Detective First Grade; -1st Edition/1st Printing

Detective Second Grade Brian McKenna receives a transfer to a Brooklyn outpost where he finds himself investigating a terrorist kidnapping that snowballs into a lethal showdown

YA-Veteran NYPD detective Brian McKenna has a knack for spotting concealed weapons, so when he spies a suspected gunman in a Brooklyn housing project, he gives chase. This leads to a gunfight, and the suspect is killed. The trail from the dead man leads to Cuban drug dealers and a hushed-up hostage/ ransom negotiation. Kidnapping and international terrorism are the basis for this fast-paced police procedural. The story is tightly written with realistic situations and colorful dialogue. It abounds in strategic details, but subplots involving McKenna's desire for promotion and his friendship with the Chief of Detectives enrich the plot and rescue it from being too tedious. The only flaw is a lack of well-drawn female characters. The token women are minor-role police officers, occasional wives and girlfriends, and one tough, vengeful terrorist. Once started, this is a book that will keep YAs turning pages.
Penny Stevens, George Mason Library, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This rollicking first novel charts the adventures of Detective Second Grade Brian McKenna after he is transferred to Brooklyn from his beloved Manhattan as punishment for being a troublemaker. His chances for promotion to First Grade seem remote, until a traffic incident leads to a gun battle, which in turn uncovers a massive cocaine-dealing operation. Things really heat up when the slain, unidentified gunman turns out to be carrying the severed index finger of a wealthy Peruvian known to be held hostage by the Maoist guerrilla organization Sendero Luminoso. Mahoney's ear is flawless and he has a grand sense of humor, particularly where issues of police bureaucracy are concerned--McKenna just can't get a break. Even so, comedy never gets the upper hand: the story is gripping and exciting all the way to a wham-bam stakeout at the end. A retired captain of the NYPD, now a private investigator, Mahoney proves that New York's finest can put pen to paper with terrific results. Joseph Wambaugh, watch out!
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hot-shot detective Brian McKenna has been with the New York Police Department for over 20 years but has yet to be promoted to detective first grade. When the Hispanic male that McKenna kills in a gunfight turns out to be a member of the Peruvian terrorist group Sendero Luminoso (the Shining Path), McKenna finally gets the Big Case that should guarantee his promotion. Played out in the street of New York's Spanish Harlem, the story follows McKenna and his fellow detectives as they work the case during the course of five days, from their initial discovery of a terrorist kidnapping to the final explosive denouement. With sure pacing, deft characterizations, and compelling plot, this polished first novel provides an entertaining look at how police forces really work. With the same assured voice of experience that Joseph Wambaugh used in his novels of the LAPD, Mahoney (a retired NYPD captain) paints a realistic image of urban police that will be popular with fans of the genre.
- Rebecca House Stankowski, Purdue Univ. Calumet Lib., Hammond, Ind.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.