Rizzo's War
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4.3 • 7 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Rizzo's War, Lou Manfredo's stunningly authentic debut, partners a rookie detective with a seasoned veteran on his way to retirement in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
"There's no wrong, there's no right, there just is." This is the refrain of Joe Rizzo, a decades-long veteran of the NYPD, as he passes on the knowledge of his years of experience to his ambitious new partner, Mike McQueen, over a year of riding together as detectives in the Sixty-second Precinct in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. McQueen is fresh from the beat in Manhattan, and Bensonhurst might as well be China for how different it is. They work on several cases, some big, some small, but the lesson is always the same. Whether it's a simple robbery or an attempted assault, Rizzo's saying always seems to bear out.
When the two detectives are given the delicate task of finding and returning the runaway daughter of a city councilman, who may or may not be more interested in something his daughter has taken with her than in her safety, the situation is much more complex. By the end of Rizzo and McQueen's year together, however, McQueen is not surprised to discover that even in those more complicated cases, Rizzo is still right—there's no wrong, there's no right, there just is.
Rizzo's War is an introduction to a wonderful new voice in crime fiction in the Big Apple, ringing with authenticity, full of personality, and taut with the suspense of real, everyday life in the big city.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Manfredo's debut introduces a likable if predictable hero, Det. Joe Rizzo, a white knight in the dark city of New York. Though pondering retirement after 27 years on the force, Rizzo is content to nurture a new partner, Mike McQueen, a young NYPD detective who's quickly risen in the ranks through equal parts skill and political opportunity. Together, they tackle cases both big and small, though most of the action involves a missing teenager whose father is a shady Brooklyn councilman. The author excels at moving his plot forward and creating a realistic landscape that shows both the politics and practice of police work. A wonderful husband and dad, Rizzo drops chestnuts of wisdom at every turn. McQueen, meanwhile, comes across as fawning and na ve. Through several subplots, Manfredo lays the foundation for future entries, but their success may require a new dynamic for the syrupy monotony of the two main characters' relationship. 100,000 first printing.
