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In Hawkins’ novel, the reader is shot directly into the mind of Frank Terranova, a proud NYPD detective of the 9th Precinct. Long-time police officer, Vietnam veteran, recovering alcoholic, commitment-phobe, and caretaker for his brother Pete, Frank is determined to solve the first big case since his partner, Gil, left on assignment. Frank arrives at the homicide scene of George Nicholas, a violent man everyone seems to feel deserved his gruesome end. As he begins his investigation, Frank is swiftly charmed by George’s fragile wife, Meredith.
Growing distracted as he delves deeper, Frank only finds more questions as he tries to gain traction despite frequent threats. It becomes clear he is in over his head, and Captain Frerichs assigns fellow police officer Helen Joseph—Frank’s on-again, off-again girlfriend—to join the case. Frank and Helen proceed to uncover intricate conspiracies and evade death time and again as they navigate the underworld of far-right politics and the international drug trade to connect the dots before it’s too late.
With the moonlit energy of a classic noir novel combined with the brash chase of a seventies crime mystery, Hawkins’ book offers an intriguing insight into the mind of a police officer who truly means to do good in every sense of the word. Frank proves to be a fallible yet deeply captivating and introspective protagonist, allowing the reader into his ruminations not only on the case but on love, recovery, and the community around him. Though the text contains some grammatical errors, and its protagonist remains rather old-fashioned in more ways than one, it is through this distinct first-person narrative that the author weaves together an equally action-packed and thoughtful mystery that will keep the reader guessing until the last page.