Blood Shot Eyes [Paperback]

Patrick W. Picciarelli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 4, 2000

RAY VALE, ex NYPD Lt., Vietnam veteran, grieving widower and private investigator is hired to investigate the nine-year-old brutal murder of a female college student in New York's Flushing Meadow Park. He enlists the help of the retired NYPD detective who originally investigated the case, Charlie Wright, a bitter ex-detective with a deep secret, who is at first reluctant to get involved. Yale and Wright are outcasts from the department; Yale for his outspoken defense of his cancer-stricken policewoman wife who was forcibly retired from the NYPD after she was diagnosed, and Wright is a self-imposed exile from society. Together they put aside their demons to unravel a seemingly perfect crime.

They soon discover, through con man Tony Cippolone, that Leah Porter, a psychotic former cop, bounced from the NYPD for killing a civilian, is a prime suspect in the case. A Svengali-like radio personality, Wolfgang Steinger, controls the deranged Porter and has her do his violent bidding to stay on the top of the celebrity heap.

The motive for the slaying is a damning videotape used in a blackmail scheme that threatens to bring down the power structure in the NYPD. More murders come to light as Yale threatens to delve deeper into the minds of his two prime suspects against a backdrop of the underbelly of New York and a finale that will leave even the most jaded crime fiction reader breathless.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Patrick Picciarelli retired from the New York City Police Department as a lieutenant. He holds both a B.A. and two Masters Degrees and is a licensed private investigator. He is often called upon by various news organizations to lend expertise to stories related to criminal investigations and writing and has appeared on numerous TV programs. He is the author of the nonfiction book, Jimmy the Wags: Street Stories of a Private Eye (William Morrow & Co., publishers, currently in its 5th printing) and the screenplay for the upcoming motion picture. The Pop Line, the second book in the Ray Yale, PI series, will be published next year. A nonfiction book, White Out: My Story also be published in 2001. Mr. Picciarelli is also a staff writer for Modern Knives Magazine. He is an active member of The Society of Professional Investigators, The Writers Guild of America, The International Association of Crime Writers, Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Porter opened fire from the hip. The horse took three shots in the chest and neck as the weapon recoiled and climbed. The horse crumpled to the cold pavement, face first, and rolled over pinning the young brave policewoman to the ground. Yale watched as the spectators within fifty feet of the mayhem began to push outward, away from the downed horse and rider, toward the railing and the opposite building line. Before Yale could react, three children, too short to grasp the railing, were prodded under the brass stanchion and fell about five feet to a level of shrubs which cushioned their fall. Yale and Wright raced up the marble steps leading form the rink in time to see two less fortunate victims who didn't have a concrete wall to stop their movement thrown through windows of tall plate glass. Yale recoiled as they were truncated by showering guillotine-like shards of transparent death. Yale and Wright held their fire; they still didn't have clear shots. The uniformed cop who had let them through the wooden barrier brushed by Yale and ran for the downed horse and pinned cop who was struggling to get her legs from beneath the dead animal. The cop drew his pistol and was immediately cut down by two shots from Porter's gun. He collapsed next to the prostrate policewoman who was struggling to reach for her pistol on the pavement next to her. Yale was torn between intellect and instinct. His brain sent messages to his shooting arm. Hold your fire. Civilians too close to target. Instinctually, he knew that if he didn't fire, Porter would undoubtedly shoot some innocent spectators herself. As if he willed them to move, the crowed parted in a desperate bid to escape, giving Yale an opportunity to fire. He crouched behind the brass rail and raised his weapon. Porter, however, now had room to maneuver. She stepped to the railing and fired at Yale who was about thirty feet away. The weapon bucked and the rounds went wild. Yale ducked and fell backward, slipping on a thin blanket of snow, knocking Wright to the ground as he too sought cover behind the rail. Yale recovered and emptied his six-shot revolver at a kneeling Porter. He was amazed at the loud report of the .38 as the sound bounced off the concrete and glass buildings. Panic gripped Yale as he saw Porter stand and advance on him. He had missed. She was grinning. Her movements were deliberate. No panic; no wasted moves. Cool and calculated. Watching her robot-like motion frightened Yale more than the thought of impending death. She looks crazed. He reached into his overcoat pocket and struggled with a handful of loose bullets, numb fingers dropping rounds to the street. Yale broke open the cylinder and dumped six shell casings to the pavement. Porter raised her pistol, now not more than twenty feet from Yale. He fell to both knees, disregarding the sharp pain which tore up his legs. He managed to get two bullets into the cylinder before flipping it shut. It the split second that he thought remained in his life, he wondered if he lined the cylinder up correctly. Smith & Wesson cylinder spin clock-wise, Colt's spin counter-clockwise. Or was it the other way around? He was forever getting it wrong during practice at the range when he was on The Job. He extended his arm, elbow locked, and fired.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (July 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552123634
• ISBN-13: 978-1552123638
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,347,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Action, authenticity, plot and unique memorable characters.., December 12, 2000

By 

Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood Shot Eyes (Paperback)

This fast paced detective novel by Patrick W. Picciarelli has it all
-- action, authenticity, plot, and unique memorable characters. It's
also set in the New York City that I love, and the places are very
real to me.

The very first chapter sets the tone with a graphic and
brutal description of a double murder. And from that point on it's
hard to put the book down because there are constant surprises and
twists and turns of the plot. The cast of characters include a psycho
former policewoman, a radio talk show shock jock and an ailing retired
cop. And then there is Ray Yale, the private investigator who is
hired to solve the murder nine years after it has been committed.
He's strong and tough as well as sensitive. I loved him
immediately.

Mr. Picciarelli is a retired police lieutenant himself
and is now a private investigator with an excellent command of
language and knowledge of weapons. His use of police jargon adds
realism to the story and his descriptions of even the most minor
characters made them jump right off the page.

I usually fall asleep
while reading but this book kept me wide awake way into the wee hours
because I just had to find out what would happen next. I look forward
to future books by this author.

Recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hard-hitting PI story from a real life PI., November 10, 2000

By 

Joe Bruno (Sarasota, Fl United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood Shot Eyes (Paperback)

Attention!! Readers enamored by hard-hitting private detective novels, Blood Shot Eyes, by Patrick Picciarelli, a retired NY City police lieutenant cut from the same cloth as William J. Caunitz, is a must read book. PicciarelliÕs PI Ray Yale is intent on solving a nine-year old murder, whose trail is colder than the killerÕs heart. The city of New York is a main character itself and Picciarelli writes with an authenticity in texture and tone not many can match. Being a NY City native now living in Florida, Picciarelli brought me back to the city of my youth. A city so vibrant, yet a city so cruel innocent people sometimes die in the blink of an eye. In Blood Shot Eyes, the good guys win and the bad guys loose, but not before Picciarelli weaves you through the seamy side of New York City, a side normal citizens never see, except though the eyes of writers like Picciarelli, a dying breed for sure...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, A Mystery Book That Won't Let You Down!, January 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Blood Shot Eyes (Paperback)

Blood Shot Eyes by Pat Picciarelli hooked me in the beginning with the murder of a young female college student. The suspense mounts as Private Investigator, Ray Yale, ex-NYPD, Lt, is reluctantly persuaded by sympathy for the grieving father of the victim who can't let go of the mystery of his daughter's death. Yale takes on the case of solving the riddle of the ten-year-old homicide which leads him to the beautiful Leah Porter as the main suspect in the murder. This pychotic character while revolting the reader will also intrigue. Picciarelli's vast experience and knowledge of crime is revealed in this suspenseful story. I highly recommend it to all who love a well-written, captivating brainteaser.