Rizzo's War

by Lou Manfredo Narrated by Bobby Cannavale

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

Patrick Anderson

…Manfredo tells his story well…Rizzo's War is a solid debut.
—The Washington Post

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 naïve. 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. (Oct.)

Library Journal

A new cop and a seasoned cop: the formula's old as the hills, but it still works. Joe Rizzo has 26 years on the force; he's a good cop but makes his own rules, as he tells new partner Mike McQueen. Mike's only recently been jumped to the rank of inspector, and he's not sure he wants Rizzo as partner. Internal Affairs thinks that Rizzo is dirty, and Mike doesn't want any blotches on his record. Then they're placed on assignment to find an underhanded politician's missing mentally ill daughter; when he gets hold of her, Daddy wants to put her away in a loony bin where she can't hurt his chances for reelection. The two cops learn to respect each other as they face off a half-insane biker leader and a slimy Mafia boss and deal with assorted lowlifes in their search for the girl. But the ones they have to watch out for most are in City Hall. VERDICT With Ed McBain gone, there's need for a quality New York City police procedural series, and Manfredo could fill the bill with this debut featuring two appealing cops. This may attract fans of McBain and Joseph Wambaugh, but Manfredo is his own man, and his novel should have broad appeal. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 6/1/09; with a 100,000-copy first printing and library marketing.]—David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Kirkus Reviews

Gritty, gripping first novel deconstructs the NYPD the way Joseph Wambaugh once anatomized the LAPD. Two cops, one a savvy veteran, the other just as smart but a bit starry-eyed. Strangers to each other, they're about to become partners in Brooklyn's 62nd Precinct. Detective Joe Rizzo is in the twilight of an exceptional career. He's seen it all; understands the often murky ways of the NYPD; and can be cavalier about legalities when they stand in the way of what matters most to him: getting the job done. "There is no right. There is no wrong," runs Joe's mantra. "There just is." Mike McQueen, 28, has arrived at the 62nd after an exemplary apprenticeship in uniform, but first-rate performance is not what's earned him his brand-new shield. He knows he got lucky, was in the right place when an important person needed help, rendered it and reaped the benefits. Mike's ambitious. He sees himself in high command one day and in the meantime wants nothing blotting his copybook. Joe has long since let ambition go; besides, he has a certain ongoing, promotion-negating problem with Internal Affairs. Though respectful of each other's talents and abilities, the two approach partnership with caution. Mike is leery of Joe's short cuts. Joe isn't sure that Mike will have his back in any and all circumstances. Now a test looms. A powerful politician's emotionally unstable daughter has gone missing, and the partners are charged with finding her. The assignment will confront them with the systemic corruption both find despicable, and with attendant dilemmas. Which means, of course, that hard decisions must be made. Strong characters and a compelling story. Manfredo has logged 25 years in the criminal justicesystem, and it shows on every authentic page. First printing of 100,000

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169340778
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	09/29/2009
Series:	Joe Rizzo , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos