Manhattan North [Mass Market Paperback]

John Mackie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

Victim: A vicious Harlem drug supplier. Suspect: An upstanding patron of the arts. NYPD: Detective Sergeant Thornton Savage, Manhattan South homicide. And this case is going to take him to streets meaner than ever before.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of Mackie's debut, Manhattan South, will be pleased to note that NYPD Det. Sgt. Thornton Savage, the larger-than-life protagonist of this high intensity police procedural, hasn't lost his hard edge or his renegade impulses. Set in the heart of Harlem, the novel opens with the brutal murder of Horace Grimes, a notorious drug kingpin. Savage and his homicide squad take the case-which turns out to be the latest in a series of gruesome drug-czar slayings. But after the lead investigator, one of Savage's longtime friends, is killed, the case turns personal. Savage arrests Derek Ogden, who has made a fortune running the city's most ruthless drug ring, but he lacks the evidence to hold Ogden and his sadistic protege. While Savage builds his case, Ogden arranges for the detective's fiancee to be killed, which sends Savage on a manhunt. Mackie excels at creating grisly imagery and dissecting intricate police work for lay readers. Unfortunately, he isn't as adept at writing about interpersonal relationships. The dialogue between Savage and his bride-to-be feels forced. Likewise, when Mackie tries to convey his characters' emotions, his prose often becomes overly dramatic. Nevertheless, the book's relentless pacing and spine-chilling suspense will keep readers on their toes.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451410955
• ISBN-13: 978-0451410955
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #328,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, John attended public schools and grew up playing baseball. In this, the first chapter of his life, he was a die-hard Brooklyn Dodger fan and spent many summer hours as a boy watching his heroes play at Ebbets Field. He often fantasized that someday he would be wearing a Dodger uniform and playing third base for them. Though good with a glove and bat, and blessed with a great arm, he lacked speed. Playing for the Dodgers was not to be. Besides, the Bums had gone west to Los Angeles. He was a New Yorker.

In the second chapter of his life, John married young. With a wife and children to support, the fantasy thinking of his youth soon faded into reality and he became a New York City policeman. It was a good decision. John soon found that he loved The Job,and would rather be a New York City cop than a third baseman for any ball club...well, almost. His years with the department were spent working in Midtown Manhattan (Times Square), Uptown Manhattan in Harlem, and in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bedford Stuyvesant and Brownsville. During his tenure as a policeman, John loved to work the street. He was decorated more than several dozen times, and is a holder of the NYPD's prestigious Medal of Valor. He stayed with the department for seventeen years until work-related injuries forced him into early retirement while at the rank of sergeant.

Then came chapter three. Needing a new identity, John had to reinvent himself. He picked up a pen and, with a tightly focused view on becoming a published author of fiction, began to write. The reality thinking of his middle life had reverted back to the fantasy thinking of his youth. The pursuit turned out to be a long and winding road, one that demanded three things: talent, perseverance, and luck. He believed he had the talent, for absolute certainty he had the perseverance; it was the luck--much like the baseball requirement of speed--which he seemed to lack. But things eventually began to happen. Perseverance and talent finally found luck. His first book, MANHATTAN SOUTH, was published by NAL/Penguin in July 2002. MANHATTAN NORTH, EAST SIDE, and WEST SIDE followed.

John now makes his home in Florida.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting police procedural, July 2, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Manhattan North (Mass Market Paperback)

Horace Grimes is the third drug kingpin murdered in the MANHATTAN NORTH precinct and the fifth in the city in the past few months. In each case the victim is tied up by nylon cable straps, beaten up in what seemed like a vicious Q & A session, and ultimately shot in the head from close up inside car with the driver's window open.

NYPD Detective Sergeant Thornton Savage is assigned as lead investigator. A tip leads him to art expert and socialite Derek Ogden. Thornton's best friend Abe Hamilton goes undercover to tail Derek. However, the prominent Derek's enforcer Luther Robinson kills Abe. While Thornton mourns his loss and feels guilt over the assignment that left a teen without a father, the case against Derek heads south. Even worse, Luther begins killing anyone that Thornton cherishes. Besides mourning the loss of pal, Thornton knows he must stop this killing machine and his smooth boss before further innocent people die as his beloved girlfriend did.

This is an exciting police procedural in which the readers know the culprits from almost the beginning of the novel. That irony does not slow down the pace or impede the suspense of this thriller. Though Luther behaves out of control except when he uses reverse psychology to lure his victim into a trap. The audience will take immense delight in this taut cat and mouse caper.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Avid NYPD Reader, May 7, 2004

By 

Kurt Geisinger (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Manhattan North (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read Mackie's "Manhattan South" and loved the novel. I immediately read "Manhattan North" afterwards and (thinking Mackie couldn't out do himself), loved this story even more. Sgt. Thorn Savage is back and had immersed himself into stopping the leader of a notoriously violent drug traffic industry. He turns it into more than a professional occupation, it becomes a personal vendetta. I simply could not put the book down. If it becomes a movie (and hopefully it will), I'll see it without delay.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who reads detective stories.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mackie Tops His Own Debut With An Even Better Read!, December 12, 2005

By 

Joseph L. Burke "Paper Tiger" (Bradenton FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Manhattan North (Mass Market Paperback)

Author John Mackie was a decorated NYPD detective (he is now retired) but he is even a better writer. I thought his first book (Manhattan South) as good a detective novel as I've read but this one is even better. The Publishers Weekly review is so wrong. Mackie writes excellently about personal relationships; so much so that I actually had tears in my eyes over the tragedy in this novel. The first novel galloped along from the get-go, but this one is a slow build. I was impatient through the opening chapters but WOW! - When the action started, it was an incredible not-to-be-missed ride all the way to the last word. If you read "thrillers" at all (and even if you don't) this one will keep you turning pages. I was up 'till 3 AM; I had to find out what happened. Mackie is on my "must list" and I'll read whatever he writes.