Line of Duty [Hardcover]

Michael Grant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1991

Assigned to investigate the case of a recently murdered drug lord in Harlem, Lieutenant Brian Shannon, paired with a young hotshot from Internal Affairs, learns that the killer may be within the police department. Reprint. NYT.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Twenty-three-year NYPD veteran Grant is being billed by his publisher as "the police novelist of the '90s," the logical successor to Joseph Wambaugh and William Caunitz. But while it is clear that the author of this competent if uninvolving first novel is writing from an insider's viewpoint, the narrative lacks the steady flow of raucous, off-color humor and wild anecdotes that has come to define the genre. When a well-known drug dealer is summarily executed by two men who might well be policemen, career cop Brian Shannon is assigned to conduct a covert investigation in an uneasy alliance with Internal Affairs officer Alex Rose. Similar murders of a sleazy lawyer and an uptown art dealer eventually lead them to police captain Patrick Stone, head of the city's elite antidrug unit and a rising departmental star. Unfortunately, Stone's corruption--which is the heart of the story--is difficult to accept, and his ability to draw an entire team of other cops into his web defies belief. Finally, while the requisite personal problems in the investigators' private lives are introduced, these never have much passion or impact, and are not resolved. As far as the police novel goes, Grant sings the song but sadly misses the melody. 50,000 first printing; paperback rights to Bantam.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Odd couple NYPD Lieutenant Brian Shannon--on special assignment in the Chief of Detectives Office--and Lieutenant Alex Rose--from Internal Affairs--are given the job of finding out who is behind the murders of three men executed in the same style but with no apparent motive linking the cases. Soon, police corruption, drug trafficking, and a murdered cop lead them to the elite narcotics unit led by Captain Patrick Stone, the superstar of the department, who has his sights set on being police commissioner. Grant, a 23-year veteran of the New York Police Department, has written a tale with all the familiar trappings of a police procedural but falls short on plausibility and character development. Nevertheless, inveterate readers of procedurals will find the view from inside One Police Plaza fascinating.
- Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 359 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (May 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385419678
• ISBN-13: 978-0385419673
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,547,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Grant is a former member of the NYPD. He worked as a police officer in the Tactical Patrol Force and the Accident Investigation Squad. Upon being promoted to sergeant, he worked in the 63rd Precinct, the Inspections Division, and finally the Police Academy. As a lieutenant, he worked in the 17th Precinct and finished up his career as the Commanding Officer of the Traffic Division's Field Internal Affairs Unit. He retired in 1985 and went to work for W.R. Grace Company as a Security Coordinator.
Mr. Grant has a BS in Criminal Justice and an MA in psychology from John Jay College. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
In 1990, Mr. Grant moved to Florida where he wrote his first three novels: Line of Duty, Officer Down, and Retribution. In 2006 he returned to Long Island where he has written six more novels: The Cove, Back To Venice, When I Come Home, In The Time Of Famine, Dear Son, Hey Ma, and Krystal.
He lives on Long Island with his wife, Elizabeth, and their Golden Retriever, Jack.
Mr. Grant can be reached at [e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grant has written the finest NYPD novel I have ever read, September 29, 2001

By 

Dorothy Rosen (Palm Beach Gardens, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Line of Duty (Hardcover)

There's action, strong characters and dialogue that transports you into the heart of New York city. Like his "Officer Down" and "Retribution," I couldn't put this book down. He's better than Wambaugh!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, November 2, 1999

By 

Ivan Skulic (Amsterdam, Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Line of Duty (Hardcover)

I found it very real, suspense-packed, mixture of cop life and duty. Insecurities, pay-offs, circle of deceit, lies, dirty money, everything is interwined in this excellent book from the pen of the connosseur of the "inside life".

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly accurate! Almost scary it's so good, June 26, 2011

By 

Chuck Rylant "MBA, CFP®, Author" - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Line of Duty (Mass Market Paperback)

I was hooked once I started this book and couldn't put it down. The book is so accurate in how it describes the life of a police officer and the story is intense. I could not believe how well Grant described the life and emotions of a police officer. This book is awesome.