Customer Reviews

NYPD: Stories of Survival from the World's Toughest Beat

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

it's a terrific book, with no weak stories, but they are NOT the ones listed above in the editorial review. Enlarge the cover photo - those are the writers you'll see. There's nothing by Maas, Wolfe, Stroud, Hellman, etc. I don't know where that other list came from. The stories included, though, are gritty and compelling. I liked the one by Joe Poss so much that I have already ordered a copy of his out-of-print book. I consider myself to have read a lot of NYPD stories and I had seen none of these before. The variety has always been the greatest thing about the Adrenaline series - my shelves now have many books I first "met" through this series. Anyway - no weak sisters here; it's all strong stuff, from the late 1800's to very current events (no WTC). There are 12 entries - three authors each wrote two, but you won't care - when the cops themselves write you feel like you're sitting next to them in the car. A great gift, one of the series' best volumes.

This is a compilation of stories from eleven authors. The time frame is from the 1800's up to the case of Abner Louima in 1997. Along the way the reader learns about the Civil War riots, corrupt and hero cops as well as visits to the tough precincts on the Bronx and Brooklyn. Good collection.

I've just started reading this book about 3 days ago and it's already given me much pleasure. As a police sergeant and a former NYC resident, I have to smile at the dry no bull section on ghetto policing and I'm in awe when I read the story about the draft riot in New York. It is hard to believe that the city was the stage of what amounted to an all out war within it's boundries!

If you like police stories and you love New York, then I know you'll enjoy this one!

As a native New Yorker from Brooklyn and an aspiring police officer candidate, I'm glad I picked up this book. It gave me some insight on what I'm going to be dealing with...the thugs out there don't care if you're black or white..they see blue. I really felt like I was sitting in the seat in the first chapter: "brooklyn bounce"..and the "buddy boys" chapter about the corrupt police officers...great read for anyone who likes true crime stories

The stories in this book tells the many different aspects of policing. From stories of ghetto cops,corrupt cops, draft riots, hero cops, and many more. I myself am planning to become a cop, and these stories help me realize what it takes and what i will be dealing with.
If you are thinking of becoming a cop, or like cop stories, you must pick up this book, its simply great.

The collection of stories here ranges from excellent to, in my opinion, weak. The modern stories of ghetto policing is as equally exciting as the riots of the Gangs of New York. However there is a secion about murders in the 1800's where no one is captured. This is weak and offers lots of ifs and buts as to the identities of the killers. The piece on Justin Volpe just stops offering no conclusion to those not already familiar with the case. A good read but could offer a whole lot more.

This is basically a collection of excerpts from other books. Some are good, some are merely ok. If you've read other cop books you probably won't be impressed by this one too much, if this is your first one you'll probably like it more. It's not boring, it's not gripping, it's not something I'd recommend to others or rave about. But, it does make the commute easier by keeping you busy turning pages.

I wish I could give it 2.5 stars, because it's exactly that - average. That not being an option, it gets 3. Pick it up if you find it cheap.

Adrenaline books published this book, so that tells you something- it's going to be heart pounding, fast paced, gritty reading. The stories are from the cops themselves. What it's like to work in the toughest hoods, alone with you and your patrol car. The stories range as far back as the 1860's to the present. Detectives, beat cops, undercover cops, corrupt cops are all told in their own words.

Police dramas on TV and movies are popular for a reason. They're interesting-as is this book. Even the bad cops draw out empathy - they fell victim to the constant temptation and corruption that's out there. But there's a lot more good than not. Hard working stiffs who done a uniform and try to keep the peace in a fragile balance of the world of crime vs. normalcy. This is a great book for those who want to get an insiders glimpse of a high risk job, an adrenaline rush, true stories that read like good fiction.

This is a good read! You feel like you are on the "beat" with this officer!

This book is a varied compilation of stories, each so different from the other, and yet the flow of the book is consistent. It is Real-exposing the horror and the glory of such a complex and fascinating world as the NYPD is. As interested as I am im in the subject matter, and personally invested in the NYPD, I have an embarassingly short attention span. I sat for hours with this book without moving-reading and re-reading material that moved me to tears, altered my views on issues instantly, and was compelling, thought-provoking and extremely educational. The common sense lessons aren't done justice by being labeled "common", it's just that the remarkably perceptive, astute and instantaneous patterns of thought described in detail in this book are awe-inspiring, and impart a sense of worldliness that stays with you long after you finish the book-and discussing it at length with everyone in your intellectual circle with whom you will be thrilled to share it.