Rizzo's War - by Lou Manfredo (Paperback)

About the Book

"Rizzo's War" is an introduction to a wonderful new voice in crime fiction, ringing with authenticity, full of personality, and perfect for fans of police procedurals.

Book Synopsis

Rizzo's War, Lou Manfredo's stunningly authentic debut, partners a rookie detective with a seasoned veteran on his way to retirement in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

There's no wrong, there's no right, there just is. This is the refrain of Joe Rizzo, a decadelong veteran of the NYPD, as he passes on the knowledge of his many years of experience to his ambitious new partner, Mike McQueen. McQueen is fresh from Manhattan, and Bensonhurst might as well be the moon for how different it is. They work on several cases, some big, some small, but when they're given the delicate task of finding and returning the runaway daughter of a city councilman, who may or may not be more interested in something his daughter has taken with her than in her safety, the situation is much more complex.

By the end of Rizzo and McQueen's year together, however, McQueen is not surprised to discover that even in those more complicated cases, Rizzo is still right--there's no wrong, there's no right, there just is.

Rizzo's War introduces us to a wonderful new voice in crime fiction that rings with authenticity, is full of personality, and taut with the suspense of real, everyday life in the big city.

Review Quotes

"Lou Manfredo gets it. As a depiction of the byzantine, politicized existence of a working American police department, Rizzo's War stands as a valuable primer. This is good police work as it actually occurs--full of flaw and compromise, absent the pristine science of television procedurals, and bearing only a vague resemblance to what any social or legal philosopher might define as justice. With all of that said, though, sometimes good police work is nearly enough." --David Simon, creator of The Wire

"Lou Manfredo's debut explores the gritty, unkind streets of Brooklyn. . . . Comparable to the late Ed McBain's brilliant 87th Precinct procedurals . . . Manfredo's novel resonates with authenticity." --Sun-Sentinel

"Manfredo shows us the nitty-gritty of police work. . . . It's a realistic portrait . . . a solid debut." --The Washington Post

"In this engrossing debut novel, Lou Manfredo gives us a modern-day police procedural that is equally concerned with insights into character as with apprehending criminals." --smartmoney.com

About the Author

Lou Manfredo served in the Brooklyn criminal justice system for twenty-five years. His short fiction has appeared in The Best American Mystery Stories, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and Brooklyn Noir. Rizzo's War is his first novel. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now lives in New Jersey with his wife.