Red on Red: A Novel [Hardcover]

Edward Conlon (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 5, 2011

A gripping debut work of crime fiction, from the author of the bestselling memoir about life as a New York City cop, Blue Blood. (“May be the best account ever written of life behind the badge.” —Time)
 
In Red on Red, Edward Conlon tells the electrifying and suspenseful story of two NYPD detectives, Meehan and Esposito: one damaged and introspective, the other ambitious and unscrupulous. Meehan is compelled by haunting and elusive stories that defy easy resolution, while Esposito is drawn to cases of rough and ordinary combat. A fierce and unlikely friendship develops between them and plays out against a tangle of mysteries: a lonely immigrant who hangs herself in Inwood Hill Park, a serial rapist preying on upper Manhattan, a troubled Catholic schoolgirl who appears in the wrong place with uncanny regularity, and a savage gang war that erupts over a case of mistaken identity.
 
A literary thriller about the twisted dynamic of a successful police partnership—the tests of loyalty, the necessary betrayals, the intersections of life and work—Red on Red tells an unrelenting and exciting story that captures the grittiness, complexity, ironies, and compromises of life on the job.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Author Edward Conon on Red on Red

When a detective writes a detective novel, one question is inevitable: "How true is this book?" Nothing in Red on Red couldn't have happened, I think, and much did, in one form or another. Parts of the story are a few shades, a few twists removed from events that happened to me, or to cops I know. I don't know if I'm giving away too much by saying that incidents regarding blizzards, bloodhounds, and inappropriate applications of plastic food wrap did not come to me in a dream. Other plot twists represent "what-if's" of wish fulfillment or worst-case scenarios from life on The Job, as we call it, and certain lines of dialogue are remarks that I really wished I'd said at the time. 

The question behind the question is whether to believe it. Though I'm tempted to compare the reader to a juror, even a famously cynical Bronx juror, I think the closer parallel is in a cop's relations with an informant. You come across a storyteller who takes you inside a world you want to know about, but you don't know if what you hear is gossip, gospel, or an outright lie. Even if you find your informant credible when he says that Joe No-Neck has a kilo of cocaine and an AK-47 in his closet, you won't know if Joe skipped town the night before or is babysitting his nieces or a pack of angry pit bulls until you knock down his door. It isn't a matter of whether you'll be surprised, but how. An informant figures significantly in Red on Red.

The heart of the novel is the relationship between two detectives, Meehan and his partner Esposito. Meehan is pensive and guarded, burdened by familial failures, and Esposito is a tornado of reckless vitality. One is a bull, the other a china shop. These men come to work each day with very different motivations and limitations, baggage and gifts. Who they are is not supposed to matter as much as what they have to do--investigate crimes--but it always does, somehow. What fascinates me is how people change each other, intentionally or otherwise, through inspiration, generosity, loyalty, or betrayal. That is the true mystery that drew me to write this book, and I won't pretend to have solved it.

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--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. NYPD detective Conlon, author of the memoir Blue Blood, turns to fiction with this ambitious, sprawling epic of police life. Nick Meehan, a New York City detective slipping into mid-career burnout, takes a special case for Internal Affairs to investigate a suspected dirty cop. Meehan and his new detective partner, Esposito, look into a variety of other cases, including the apparent suicide of a recently arrived Mexican immigrant woman, gangland slayings by rival drug dealers (called "red on red" or criminal on criminal killings), and a serial rapist. In between the crime solving, Conlon examines the personal lives of his two main players, the subtle alliances and loyalties, the emotional tolls, the temptations, the shades of gray inherent to police work. The pace may be slower than the average thriller, but this expertly crafted novel will appeal to readers of literary crime masters such as George Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane, and Richard Price. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Spiegel & Grau; First Edition edition (April 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385519176
• ISBN-13: 978-0385519175
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.6 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #746,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 36 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Complicated And Smart Professional Marriage--Great Characterizations Highlight A Tale Of Cops And Corruption February 17, 2011

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

It is certainly easy to appreciate that author Edward Conlon is speaking from experience when detailing the lives of New York City detectives in his fiction debut "Red on Red." Conlon, who is an actual detective with the NYPD, knows the atmosphere of the squad room, the verbal interplay of the division, and the complexities inherent in the professional marriage of two partners. In fact, it is the character study of how two men confound and compliment one another that is the centerpiece for this genuinely entertaining novel. Sure, there are the requisite cases--suicide, murder, gang violence, sexual assault, etc...--but what really distinguishes "Red on Red" is the very real and complicated central relationship. Neither cop is a saint, and in fact one may be inherently corrupt, but both wrestle with the difficult daily decisions of balancing getting things done versus strictly observing procedure. And Conlon does an exemplary job delineating the moral and ethical dilemmas that arise and allows the reader to understand the detectives' more unorthodox choices when they veer away from the letter of the law.

Several investigations wend their way through "Red on Red." Meehan, an introspective Irish cop, is paired with the more volatile Esposito. Having become friends and allies, despite an ongoing Internal Affairs inquiry into Esposito, the two cops have a mutual respect for one another despite their divergent techniques. As a starting off point, one stormy night both an apparent suicide and a potential gangland slaying fall under their purview. The murder appears to have been a case of mistaken identity, and it leads to a story of rivalry and retribution on the streets. In addition, the detectives also become unofficially involved with a Catholic schoolgirl with a penchant for trouble. These are just the principle storylines in a number of arcs that overlap and fold back onto one another. Through it all, the love/hate pairing of Esposito and Meehan both grows stronger and splinters at various points providing the real emotional drama.

Meehan is a refreshingly original creation, not an instantly embraceable hero but a man torn by conflicting priorities. A new romance, an on-again/off-again dalliance with his wife, an ailing father--everything is of importance, but nothing compares to the job. Esposito, on the other hand, doesn't question things so intently and pursues a life based on whim and animal instinct. Both are fully developed and not stock characterizations. While you may not always like them, you'll care about their journey. The novel is well paced and original and even the supporting roles are depicted with precision. If the novel stumbles anywhere, it is in plotting. Conlon brings disparate story threads together in a very convenient, and not wholly believable, way. Not everything in the big city can or should be interlocked with everything else--but all the investigations eventually have some connection to one another. Some things are just singular incidents. But for that troublesome, but easily forgivable, transgression--"Red on Red" is one of the more satisfying cop novels I've had the pleasure of reading in some time! KGHarris, 2/11.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts off strong, then dwindles away March 23, 2011

By K. Sozaeva TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

The first, say, half of this book lived up to its promise - a good police procedural, told from the point of view of Detective Meehan, showing his relationship with his partner Esposito and the work they do on a day-to-day basis - realistic, tough and lots of great character development. However, about half-way through or so, they both are injured and things just sort of wander off at that point. What had held the story together - by-play between Meehan and Esposito, and the police work they did together - mostly disappeared at that point and we're left with just Meehan, who by himself just isn't as interesting.

Not to say that this isn't a good story - it is - only that it gets bogged down after the injuries and doesn't really work its way out of the mud again until it is almost over. I'd recommend that you search this one out in a library to see if you like it before deciding to purchase it at full price. If you can get it at a substantial discount, I'd say go for it to those who enjoy character-driving police procedurals.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Want a book focusing on characters and not speed of light suspense? Then this one is for you April 9, 2011

By K. Corn TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Whether you like this book or not is apt to depend on your expectations. Edward Conlon has proven himself to be an excellent writer when it comes to nonfiction. His memoir, Blue Blood was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award as well as a New York Times Notable Book.

If you're wondering what on earth this has to do with Red on Red, hang in there. I loved Conlon's first book and I wasn't alone (it was a bestseller).

But when it comes to Red on Red, Conlon's first work of fiction, I may have had the wrong expectations. I thought it would be a fast-paced mystery novel but the focus was on two dectives, Meehan and Esposito, and their relationship as partners. Yes, there is also plenty of crime but plenty of loose ends as well and promising cases which don't always seem to go anywhere.

If you are fascinated by crime solving procedures and the way detectives interact and handle cases, you may love this book. The characterizations of Meehan and Esposito, are rich and detailed, and the two men are extremely different.

Esposito is fast and loose when it comes to his job while Meehan has a different take on things. Meehan is also caught between past and present, with a marriage that has become tepid but which may still be revived. I'll leave it to readers to find out more about that.

There are many cases which are also described in the book - a possible suicide, gang warfare and murders, etc. But I found the text to be too slow for my tastes, although the conversations between various characters were often delightful, especially when they joked around. There is plenty of pathos and humor. Conlon clearly knows his material and his experience as a detective with the New York City Police Department adds up to believable dialogue as well as crime investigation procedures.

Sometimes Meehan and Esposito are so stressed that they are cruel to suspects and witnesses. Again, this has the ring of truth.

But the pace is still languid, focusing primarily on Meehand and Esposito's interactions with each other (although there are plenty of subplots). I expected something different - but I don't think it is fair to judge a book on what one reader expects. I note my reaction only to let possible buyers know about my take on the style and pace of this book before they purchase copies.

I'm giving this one four stars because Conlon's writing is clearly superior to so many authors. He took the time to write well over 400 pages and the words on those pages create a believable world. It was just a different world than one I wanted to spend hours reading about.