The Deuce (Midtown Blue Series, Book 1) [Paperback]

F. P. Lione (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

Tony Cavalucci is a New York City police officer fighting for his life. The crime and corruption he sees on the job combined with a failing family life leave Tony feeling drained, lost, and frightfully alone, causing him to look for happiness in all the wrong places. Just when he is about to give up, Tony is partnered with Joe Fiore, another Italian-American cop who exudes the strength and confidence that Tony has been searching for. Though wary of his new partner, Tony finds that the day-to-day toils of his job force him to swallow his pride and look to Fiore for help. Writing with grit, freshness, and authenticity, authors Frank and Pam Lione, born-and-bred native New Yorkers themselves, bring to life the loneliness that haunts even New York's finest.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

F. P. Lione is actually two people-a married couple by the name of Frank and Pam Lione. They are both Italian-American and the offspring of NYPD detectives. Frank Lione is a veteran of the NYPD, and Pam recently left her job as a medical sonographer in vascular ultrasound to stay home with their two sons. They divide their time between New York City and Broadheadsville, Pennsylvania in the Poconos.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Revell (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800759605
• ISBN-13: 978-0800759605
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #732,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars F.P. Lione is a fresh voice in Christian fiction, August 31, 2011

By 

C.J. Darlington "Author of Thicker Than Blood... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deuce, The (Midtown Blue Book #1) (Kindle Edition)

To the old timers of the NYPD, 42nd Street is known as "the Deuce", and it's part of Tony Cavalucci's beat. The novel begins when Tony, a ten-year veteran patrol officer, is assigned a new partner, Joe Fiore. Not what Tony needs on an already bad day. He's hungover and struggling to perform his duties, and to make matters worse, Fiore is a Christian. In Tony's words, "Fiore wasn't a bad guy. But I didn't think there was anything I was gonna learn from him. . . . I was just tired and sick and didn't want to deal with a partner who had more time on than I did."

But getting a new partner is just the tip of the iceberg of Tony's troubles. Soon he faces the prospect of having his Staten Island childhood home (where he lives with his brother) sold out from under him by his father and step-mother. This only escalates his drinking problem and the disfunctionality of his Italian family. Will the stresses of the midnight tour and his growing despair over the unwanted changes in his life take him down for good? Or will someone intervene before it's too late?

This book is not a thriller, although the cover illustration of the racing police cruiser makes it look like one. It reads more like a documentary, or an uncut taping of Cops. And that's a good thing. By the time you've finished The Deuce you'll have a crisp snapshot of the blood, sweat, and tears in a cop's life, and you might even pick up some police lingo (like "perp" for perpetrator, "a collar" for an arrest, and "skell" for what the cops call any kind of street skum such as crackheads, drunks or the homeless.)

The Deuce doesn't sugar-coat anything. Whether it's the description of a suicide-by-hanging crime scene, or Fiore boldly sharing his faith, this novel is all about reality - what's it's really like to work the midnight shift in one of the world's busiest cities, and what it's really like when God grabs hold of your life and won't let go. A little caffeine might help you get through some of the long descriptions (running several paragraphs in spots), but that's a small quibble for an otherwise excellently written first novel.

When I found out that F.P. Lione (pen name of husband and wife authors Frank and Pam Lione) was a veteran of the NYPD (Frank) and a child of NYPD detectives (Frank and Pam), I knew this book would be authentic. I felt that authenticity on each page as Tony shares the details of his life, both on and off duty. You get the whole 24-7 picture in this one, and the Liones have also included a nice supporting character in Tony's younger sister, Denise, and a believable love interest in single-mom Michele with her young son, Stevie.

The bottom line? F.P. Lione is a fresh voice in Christian fiction. The Deuce (Book #1 in the Midtown Blue series) will appeal to fans of police procedurals for its details of police work, but should also appeal to lovers of good gritty fiction as well.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Little Action, Too Much Proselytizing, October 10, 2011

By 

Old Codger (Vero Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deuce, The (Midtown Blue Book #1) (Kindle Edition)

This is a religious book, not a detective story. It tracks the life of a patrol cop whose life is empty. His new partner is a born again Christian who recognizes he is suicidal and attempts a religious intervention. The description of Tony's experiences working the midnight shift in midtown Manhattan seem authentic, but there is little plot other than Tony finding the meaning of life. For those readers seeking a whodunnit or mystery novel, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The first installment of a promising series, August 3, 2005

By 

FaithfulReader.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Deuce (Midtown Blue Series, Book 1) (Paperback)

If you're attracted to the television show "NYPD Blue" but dislike its violence, sex and profanity, you might find THE DEUCE, the first installment in the "Midtown Blue" series, an appealing reading alternative. Author F. P. Lione is actually a married couple --- Frank and Pam Lione. Both are Italian American children of NYPD detectives, and Frank is a veteran of the New York Police Department, which causes the story to resonate with authenticity.

In his tenth year as a cop, Tony Cavalucci works New York City's 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenue, known by old-timers as "the deuce." He's 32, single, out of shape (the amount of food and beverages detailed in this story that he consumes is staggering), and drifting dangerously toward depression. His girlfriend has just run off with her boss, and his partner is out of commission with a knee injury.

Booze helps Cavalucci deal with it all. Lots of booze.

Cavalucci is paired with Joe Fiore, a bona-fide Christian who has a good reputation among the cops, but isn't Cavalucci's preferred choice. As their partnership unfolds, readers glimpse the often mundane and sometimes fascinating and unexpected happenings of police work. There are the burglar alarms that must be checked --- but might be a set-up for a later robbery. The delicate political maneuverings when a state legislator is robbed after cruising for trouble in a questionable part of the city. The embarrassment when a cop upchucks over a "perp." Some "ick" moments occur, such as when a drug dealer intentionally defecates in the police car, so this is not a novel you'll want to read over lunch.

Alongside the police scenes, the Liones paint a compelling portrait of Cavalucci's volatile dysfunctional Italian family, torn apart by divorce. The Christian themes are handled well for readers of faith --- the Christianity is not too preachy, or alternately, not too lightweight. Cavalucci's journey from alcoholic to sober cop is believable and intriguing. Despite the heaviness of several of the themes, there is plenty of genuine humor (Fiore: "Is it hard not to drink at family gatherings?" Cavalucci: "It's hard not to drink before family gatherings!") There are nice threads of romance woven throughout, and a redemptive ending that will please most readers.

A few stumbling blocks occur, however, including a lot of police lingo that is inconsistently explained (EDP, turret lights, perp, collar, etc.). Readers may find themselves wishing for a glossary, such as the ones Dee Henderson incorporates in her "Uncommon Heroes" military series. The Liones also tend to over-detail the mechanics of a character's actions, which can slow the pacing down. Too many sentences begin consecutively with the same word or words ("We had a robbery ... We came up negative ... We had a robbery...) and many of their sentences are the same length, which can feel stilted and tire the reader. Sometimes, a scene is so rich in detail that the reader bogs down in the description (such as a scene involving a jewelry store).

But these are the types of problems most first novelists wrestle with, and the Liones hopefully will correct them in their next offering. The insider knowledge of the dynamics of the NYPD that the Liones bring to their story is more than apt compensation for these flaws. Fans of police novels should find THE DEUCE a welcome first installment of a promising series.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby. (...)