- Hardcover: 409 pages
- Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T); First Edition edition (October 1994)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0316172065
- ISBN-13: 978-0316172066
- Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 15.7 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 454 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The murder of a top cop and the political infighting that ensues form the focus of Daley's first-rate new thriller. When New York City Police Commissioner Harry Chapman is shot while jogging on Manhattan's Upper West Side, his former patrol-car partner, Bert Farber, now chief of detectives, is assigned to find the killer. Farber is also one of three top contenders to replace Chapman as commissioner, and his two chief rivals are doing their best to roadblock him in his search for the killer. Complicating the situation are Farber's torrid romance with Chapman's wife, Mary Alice, growing doubts about the dead man's true character and personality-and a deadline: by law, the mayor has only 10 days to name Chapman's replacement. Balancing Farber's investigation with chapters detailing his and Chapman's past relationship and their early competition for Mary Alice's affections, Daley constructs his mystery as an absorbing character study, concentrating mainly on Farber but soon revealing that Chapman was less than the paragon he appeared. Tight and tautly told, this novel is much more satisfying than Daley's last, Tainted Evidence, because it's built around a character that readers will care about and that Daley seems to care about as well. As in his best work, moreover, the author displays his bone-deep knowledge of New York cops and criminals (manifest most enjoyably here in a vividly portrayed mob boss chipped off the block of John Gotti)-a knowledge surely gained in part when, in the early '70s, Daley served as the city's deputy police commissioner. Readers' Digest Condensed Books.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Former New York deputy police commissioner Daley, author of best sellers like A Faint Cold Fear (LJ 9/15/90), here aims a bullet straight at the heart of the commissioner himself. Chief of Detectives Bert Farber wants the murderer and the murdered man's job, but he might just end up as a suspect.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Muted Thunder, Wall of Brass,
By sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Wall Of Brass (Mass Market Paperback)
Robert Daley knows his New York City and the NYPD hierarchy. Neither does well under close inspection. Chief of Detectives Bert Farber has the unenviable job of being point man in investigating the street murder of new Police Commissioner Harry Chapman. With the unexpected vacancy, Bert and two others are possible candidates for the PC job. The mercurial mayor must make the appointment within ten days. Bert hopes for a sensational arrest to cement his worthiness with the mayor. The problem is the more we find out about the late Harry Chapman, the less willing the higher ups of NYPD are to have the investigation go forward.This is a character driven novel where no one is very nice. Bert, our dedicated detective, is stubborn, rude, and a bully. His rivals for the PC job are wily old survivors of a seniority system, masters of the art of covering-your-a**. The victim, a Kennedyesque figure, is a ruthless politico and womanizer. The ladies are by turns heartless, stodgy, or foul-mouthed, but all reasonably good looking if we are to go by Bert's assessments. Because the entire cast is so unpleasant, the reader has a glorious opportunity to suspect everybody of doing the deed. No one is exempt. The book gets off to a slow start because the flashbacks of Bert and Harry almost overwhelm the present day action. But once the book hits its stride, the tension and suspense are high. Bert walks an exquisite tightrope between over zealousness and out-and-out criminal behavior, and even Bert cannot fathom his own obsession for the truth. The ending was a small failure in that the pervading curtain of irony lifts to provide a sunny ending. All in all, a worthwhile read. I will look for more books by this author.
5.0 out of 5 stars
They don't get any better than this,
By A Customer
This review is from: Wall Of Brass (Mass Market Paperback)
Robert Daley has crafted a smart, heartfelt mystery with plenty of twists and consummate professionalism. Skip the lessers in this field and check this book out. I haven't read any better mysteries this year.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
They don't get any better than this,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Wall Of Brass (Mass Market Paperback)
Robert Daley has crafted a smart, heartfelt mystery with plenty of twists and consummate professionalism. Skip the lessers in this field and check this book out. I haven't read any better mysteries this year.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Muted Thunder, Wall of Brass,
By sweetmolly - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Wall Of Brass (Mass Market Paperback)
Robert Daley knows his New York City and the NYPD hierarchy. Neither does well under close inspection. Chief of Detectives Bert Farber has the unenviable job of being point man in investigating the street murder of new Police Commissioner Harry Chapman. With the unexpected vacancy, Bert and two others are possible candidates for the PC job. The mercurial mayor must make the appointment within ten days. Bert hopes for a sensational arrest to cement his worthiness with the mayor. The problem is the more we find out about the late Harry Chapman, the less willing the higher ups of NYPD are to have the investigation go forward.This is a character driven novel where no one is very nice. Bert, our dedicated detective, is stubborn, rude, and a bully. His rivals for the PC job are wily old survivors of a seniority system, masters of the art of covering-your-a**. The victim, a Kennedyesque figure, is a ruthless politico and womanizer. The ladies are by turns heartless, stodgy, or foul-mouthed, but all reasonably good looking if we are to go by Bert's assessments. Because the entire cast is so unpleasant, the reader has a glorious opportunity to suspect everybody of doing the deed. No one is exempt. The book gets off to a slow start because the flashbacks of Bert and Harry almost overwhelm the present day action. But once the book hits its stride, the tension and suspense are high. Bert walks an exquisite tightrope between over zealousness and out-and-out criminal behavior, and even Bert cannot fathom his own obsession for the truth. The ending was a small failure in that the pervading curtain of irony lifts to provide a sunny ending. All in all, a worthwhile read. I will look for more books by this author. |
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
