Picciarelli - Lieutenant NYPD (ret.)

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His novel "Blood Shot Eyes" is a gripping story about a sadistic woman who becomes a police officer.  Picciarelli takes the reader into the mind of an abused person whose personality has been warped.  In her role as a police officer, she becomes a killer.  The protagonist in the novel, a private investigator is a former NYPD detective who is called upon to solve a ten year old double homicide.  The climax of the story involves the heroic actions of another woman police officer.
The author's background and knowledge of the NYPD and the City of New York lends authenticity to this fast-moving novel.

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Justifiable Homicide
Author: B. J. Whalen, Lieutenant NYPD

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This fictional crime thriller takes us from the vicious murder of a cop at the Canadian border to the Lower East Side of Manhattan where a woman undercover cop is attacked by a sadist.  The author's knowledge of NYPD procedures lends authenticity to a fast moving novel of the war on drugs as viewed through the eyes of both the cops and the drug dealers.
One criticism of this book was in the use of the name of a true police hero for the criminal that tortures the woman police officer in the book. The authors have assured me that in future printings, that name will be edited. The use of the name of the cop was inadvertent.

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Nightbird
Author:LT Ed Dee, NYPD (ret)

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Good writers have what is called "voice".  To be a good police writer requires a cop's "voice". Ed Dee has a mastery of cop talk that lends an air of authenticity to this novel. His descriptions of the streets scenes of New York City could only have come from his life as a detective in that town.  The author's background as a member of the NYPD has enabled him to paint a picture in the reader's mind with details that other writer's can only hope to recreate. The dialogue flows with the action in the book.  He hooks the reader with the first pages of this entertaining novel.

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Black and White
Author: Dan Mahoney - Captain NYPD (Ret)

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Review by NY Cop Online Magazine
Captain Dan Mahoney, NYPD (retired) exposes the frightening world of the sexual predator.  He takes the reader on a terror-filled journey into the dark realm of unspeakable evil. This gripping book deals with a subject that is too real to be fiction. The trail of horror begins with the homicide scene in Manhattan and leads to the international sex capitals of Southeast Asia. Black and White is a scary book.
 

 

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14 Peck Slip
Author: Ed Dee

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Lieutenant Edward Dee, NYPD (retired) has written four novels. I read this book and couldn't put it down. Dee knows the street and his knowledge of police work brings this story alive.  His description of the Fulton Fish Market is classic.  Cops who worked in the old First Precinct on Old Slip will relish this book.  Only a cop could write a novel like this.  Put it on your reading list.
(See the Fiction Book of the Month above)

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