Tin Badges: A Novel (Tank Rizzo)

Tin Badges: A Novel (Tank Rizzo)

From the #1  New York Times  bestselling author of  Sleepers  and  The Wolf , hailed as “simply the best” (Steve Berry) and “one of the most intriguing writers around” ( Newsweek ). . . .   A top NYPD detective is pulled out of retirement to take down a notorious drug dealer. But will he risk the only family he’s ever had to crack the case? As one of the NYPD’s most trusted “tin badges”—retired detectives brought in to solve cases that are beyond the reach of the everyday force—Tank Rizzo has faced off against some of the city’s toughest criminals without breaking a sweat. To tackle a case involving a dangerous kingpin known as Gonzo, Tank turns to his best friend and ex-partner, Pearl; a former mobster living out a seemingly quiet retirement as the owner of Tank’s favorite Italian restaurant; and a team of expert misfits he would trust with his life. But Gonzo will stop at nothing to defend the empire he's built, and won't hesitate to make it personal. Then Tank gets a call telling him that his brother and sister-in-law, estranged from him for many years, have been killed in a horrific car accident. Tank is the only family left for his orphaned teenage nephew, Chris, although he knows his lifestyle is ill-suited to win him father of the year. Chris moves in with Tank, and the two circle each other warily. It’s only when Chris reveals an interest in true crime and a genius-level skill with computers that they begin to bond. Chris’s skills may be exactly what Tank’s team needs to take Gonzo down—but getting him involved could put his life at risk. Advance praise for Tin Badges “Carcaterra capably combines his trademark adrenaline-fueled action with the emotion involved in Tank taking on a parental role for a sometimes surly teen. All this needs, after a cliff-hanger close, is a sequel, and, fortunately, one is promised.” — Booklist “Another gem from a writer who has earned his spot at the top echelon of suspense masters . . . Everything here leaps from the page, never stinting on the harsh reality, delivering a spicy, smart, and entertaining adventure.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of the Cotton Malone series Advance praise for Tin Badges “Carcaterra capably combines his trademark adrenaline-fueled action with the emotion involved in Tank taking on a parental role for a sometimes surly teen. All this needs, after a cliff-hanger close, is a sequel, and, fortunately, one is promised.” — Booklist “ Tin Badges is pure platinum. Action fans will love the complex move/countermove battle between retired NYPD detective Tank Rizzo’s colorful crew of societal misfits and a vicious drug dealer and the corrupt cops who protect him, but Carcaterra digs deeper, rendering a soulful meditation on the things that make the life-and-death struggle worth the risk—family, honor, loyalty, and sacrifice. Tin Badges shines brilliantly.” —John Clarkson, author of Among Thieves and Bronx Requiem Lorenzo Carcaterra  is the #1  New York Times  bestselling author of A Safe Place , Sleepers , Apaches , Gangster , Street   Boys , Paradise City , Chasers , Midnight Angels , and  The Wolf . He is a former writer/producer for  Law & Order  and has written for  National Geographic Traveler ,  The New York Times Magazine , and  Maxim . He lives in New York City and is at work on his next novel. 1. Manhattan August 2015 I hate last days of pretty much anything you can think of—­from vacations to the end of baseball season to the final time I’ll be able to share a laugh with someone I love. Some last days you can prepare for, knowing there will be the start of another cycle waiting with the flicker of a few months off the calendar. And then there are those days that hit hard enough to send the strongest of us cowering for cover. That’s what my last working day as a New York City Police Department first-­grade detective was like for me. Going in, it never entered my mind my career would end before my shift was through. But I imagine no one ever knows when it’s their last day of doing anything. Especially not in my line of work. The day began with my usual routine—­a two-­hour workout, a cold shower, and two double espressos sipped slowly while I scanned the morning tabloids and overnight police reports. By and large I am a creature of my habits, good ones for the most part, though now and then I’ll slip and spend more than I should on a great bottle of wine or play a few more hands of poker despite knowing the cold streak I had been running all night was never destined to warm up. By 8:00 a.m., I sat on the front steps of my Greenwich Village brownstone, waiting for my partner, Frank “Pearl” Monroe, to drive up. The early-­morning sun warmed my face, and it was already starting to feel like one of those New York City August days when the heat-­and-­humidity combo clouded your vision and made you long for a bitter blast of winter. By the way, in the event you’re wondering how a gol