Little Boy Blue [Mass Market Paperback]

Ed Dee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

At the center of Little Boy Blue is an airport heist gone bad. A young baggage handler has been gunned down. Detective Joe Gregory and his partner, Anthony Ryan, sense something "hinky" about the killing of young Johnny Boy Counihan, who wore an old blue NYPD overcoat to his death. Determined to find the killer, the two cops cast their lot with Johnny Boy's angry, heartbroken, street-smart grandfather, Vito Martucci, who claims to know who did the killing and why. Vito doesn't have all the answers. While the detectives interview suspects, a hoods' hangout in Queens is firebombed and another body is found in a car trunk at the airport, this one covered with artificial eyes. And a group of young Irish immigrants, linked to Johnny Boy's life and death, tell Ryan and Gregory a story that ranges from charmingly curious to darkly disturbing. The real killers - and the real motive - remain hidden somewhere in the city that pays Ryan's and Gregory's salary and confounds them, the city of their fathers, their sins, their enemies. For the Great Gregory, years of hard living have taken a steep emotional toll. For Ryan, being a cop first and a husband second is giving way to a new sense of love for his wife and a marriage that has endured. And for both, a partnership forged in the mad, unceasing poetry of the street - as well as the politics of the force - is turning to something else: a deeper understanding and acceptance of each other's flawed humanity. When Gregory and Ryan finally uncover the truth behind Johnny Boy's killing, it is a truth laced with bitter irony, love, and innocence betrayed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The opening scene of retired NYPD detective Dee's third crime thriller (after Bronx Angel) crackles with authenticity. NYPD detective Anthony Ryan and his partner, Joe Gregory, are chatting about Cookie Counihan, the woman they've come to JFK airport to meet. Their dialogue is counterpointed (in one of Dee's signature stylistic touches) with Ryan's narration, which slowly fills in the reason why the two cops have to speak to Cookie when she steps off her flight from Florida: because Cookie is married to Gregory's first partner, and her son, Johnny Boy, a cargo handler, has just been killed during a robbery when he was mistaken for a policeman. Vengeance comes quickly when Johnny's grandfather shoots up The Cockpit Lounge-owned by the uncrowned king of airport crime, Emil Lutz-in what could be the first move in a gang war involving everyone from Lutz's son (a police informant) to Johnny's Irish girlfriend and a couple of shady Irish hansom cab drivers. There's a hard edge to everything and nearly everyone in this gripping novel, which plays some subtle improvisations on the theme of fathers and sons, and family and its obligations, even as Dee creates a tight mystery that emanates a gritty, world-weary air. The first-person narration turns Ryan into a poet of his personal New York, a city of up-all-night cops who spend more time in bars and cars than outdoors, a town captured by Dee as if he were Hopper, painting it for Police Gazette. Simultaneous Time Warner Audio.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Dee's first novel, 14 Peck Slip (LJ 7/94), was a New York Times Notable Book and sold 160,000 copies. In this latest, series detectives Gregory and Ryan pursue the killer of a cop's son.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446605220
• ISBN-13: 978-0446605229
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,065,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a realistic & entertaining police novel, February 8, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Long Island, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Boy Blue (Mass Market Paperback)

As a detective myself, I have to applaud Mr Dee's realistic portrayal of partners Anthony Ryan and Joe Gregory. I was drawn into the interaction between them and the realism of the story. The author knows the city and writes like only a cop could. The subtle nuances cannot be faked by a "civilian author." The interaction on stakeouts, and the overall feel of the story is so authentic. I come from a family of cops and my roots are in Ireland. This book really hit home. If I had the talent, I could have written it myself.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific read, October 29, 2004

By 

Don M Howard "Don M. Howard" (Rimrock, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Boy Blue (Mass Market Paperback)

Ed Dees's experience as a New York City police officer shines through on every page of this police procedural novel. It fairly crackles with realism, and features fully realized, sympathetic characters who are easy for the reader to like and pull for. I am always happy when I pick a novel off the shelf and find a writer this good, and I'll watch for more of Ed Dee's work. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good fiction. I won't go into the story line, as that's been covered well by the other reviewers. I'll just say don't miss this one!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A police mystery and so much more, November 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Little Boy Blue (Audio Cassette)

Mr. Dee is a fine writer with an eye for detail that brings the reader into the scene. As a retired NYC police officer, he knows of what he speaks. All Mr. Dee's books bring the reader closer to his main character, Anthony Ryan and his beloved wife, Leigh. One must wonder about Ryan's partner - the "Great Gregory" and when or if he will self destruct. The closeness of these two men develops through out the three novels, 14 Peck Slip, Bronx Angel and Little Boy Blue. Ryan vacillates on and off the wagon, wife pulling him in one direction, partner - almost unwittingly - in the other. Mr. Dee gives the reader more to think about than just the case at hand. This is how life in the NYPD was 20 years ago, gritty, semi-drunken and dangerous. Descriptions of NYC bring the scenes to life even for those who have never been there. Mr. Dee's eye for detail and understanding of character development are clear in all three of his novels. He keeps the pace moving, the reader doesn't want to put the book down. I'm looking forward to Mr. Dee's next work. The nine rating is just to keep him on his toes.