Pigtown

by William J. Caunitz

A mafia murder in Brooklyn leads a detective to uncover corruption among his own in this gritty thriller from the New York Times–bestselling author. The room is littered with rotting food, the refrigerator emptied to make room for the corpse. Det. Joe Borrelli finds Beansy Rutolo’s body squeezed into the icebox, the frozen expression on his face suggesting he died begging for his life. But Borrelli has seen worse. Brooklyn’s 71st Precinct sits in the middle of Pigtown, a longtime mafia hangout that seems to get more dangerous every year. Once, the murder of a made guy like Beansy would have drawn reporters and detectives from all over town. Now, it’s just another homicide.   The police, the media, and the mob are all happier with Beansy dead, but Lt. Matthew Stuart won’t let the killing go. His father owed Beansy a debt, and Stuart plans on repaying it. But when the murder leads him toward the corrupt underbelly of the NYPD, Stuart will have to ask himself what’s more important—justice or brotherhood?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Procedural, Novels

662 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 1995

About the author

William J. Caunitz was a New York City Police Department officer who used his own experiences to write best-selling thrillers.

After serving in the United States Marine Corps, and working for an insurance company, he joined the NYPD in his twenties. He first worked as a patrolman, and eventually rose through the ranks to become a Lieutenant, followed by an assignment as a detective squad commander.Caunitz would eventually serve 30 years with the N.Y.P.D.

Caunitz was praised for his "raw authenticity" when describing precinct day-to-day life in his novels, especially for One Police Plaza , which was eventually made into a television movie. His novels usually center around one or two police officers that follow detailed police procedures to solve a crime, and he also used some sensational elements of thrillers.

Caunitz died in 1996 from pulmonary fibrosis. His last novel, Chains of Command, was half-completed at the time of his death and finished by Christopher Newman.

Reviews

[William Howle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was good, but seemed to dwell a lot about the sexual escapades of the police. I am not a prude, but this did not add to the story. The story dealing with police corruption was interesting and well done. The story ended well and I enjoyed the work of the honest policeman. It's good when the rats get what's coming to them

[Sheldon Lehman · Rating 2 out of 5]

About what I have come to expect. Elements of McBain and Block without the writing skills of either.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gritty, well written police procedural along the lines of Joseph Wambaugh's fiction or Ed McBain's 87th precinct novels.

I am terrible when it comes to classifying genre, having said that, I would consider this to be something of a hard-boiled police story.

An older mid-level mobster's body is found stuffed in a refrigerator. The ensuing investigation sets in motion a series of events that exposes long term police corruption at the highest levels. Lt. Matthew Stuart is in command of the 71st Precinct Detective Squad, with the deck stacked firmly against them he and his detectives are determined to set things right and put an end to the status quo.

I really enjoyed this novel. It made me think alot of the Ed McBain 87th precinct book series - Though the cops are not as edge-of-the-seat, roller coaster ride crazy as in McBain's book. I think fans of McBain and Joseph Wabaugh's police fiction would enjoy this book.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book

[Donn Lorber · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid cops and robber story w the Italian mob, dirty cops and a good cop as a hero. A deep story of love and retribution set in NY.

[Tomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much sex.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viewed in 1995. An electrifying tale of of organized crime and political corruption.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn good yarn. Not my genre usually, but it definitely had me going cover to cover. Tightly wound plot, greqt characters, and a classic ending

[Steven Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another good NYC detective fiction novel based upon a true story. Great action and descriptions of police procedures without bogging down in the CSI-like morass.

Action is set in the early '90s when cell phones are just starting to become common. No smart phones, just the old basic cell phones that were nearly Marine-proof. Early days of computerization too - lots of typewriter use, fax, pager, and other analog things long resigned to the analog dust bin. Before email, Google, and the internet which is so common today.

Got tired of the Italian Mafia hit man's use of the phrase "done like a dinner" ever time he was given an assignment to kill someone.

I hope to read more of this author's work.

[Joshua Emil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would've been a good book but what made things turn around is the way of telling how the investigation happened. Okay, so this thing goes from New York City to New Jersey then to Chicago. There were too many characters to follow and I somehow didn't understand what really was going on. The main character Lt. Matt Stuart has a good back story and he has good intentions why he's still doing his job. Pigtown is the book that tells the events before Caunitz's last book, Chains of Command. Almost all were replaced in the latter book. The sequel is what redeemed the first one.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in the Matthew Stuart series. Pigtown is the historical name for a neighborhood in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, NY.

NYPD novel - Lt. Matthew Stuart of Brooklyn's 71st Precinct investigates a wiseguy's murder and finds a trail of crime and police corruption.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was interesting, I know that, but I don't remember much else.