Detective John Stone of the NYPD has the best arrest record in the 43rd precinct. But he’s a dinosaur who belongs to another age. Detective Carmen Dehan has such a bad attitude that nobody at the precinct can stomach her. Captain Jennifer Cuevas wants them both out of the way and thinks they make a perfect pair. So she gives them the Cold Cases file – the cases nobody gives a damn about. She has … about.
She has no idea just how hot a cold case can get.
Ten years back Nelson Hernandez and his four cousins were playing poker in a dive at Hunts Point. Somebody came in, blew them away and beheaded and castrated Nelson, leaving his head and his balls on the table. There was no shortage of suspects, the Jersey Mob, the Triads from Manhattan, or the 43rds own bent cop, Mick Harragan. But nobody was ever charged, and the night of the murder Mick Harragan went missing with Nelson’s wife, Maria.
Now Stone and Dehan plan to find him – whatever the consequences…
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Two misfits at the police headquarters combine to solve a cold case that has more twists than a licorice!
Kept me guessing until the end
started it, too crude for my lightweight tastes
forgetable
One. of the best spine tingling reads for awhile
I enjoyed this book. It was a good story line.
The detective pair are great characters with wit and hidden tragedies of their own. This book was so good I had to buy the sequel! Delicious twists and action packed police work.
Great mystery!
I immediately bought more books by the author.
It kept my interest to the end.
Pretty good writing. Plot maybe a bit too complex.
Plot intriguing perhaps too much to understand how or follow the many characters involvement.
Takes a subject from today’s headlines and makes it into a nice crime mystery. Great to see the experienced older cop hold his own and show why his ways still work. Good combination of characters. A pair to follow.
seemed a bit far-fetched jetting and driving cross country. left his partner behind too much.
fun book
I liked it and would definitely read the next book.
Written like a formula. Couldn’t get into it.
I liked the book. First time read for this author. I would recommend him. The characters, old Stone and Ms Personality, the Carmen, need to stumble and fall into bed together. It would help both of them.
I read a lot of books and really enjoyed this one. As i was reading I thought to myself, if I have to review this book I will have to give it a 4 or 5. So true fully I can’t remember a lot about the book except I really enjoyed it while I was reading it.;
Blake Banner has created a police detective who is NOT a drunk, not terminally depressed, and who does not rely on impossible computer skills or supernatural talents to solve the case. There is a nice humor underlying the story with some very realistic interaction between the detective and his partner. The characterization alone is reason to buy this, but you will get caught up in the plot and find it very hard to put down. Story starts with a cold case being investigated — murdered men at a poker table are all rather vicious gangsters, yet they were shot one at a time with no apparent attempt to defend themselves. The worst of the bunch has been castrated and decapitated, with the pieces sitting on the poker table — hence an ace (head) and a pair (testicles). There are more books in the series and I immediately bought all of them as this is one of those nifty police procedural partnerships that really clicks for me. Only problem is that I have read them all too quickly, and now must wait for the new book. You should definitely start with this book as it explains how the partnership gets going.