The Whites by Richard Price (Harry Brandt)
I loved Clockers so was interested in seeing what Richard Price (aka Harry Brandt) was up to with The Whites.
The central figure is Billy Graves, a NYC cop. Back in his glory days, he was part of a group known as The Wild Geese, a specialized anti-crime unit. When he accidentally kills a young boy while taking down a bad guy (accompanied by rumors that he was high on coke at the time), Billy's rise through the ranks is scuttled and he finds himself as the head of the overnight shift. One night, he's called to the scene of a homicide at the train station and his own past comes blasting back. The dead man, Jeffrey Bannion, is Billy Graves' "white"--the one that got away. Bannion had been the prime suspect 8 years earlier in the murder of a young boy named Thomas. Bannion's learning disabled brother took the rap, then was himself murdered in jail, effectively closing the case, and leaving Jeffrey free to wreak more havoc.
Soon several other deaths of "whites" associated with his former team have occurred and Billy wonders what is really going on. At the same time, someone appears to be targeting his family. Price is a skilled writer so you get a good sense of how off-kilter Billy's life is getting to be. He suspects he knows who's behind the deaths of "the whites," and his suspicions are upsetting. He's worried about his family's safety. And working all night while trying to maintain some sort of family life is difficult even under the best of circumstances. Eventually everything comes to a head and Billy has to make some difficult decisions.
When I got to the end, I wondered if Price was planning on turning this into a series. I would read another Billy Graves adventure.
The central figure is Billy Graves, a NYC cop. Back in his glory days, he was part of a group known as The Wild Geese, a specialized anti-crime unit. When he accidentally kills a young boy while taking down a bad guy (accompanied by rumors that he was high on coke at the time), Billy's rise through the ranks is scuttled and he finds himself as the head of the overnight shift. One night, he's called to the scene of a homicide at the train station and his own past comes blasting back. The dead man, Jeffrey Bannion, is Billy Graves' "white"--the one that got away. Bannion had been the prime suspect 8 years earlier in the murder of a young boy named Thomas. Bannion's learning disabled brother took the rap, then was himself murdered in jail, effectively closing the case, and leaving Jeffrey free to wreak more havoc.
Soon several other deaths of "whites" associated with his former team have occurred and Billy wonders what is really going on. At the same time, someone appears to be targeting his family. Price is a skilled writer so you get a good sense of how off-kilter Billy's life is getting to be. He suspects he knows who's behind the deaths of "the whites," and his suspicions are upsetting. He's worried about his family's safety. And working all night while trying to maintain some sort of family life is difficult even under the best of circumstances. Eventually everything comes to a head and Billy has to make some difficult decisions.
When I got to the end, I wondered if Price was planning on turning this into a series. I would read another Billy Graves adventure.
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