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The Frank & Ernest Files #1
Drive By
Meet Ernie Campanella, the poster boy for all that was wrong with the notorious Philadelphia Police Department in the 1970s. A boarder-line alcoholic, Campanella regards bigotry and brutality as standard operating procedure. Like many racists of his day, he can look kindly upon individual black people he has met and gotten to know, but still carries a strong measure of contempt for the race in general. On the other hand, he is a genius.
Ernie’s closest friend and former police academy roommate is Frank Mueller, a resourceful and ambitious cop who quickly gets promoted to Detective Third Class. The price he must pay for that promotion is to leave the orderly middle-class neighborhood where he, Ernie and their friend Greg Martin patrolled, and transfer to the most dangerous area of the city. Oddly enough, the safe, respectable neighborhood carries the unglamorous name of Fishtown, while the dangerous ghetto is called Strawberry Mansion. Go figure.
Shortly after Detective Mueller’s transfer, a drive-by shooting, seemingly between rival drug dealers, takes place. The shooters are believed to be from a Jamaican gang. In the process, they kill one member of the rival gang, wound another and kill an innocent little girl who had the bad luck to be in the path of the shooters.
Because of the child’s death, the city is calling for blood. Frank, to whom the case has been assigned, is under major pressure to build a case against the Jamaicans, and soon. In spite of the prevailing attitude, he thinks there may be more to this crime than meets the eye. Maybe his genius friend in Fishtown can help—that is if Frank can catch him in a sober moment.
Ernie’s closest friend and former police academy roommate is Frank Mueller, a resourceful and ambitious cop who quickly gets promoted to Detective Third Class. The price he must pay for that promotion is to leave the orderly middle-class neighborhood where he, Ernie and their friend Greg Martin patrolled, and transfer to the most dangerous area of the city. Oddly enough, the safe, respectable neighborhood carries the unglamorous name of Fishtown, while the dangerous ghetto is called Strawberry Mansion. Go figure.
Shortly after Detective Mueller’s transfer, a drive-by shooting, seemingly between rival drug dealers, takes place. The shooters are believed to be from a Jamaican gang. In the process, they kill one member of the rival gang, wound another and kill an innocent little girl who had the bad luck to be in the path of the shooters.
Because of the child’s death, the city is calling for blood. Frank, to whom the case has been assigned, is under major pressure to build a case against the Jamaicans, and soon. In spite of the prevailing attitude, he thinks there may be more to this crime than meets the eye. Maybe his genius friend in Fishtown can help—that is if Frank can catch him in a sober moment.
122 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2015
94 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
David Archer
197 books517 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
David Archer was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. He is a fiction author and novelist, writing in the mysteries and thrillers genre. His approach to writing is to hit deep, keep you entertained, and leave you wanting MORE with every turn of the page. He writes mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels, all of which are primed to get your heart pumping.
David Archer was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. He is a fiction author and novelist, writing in the mysteries and thrillers genre. His approach to writing is to hit deep, keep you entertained, and leave you wanting MORE with every turn of the page. He writes mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels, all of which are primed to get your heart pumping.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 16, 2018
Worst book I've ever read by David Archer. I rate it 2 stars.
August 28, 2015
A short story about a crime filled city with an bad area the cops hated to have to be the one to patrol there. Gangs of different races. So there are lots of names called of them. Some people might not be comfortable reading them. Gang members trying to set things up so the other gang would get blamed for the happenings. The only thing I got confusing trying to remember all of the names of the gang members and police officers in the story.
September 10, 2015
"The mean streets revisited"
This was a throw-back to a different era of policing. The language, and the characters were exactly as we remember them. The story-line rolls along inexorably to a satisfactory conclusion. Well, as conclusive as any book seems to these days. That apart, I enjoyed the ride back in time. It was familiar and it made me welcome. Nothing jarred in the writing style; it fitted the genre, the period, and the mood of the book like a hand in a hand-made glove.
This was a throw-back to a different era of policing. The language, and the characters were exactly as we remember them. The story-line rolls along inexorably to a satisfactory conclusion. Well, as conclusive as any book seems to these days. That apart, I enjoyed the ride back in time. It was familiar and it made me welcome. Nothing jarred in the writing style; it fitted the genre, the period, and the mood of the book like a hand in a hand-made glove.
August 26, 2015
Hard to follow characters
I found it hard to follow the characters. Story line was ok. This is the first time I read a book by David Archer but I will try another book written by him.
I found it hard to follow the characters. Story line was ok. This is the first time I read a book by David Archer but I will try another book written by him.
January 3, 2016
A Good Book.
This is a good book, but it is extremely short. If you want one like this, go for the Jason Bourne books. This is just a shortened NYPD novel. It is still good, and perhaps the sequel will warrant a better rating, but this one is just mediocre.
This is a good book, but it is extremely short. If you want one like this, go for the Jason Bourne books. This is just a shortened NYPD novel. It is still good, and perhaps the sequel will warrant a better rating, but this one is just mediocre.
January 2, 2016
This book had no storyline that caught your attention. No real plot. The characters were not developed enough to make you bond with them. It ended as fast as it started.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews