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River City Crime #1
Under a Raging Moon
A violent robber is loose in River City. Meet the cops that must take him down.
Stefan Kopriva, a young hotshot. Katie MacLeod, a woman in what is still mostly a man’s world. Karl Winter, about to retire but with one more good bust left in him. And Thomas Chisolm, a former Green Beret who knows how dangerous a man like the Scarface Robber can be.
These are the patrol officers of River City – that mythical thin blue line between society and anarchy. They must stop the robber, all the while juggling divorces, love affairs, internal politics, a hostile media, vengeful gang members and a civilian population that isn’t always understanding or even grateful.
Written by a real cop with real experience, Under a Raging Moon is like a paperback ride-along. Enjoy the ride.
Stefan Kopriva, a young hotshot. Katie MacLeod, a woman in what is still mostly a man’s world. Karl Winter, about to retire but with one more good bust left in him. And Thomas Chisolm, a former Green Beret who knows how dangerous a man like the Scarface Robber can be.
These are the patrol officers of River City – that mythical thin blue line between society and anarchy. They must stop the robber, all the while juggling divorces, love affairs, internal politics, a hostile media, vengeful gang members and a civilian population that isn’t always understanding or even grateful.
Written by a real cop with real experience, Under a Raging Moon is like a paperback ride-along. Enjoy the ride.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
894 people are currently reading
1025 people want to read
About the author
Frank Zafiro
143 books96 followersA former police officer, Frank writes gritty crime fiction from both sides of the badge.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
February 21, 2020
I enjoyed this crime-busting police procedural tale. The events, etc. seemed pulled from the pages of the many reports filed by the dedicated men and women who serve as police officers throughout the country. Looking forward to the next story in the River City Crime series by former officer and author Frank Zafiro.
November 23, 2014
I couldn't read fast enough; not because I wanted to be finished with the book, but because it was suspenseful and I was eager to read what was going to happen next. As another reviewer mentioned, I was clued in to a couple things that were going to happen by the end of the book, but it didn't detract from the story for me. The characters were vivid with a variety of personalities. Most of us have come across some, if not all, of these types of people and can appreciate both the sense of camaraderie and animosity that exist within a working group. These are characters I want to read more about. I enjoyed the format of the book, with daily situations that officers are faced with interspersed with an ongoing investigation. I read crime / mystery novels for the pleasure of seeing a mystery or crime solved, but it is interesting to me to get a glimpse into the more ordinary life of a police officer and the more mundane tasks and situations they are faced with each day. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
March 17, 2024
You can tell that this is written by a former police officer. It is a job most of us would never want. It is often thankless and sometimes terrifying. I have been married to a police officer and have known many others. Cops are people and there are good and bad just like everywhere. But with all the police hate out there these days I really don’t know how they do it. I appreciated this story and thought it was good at showing both sides of the coin.
August 19, 2015
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much police jargon. Too many characters for development. Mixed ending that made me wonder why I was able to finish the book.
September 10, 2016
A murder mystery that tells its story from the point of view of patrol cops rather than detectives and emphasizes that all police officers work together to solve crimes. The setting is River City, i.e., Spokane, WA, and I recognized the streets and intersections in the radio calls. The author is a 20-year veteran of the SPD.
September 10, 2025
I really liked this book. It was like watching a pretty good cop show on tv. The action was fast, the situations realistic, and I felt like I really got to know the characters.
March 14, 2022
This is the first in the River City Crime series by Frank Zafiro which deals with the lives of a select group of Police Officers of the River City P. D. The main plot line,as such, is the hunt for Scarface, a robber of convenience stores, whose crimes are getting more and more violent as his crime spree progresses. When conventional Policing methods fail to catch him, a special task force is formed hoping to bring an end to his reign. The main focus of the novel however deals with the private lives of the cops, their relationships with each other and also with their wives and lovers. The novel is reminiscent of Joseph Wambaugh’s novels or Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct series but I didn’t find that I was so engaged by Zafiro’s characters as I hoped. Thankfully the last portion of the novel saved it for me as there is thrilling shoot out, where another strand of the plot intersects with the main story and which leads to a tense and violent shootout.
There are several novels in this series but I’m not sure there was really enough in this first one to lure me back in as I didn’t feel very invested in the characters.
There are several novels in this series but I’m not sure there was really enough in this first one to lure me back in as I didn’t feel very invested in the characters.
July 16, 2024
4 Stars. Excellent for a series starter. You can tell Zafiro is a cop. This was a police procedural that was surely influenced by Wabaugh. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book that I could say that about. Looks like there are plenty of books in the series already. That’s a very good thing.
October 25, 2023
Frank Zafiro was an unknown author for me when I purchased and downloaded Under A Raging Moon to my Kindle Reader, but the title and cover artwork caught my attention and interest enough to click on the purchase button.
The story begins with a police office being tested by a psychologist after the officer had been involved in an officer involved shooting. A shooting in which the perp was killed but not before the office received a serious injury himself. We discovered that the officer not only did what he needed to do, but he enjoyed doing it. That he killed a man doesn’t bother the officer, what worries him is the fact that he enjoyed it and that doesn’t bother him. The officer’s name is never mentioned, so we begin chapter one, which takes us back to an earlier point in time wondering who that officer is.
Under A Raging Moon is more of a character-driven story than a plot-driven story because it’s the characters that capture and holds the reader’s interest from the very beginning. The plotting is tight but parallels the actions of real life police officers with routine traffic stops that lead to arrests for outstanding warrants—some misdemeanor, some felony. We know that the story will come to a climax when “Scar face” is caught, but all the minor events along the way makes this story realistic and believable. Frank Zafiro’s style of writing reminds me of that of Joseph Wambaugh who was a fourteen-year veteran of the Los Angeles police department and the author of over forty bestsellers. But that doesn’t really surprise me because Frank was also a police officer from 1993 to 2013 and also like Wambaugh, the author of many police thrillers.
Two-thirds of the way through the read and the hunt for “Scarface” is heating up, and the author flashes forward to the fall of 1994 again for an “Interlude.” Once again we find ourselves in the psychologist’s office where he is interviewing that same officer who killed a man. We get an idea of who the officer may have killed in self defense and an idea of who the officer in question might be.
The ending...well all I will say about the ending is that it will blow you away. It did me and I will read this book again and seeking other books by this author to add to my collection.
The story begins with a police office being tested by a psychologist after the officer had been involved in an officer involved shooting. A shooting in which the perp was killed but not before the office received a serious injury himself. We discovered that the officer not only did what he needed to do, but he enjoyed doing it. That he killed a man doesn’t bother the officer, what worries him is the fact that he enjoyed it and that doesn’t bother him. The officer’s name is never mentioned, so we begin chapter one, which takes us back to an earlier point in time wondering who that officer is.
Under A Raging Moon is more of a character-driven story than a plot-driven story because it’s the characters that capture and holds the reader’s interest from the very beginning. The plotting is tight but parallels the actions of real life police officers with routine traffic stops that lead to arrests for outstanding warrants—some misdemeanor, some felony. We know that the story will come to a climax when “Scar face” is caught, but all the minor events along the way makes this story realistic and believable. Frank Zafiro’s style of writing reminds me of that of Joseph Wambaugh who was a fourteen-year veteran of the Los Angeles police department and the author of over forty bestsellers. But that doesn’t really surprise me because Frank was also a police officer from 1993 to 2013 and also like Wambaugh, the author of many police thrillers.
Two-thirds of the way through the read and the hunt for “Scarface” is heating up, and the author flashes forward to the fall of 1994 again for an “Interlude.” Once again we find ourselves in the psychologist’s office where he is interviewing that same officer who killed a man. We get an idea of who the officer may have killed in self defense and an idea of who the officer in question might be.
The ending...well all I will say about the ending is that it will blow you away. It did me and I will read this book again and seeking other books by this author to add to my collection.
August 13, 2007
UNDER A RAGING MOON (Police Proc-River City, Wash-Cont) - VG
Zafiro, Frank - 1st book
Wolfmont, 2006- Trade paperback
*** The police officers of River City are determined to stop a gunman who has been holding up convenience stores, becoming more violent with each one.
*** Reminiscent of McBain's 87th Precinct, Zafiro presents an ensemble cast with the biggest difference being that these are uniformed officers, not homicide detectives and with that comes a realistic view of the challenges and frustrations they face, both professional and personal. Each character, including the villain, has a distinct personality that comes to life in this engrossing, fast-paced, suspenseful story. Written with sharp dialogue and escalating suspense, this was an absolutely non-stop read. Highly recommended.
Zafiro, Frank - 1st book
Wolfmont, 2006- Trade paperback
*** The police officers of River City are determined to stop a gunman who has been holding up convenience stores, becoming more violent with each one.
*** Reminiscent of McBain's 87th Precinct, Zafiro presents an ensemble cast with the biggest difference being that these are uniformed officers, not homicide detectives and with that comes a realistic view of the challenges and frustrations they face, both professional and personal. Each character, including the villain, has a distinct personality that comes to life in this engrossing, fast-paced, suspenseful story. Written with sharp dialogue and escalating suspense, this was an absolutely non-stop read. Highly recommended.
September 25, 2017
Really liked book. Local author. Fun trying to figure out locations in city. Will continue the series.
February 4, 2020
3.5 stars
August 16, 2020
This story is gritty, with a heavy dose of realism. It doesn’t pull any punches, and is a bit on the dark side with rays of humor, often gallows humor, peaking through.
January 7, 2018
This one will be with me for a while. This Author Frank Zafiro should have 1000 GOLD STARS for the series River City Crime Mystery because it gives a look into what goes on with these BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO WEAR A BLUE UNIFORM. Under a Raging Moon book#1 in the River City Crime Mystery by: Frank Zafiro shows friendship, rivalry among the ranks, bad guys vs. good guys, lose of friends and marriage, and the knowing that the really really really bad guys will be caught ( DEAD OR IN THIS CASE DEAD). If you like crime novels please please read this series.
November 21, 2014
I found this book a little hard to get into. Because of the multiple characters, it took a while to come together. I was glad
I stuck it out. An excellent police procedural and insight into the psyches of many different police personalities. The storyline
follows the twists and turns associated with one criminal who manages to slip through the police's net more than once, and how
hunting him down effects all of their lives. A good read.
I stuck it out. An excellent police procedural and insight into the psyches of many different police personalities. The storyline
follows the twists and turns associated with one criminal who manages to slip through the police's net more than once, and how
hunting him down effects all of their lives. A good read.
November 15, 2016
Great book.
Not very often does a book grab on to my emotions the way this book did. You really get to know these characters, feel their frustration, their pain. One chapter actually had me in tears. I am definitely going to be following this author. Thank you for writing this book. I absolutely loved it.
Not very often does a book grab on to my emotions the way this book did. You really get to know these characters, feel their frustration, their pain. One chapter actually had me in tears. I am definitely going to be following this author. Thank you for writing this book. I absolutely loved it.
August 6, 2015
Half way through this book, I just gave up. I have no idea what the point of it was supposed to be. I presume it was supposed to be a novel about police officers in River City, a Washington town. Each chapter focused on a different cop - but the book didn't seem to move forward. I was so bored, I couldn't force myself to finish.
February 15, 2015
I really in joyed the series. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
July 24, 2015
FOR ME I DIDN’T CARE FOR THE WRITING STYLE, SORTA SLOW AND WORDY WITH A VERY LARGE CAST OF CHARACTERS. I THINK IT WOULD MAKE A BETTER VISUAL (movie)THAN READING, NOT SO MUCH. ;]
July 12, 2019
Raging tongue
Not a mystery that this author has trouble with the English language. The book does not depart from profanity long enough to allow the story to come through.
Not a mystery that this author has trouble with the English language. The book does not depart from profanity long enough to allow the story to come through.
March 22, 2025
There are more characters in this police procedural than in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time fantasy series. And if you can keep track of all of them and their various personal dramas amidst the plot of a serial robber in a mid-sized American City, you'll be feeling like you've just watched a full-length TV show. But this isn't as sophisticated as The Wire. Not even NYPD Blue. It has heavy elements of McBain's 87th Precinct novels, but from the perspective of patrol officers, and it likes to meander around with them, giving us routine call after routine call, including traffic stops and other basic elements of daily police duty.
Zafiro packs the prose with realistic touches, which only make sense as he had been a cop, and it's in these moments that his writing shines. The characters and their personal flaws are less compelling. Mostly little snippets of failed relationships. Some of it is fine, a lot of it is undercooked. One traumatic event at the end of the book was clearly intended to pack a punch, but had me searching for the character's name so I could recall just who he was.
And yet I found myself compelled to read a little more and a little more, despite the relatively low stakes throughout the book. The fact that the book is broken into mini-chapters switching from character to character makes it easy to read a vignette and then set it aside. Until the last hundred or so pages, when all heck breaks loose and the tension that hadn't been there is suddenly ratcheted to 100%.
The last two chapters were white knuckle reads and, if indicative of Zafiro's skill, means I'll be perusing more of his fiction. Absolute frantic and stunning moments in those last breathless hours of patrol.
There were some odd cliches used that signaled, to me, that this was the first published book by Zafiro (it was) but there were plenty of compelling and interesting elements. It won't be for everyone, but this is police procedural is an acquired taste I enjoyed.
Zafiro packs the prose with realistic touches, which only make sense as he had been a cop, and it's in these moments that his writing shines. The characters and their personal flaws are less compelling. Mostly little snippets of failed relationships. Some of it is fine, a lot of it is undercooked. One traumatic event at the end of the book was clearly intended to pack a punch, but had me searching for the character's name so I could recall just who he was.
And yet I found myself compelled to read a little more and a little more, despite the relatively low stakes throughout the book. The fact that the book is broken into mini-chapters switching from character to character makes it easy to read a vignette and then set it aside. Until the last hundred or so pages, when all heck breaks loose and the tension that hadn't been there is suddenly ratcheted to 100%.
The last two chapters were white knuckle reads and, if indicative of Zafiro's skill, means I'll be perusing more of his fiction. Absolute frantic and stunning moments in those last breathless hours of patrol.
There were some odd cliches used that signaled, to me, that this was the first published book by Zafiro (it was) but there were plenty of compelling and interesting elements. It won't be for everyone, but this is police procedural is an acquired taste I enjoyed.
August 8, 2019
One of the slowest paced books I have ever read. I didn’t enjoy the format that this book was written in, instead of chapters, it was divided into days and times. A day and time was given, then a description of what a specific character was doing or thinking at that time, then another time and another character. It definitely, in my opinion, interrupted the flow of the main plot. Not that there really seemed to be much of a plot other than “police try to catch bad guy.” I agree with another reviewer that there were too many characters for any of them to be properly developed. The writer tried to add a few sub plots to the story such as a love affair between co-workers, but without the proper character development to build it on, they fell flat.
One little thing that is my own personal pet peeve, was the constant use of the phonetic spelling of LT. The police officers frequently refer to their lieutenant by the common abbreviation of Lt, but rather than writing it as Lt, LT or even L-T, it is written as if it were a full nickname, El-Tee. I found it both distracting and annoying.
I do not plan on reading ant more in this series.
One little thing that is my own personal pet peeve, was the constant use of the phonetic spelling of LT. The police officers frequently refer to their lieutenant by the common abbreviation of Lt, but rather than writing it as Lt, LT or even L-T, it is written as if it were a full nickname, El-Tee. I found it both distracting and annoying.
I do not plan on reading ant more in this series.
August 12, 2024
Under a Raging Moon has restored my love for reading! I haven’t enjoyed a book so thoroughly in several years, nor found myself so excited to get back to my reading spot and crack one open again.
This first installment in Zafiro’s River City series is powerfully written, pulling no punches, intentionally presenting difficult yet important issues in law enforcement. As a former police officer who rose up through the ranks to serve in a number of leadership capacities, the author is more than able to offer his readers a realistic depiction of the day-to-day lives of a well-rounded cast of law enforcement professionals. But that’s not all: his brilliant prose provides emotional depth, vivid descriptions, hard-hitting action, and humor that will have you rolling on the floor, all with a team-playing humility that keeps this novel firmly grounded in what’s most important to any story: the people.
As multiple storylines converge in a tense and brilliantly crafted finale, Zafiro wraps everything up with a neat and practiced flourish. I’ll be reading more from him for sure!
This first installment in Zafiro’s River City series is powerfully written, pulling no punches, intentionally presenting difficult yet important issues in law enforcement. As a former police officer who rose up through the ranks to serve in a number of leadership capacities, the author is more than able to offer his readers a realistic depiction of the day-to-day lives of a well-rounded cast of law enforcement professionals. But that’s not all: his brilliant prose provides emotional depth, vivid descriptions, hard-hitting action, and humor that will have you rolling on the floor, all with a team-playing humility that keeps this novel firmly grounded in what’s most important to any story: the people.
As multiple storylines converge in a tense and brilliantly crafted finale, Zafiro wraps everything up with a neat and practiced flourish. I’ll be reading more from him for sure!
February 14, 2026
Great book
I guess I'm a cop groupie as all my recent books are cops or lawyer themed. This is one of the top 8 or so I've read past 3 weeks. I loved the characters, I loved the shift demarcations, and I cried when Winters died. I'm not going into a lot of detail as the book has several stories within each shift and its own characters. The brass actually has some working brain cells which allows for the LEO's to do their jobs efficiently despite a few with hero complexes which they will never admit to! I've Bern around cops, fated cops and worked for a a sheriff's dept in NJ. I've also been a CI for narcotics branch of the prosecutors office,same town in NJ..Bern on raids and take downs, been the bait for dept K-9 training,my Sheriff's dept was one of the first to get dogs from Germany.. German shepherds.. Fun watching my guys learn German commands when most couldn't spell so many English words in reports.
Going to hunt down next book. I believe this author will stay high on my list of TBR books.
I guess I'm a cop groupie as all my recent books are cops or lawyer themed. This is one of the top 8 or so I've read past 3 weeks. I loved the characters, I loved the shift demarcations, and I cried when Winters died. I'm not going into a lot of detail as the book has several stories within each shift and its own characters. The brass actually has some working brain cells which allows for the LEO's to do their jobs efficiently despite a few with hero complexes which they will never admit to! I've Bern around cops, fated cops and worked for a a sheriff's dept in NJ. I've also been a CI for narcotics branch of the prosecutors office,same town in NJ..Bern on raids and take downs, been the bait for dept K-9 training,my Sheriff's dept was one of the first to get dogs from Germany.. German shepherds.. Fun watching my guys learn German commands when most couldn't spell so many English words in reports.
Going to hunt down next book. I believe this author will stay high on my list of TBR books.
October 16, 2019
Rated 1.76
Stefan Kopriva, a young hotshot. Katie MacLeod, a woman in what is still mostly a man’s world. Karl Winter, about to retire but with one more good bust left in him. And Thomas Chisolm, a former Green Beret who knows how dangerous a man like the Scarface Robber can be.
These are the patrol officers of River City – that mythical thin blue line between society and anarchy. They must stop the robber, all the while juggling divorces, love affairs, internal politics, a hostile media, vengeful gang members and a civilian population that isn’t always understanding or even grateful.
This police procedural is written like a bad police report. The plot was of some interest but the actual portrayal of catching the Scarface Robber was all over the board. The characters were not developed even though several had interesting back stories. Would not recommend this book.
Stefan Kopriva, a young hotshot. Katie MacLeod, a woman in what is still mostly a man’s world. Karl Winter, about to retire but with one more good bust left in him. And Thomas Chisolm, a former Green Beret who knows how dangerous a man like the Scarface Robber can be.
These are the patrol officers of River City – that mythical thin blue line between society and anarchy. They must stop the robber, all the while juggling divorces, love affairs, internal politics, a hostile media, vengeful gang members and a civilian population that isn’t always understanding or even grateful.
This police procedural is written like a bad police report. The plot was of some interest but the actual portrayal of catching the Scarface Robber was all over the board. The characters were not developed even though several had interesting back stories. Would not recommend this book.
July 1, 2023
The end of the book saved it for me. It was fast paced and propulsive and I couldn’t read fast enough. The choices that some of the characters made - some inadvertent, some brave, some dubious - made them more fully realized following the first two thirds of the book as a long prologue.
The blurb said the book was like a paperback ride-along and that is the book’s strength and weakness. Police details were interesting but too much like an essay rather than novel. One element of the storyline was painfully predictable (though I was sad when the moment arrived) and sometimes the tone was bitter rather than cynical or even just realistic. There was no real sense of place, which elevates many mysteries, and though the characters certainly rang true, there was not a lot of depth to them. This was for me a *** read.
The blurb said the book was like a paperback ride-along and that is the book’s strength and weakness. Police details were interesting but too much like an essay rather than novel. One element of the storyline was painfully predictable (though I was sad when the moment arrived) and sometimes the tone was bitter rather than cynical or even just realistic. There was no real sense of place, which elevates many mysteries, and though the characters certainly rang true, there was not a lot of depth to them. This was for me a *** read.
April 7, 2018
Under a Raging Moon (River City Crime #1) Frank Zafiro. 308 pages River City, WA has a convenience store robber. This book describes the “life” of a handful of cops over a course of about a month. What it takes to catch a criminal, the police who die in the line of duty, the toll this life takes on their relationships, and their social life at Duke’s, where the police hang out. I agree with other reviews that there were too many characters to remember, especially in the beginning. It read a bit slow until the last 40 pages when they were getting close to catching Scarface, the robber who turned to killing, too. Then, I couldn’t put it down. 7 Stars (3.10 to 3.20.18)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2022
This book hit me in the gut!! And I had a slow and steady build up of routine police action on a personal and professional level. The story captured my attention from the very beginning and it was very hard to put the book down because I wanted to know what was gonna happen. The storyline was all too honest and laid bare the thoughts and emotions that people go through in life and death situations. This story was written with so much soul and a complete understanding of the life of a police officer giving me even more respect for those who wear the badge and try to help people every day. I will definitely read the next book!!!
February 28, 2023
As a youngster, I devoured the Ed Mcbain 82nd Precinct novels. (An later enjoyed the TV show based on them. I was also a big fan of the TV show Homicide: Life on the Streets. So I don't have a prejudice against police procedurals. That being said, I just didn't connect very strongly with his book, set in a fictional Pacific N.W. city. The cops and the bad guys seemed pretty stereotypical. And there wasn't anything very unique about the plotting. That being said, it moved along fairly briskly, there was some humor (or, in some cases attempted humor) and a handful of moments that made it an okay read. For a rainy (or snowy) day, not a bad way to spend a few hours.
November 2, 2020
This wasn't a bad book, considering that I got it for free. I'm not entirely sure what the point was of the Sgt. Poole narrative scattered throughout the book because - in my opinion - the reader is never really fully introduced to him as a character. It's a shame that he commits suicide, but it didn't move me as much as Winter's death or Kopriva's injuries. Clearly the author intended that Poole's suicide at the end be significant, but the impact was lost on me. I think it's because Poole isn't really one of the main characters with which the reader builds a relationship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews