Misbehavior, corruption, and lawbreaking are all on full display in this gritty tale of bad cops and good guys in the New York City Police Department. Foregoing the guilt-ridden angst inherent in Robert Daley’s Prince of the City, or the debilitating paranoia that flows through Peter Maas’ Serpico, Matlick opts instead for the brutal kiss-kiss, bang-bang found in multiple Mickey Spillane potboilers.

Tony is an NYPD detective who gets wind of potential malfeasance on the part of one of his fellow officers. If it were simply the typical freeloading, bribe taking, or head bashing, that most of his cohorts engage in, then he’d let it pass. But his source implies that it goes a lot deeper—including everything from theft, extortion, money laundering, and even committing murder for various mob bosses. Straight shooter Tony hates the thought of ratting out any fellow officer, but the behavior is so egregious he feels he must inform his superiors. Soon he and his partner, Longo, are on the trail of not just one but a band of rogue cops committing crimes all over the city.

Though his book could use some editing, the author does seem particularly well-versed in both police procedures and serial shenanigans. He writes with authority about official policies frequently circumvented and atrocious behavior habitually condoned. Violence, which he often describes in bone-crushing detail, actually takes a backseat (no pun intended) to the virtually nonstop locker room talk and sexual encounters which play out in relentlessly explicit specificity. Characterizations are drawn broadly. Physical satisfaction more than mental introspection motivates both heroes and villains. Matlick is a writer who shoots more for the gut than the heart. He hits his target.

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