Red on Red

by Edward Conlon

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.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Audiobook, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

464 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Edward Conlon was born in the Bronx. Conlon spent most of his childhood in nearby Yonkers. He attended Regis High School and graduated from Harvard in 1987 before joining the NYPD in 1995.Mr. Conlon's family background is also in law enforcement. Mr. Conlon's great-grandfather was a police sergeant in Brooklyn, and his father was an F.B.I. agent.

Conlon's police experience focused on patrolling city-owned public housing developments, as well as arresting street-level drug dealers after observing their sales from surveillance posts. In 2002, he was promoted to the rank of detective, and was assigned to the Bronx's 44th Precinct. He retired as a Detective, Second Grade, in July 2011 after 16 years with the department.

He has published articles in The New Yorker and Harpers and his work has been included in The Best American Essays. He is the author of a memoir, Blue Blood, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, A New York Times Notable Book, and a New York Times bestseller." He is also the author of the novel, Red On Red.

Reviews

[Darcia Helle · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want gripping suspense or fast-paced mystery, don't look here. This story does not move quickly. Instead, it forces readers to take their time, to wander the paths of the main character, to get lost with him, to feel his emotions and to see the minute details in life that many of us so easily overlook.

Edward Conlon is a cop writing about cops and his inside viewpoint gives readers something new to look at. There is some mystery, some suspense, some police procedural. But, at its heart, this book is one man's journey while finding his place in life. The words are sometimes poetic, sometimes crushing in their realism. Red On Red is a powerful read for those willing to set aside their expectations and lose themselves in the words.

[George K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Βαθμολογία: 9/10

Το τούβλο αυτό κυκλοφόρησε στα ελληνικά το 2013, αλλά δεν το αγόρασα άμεσα επειδή τότε δεν με είχαν πείσει οι κριτικές, όμως το πέτυχα σε σχετικά γελοία τιμή το 2016 οπότε και το αγόρασα τελικά, και από τότε απλώς έπιανε σκόνη σε μια ντάνα με αστυνομικά. Όμως ήθελα να διαβάσω ένα μεγάλο σε έκταση αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, και είπα "γιατί όχι;", και έτσι αποφάσισα ότι ήρθε επιτέλους η ώρα του. Ε, λοιπόν, το απόλαυσα. Από την πρώτη μέχρι την τελευταία σελίδα. Και ειλικρινά δεν θα με πείραζε να ήταν και χίλιες σελίδες ακόμα, έστω και απλώς με την ίδια μεγαλούτσικη γραμματοσειρά. Ο συγγραφέας είναι (ή ήταν, δεν ξέρω τι κάνει τώρα) ντετέκτιβ της Αστυνομίας της Νέας Υόρκης, και αυτό φαίνεται από τον έντονο ρεαλισμό της ιστορίας (αν και σε σημεία ίσως υπάρχουν κάποιες υπερβολές, ίσως και κάποιες χρήσιμες συμπτώσεις), αλλά και τη ζωντάνια των βασικών πρωταγωνιστών. Πολύ απλά, ο Κόνλον ξέρει για τι πράγμα μιλάει. Εγώ το βιβλίο το είδα σαν ένα τρόπον τινά ντοκουμέντο από τη ζωή και την καθημερινότητα των ντετέκτιβ στη Νέα Υόρκη. Το βιβλίο είναι άλλοτε σκληρό και άλλοτε τρυφερό, είναι κυνικό και ωμό αλλά μερικές φορές ευχάριστο και χιουμοριστικό, νομίζω ότι αναδεικνύει με τον πιο έντονο τρόπο τον κόσμο του εγκλήματος, τον κόσμο των ντετέκτιβ και των αστυνομικών και των εγκληματιών. Διαθέτει νεύρο σε πολλά σημεία, αλλά ο συγγραφέας μπορεί και να πολυλογεί εδώ κι εκεί. Προσωπικά, όμως, μου άρεσε τόσο πολύ η γραφή του, με τις γλαφυρές περιγραφές και τους ζωντανούς διαλόγους, που δεν με ένοιαζε η όποια πολυλογία. Ναι, δεν είναι το σκληρό θρίλερ που θα σε καθηλώσει με την αγωνία της πλοκής και την ένταση στην ατμόσφαιρα, πιο πολύ θυμίζει ποιοτική τηλεοπτική σειρά παρά μπλοκμπάστερ ταινία, σίγουρα θέλει το χρόνο του, πάντως κατά τη γνώμη μου έχει να προσφέρει αρκετά καλούδια στους λάτρεις του είδους. Εγώ, πάντως, πέρασα καταπληκτικά την ώρα μου.

[David Freas · Rating 1 out of 5]

On a cover blurb, the Wall Street Journal says this book is, “Full of adrenaline.” And Kirkus Reviews called it, “One of the best novels of the year.” They must have read a different book than I did.

Red On Red starts off great with the main character Nick at crime scene then pace slows to a crawl with an in-depth detailing of his thoughts and feelings. And from there the book is almost a minute-by-minute recording of his life and thoughts.

On the plus side, Red On Red contains some beautiful imagery, giving it almost a literary tone, and. Conlon’s detailed descriptions bring places to life. He also delivers good insight into how cops think, how they put pieces together, how they deal with the things they see and do. There’s an old saw that says police work is eight hours of boredom punctuated by one minute of sheer terror. This book displays that to perfection.

On the minus side, Conlon’s dense prose (long paragraphs and minimal dialog.) makes for slow going. The complex, free-form flow of Nick’s thoughts are sometimes hard to follow, required re-reading passages to understand. Detailing Nick’s every thought (he can’t even answer a simple question without considering every possible nuance of what’s behind it and every possible answer he could give.) grows tiring and tedious to read after a while, slows story down, and kills desire to read on. Very often, while wading through these I found myself thinking, “Enough already!” And poorly identified flashbacks break flow of story. The reader (this reader, anyway) was often halfway into one before realizing it was a flashback.

I had a hard time keeping Nick and Esposito straight and would often have to re-read a section to figure out which one was saying what. I never felt a close connection to Nick (a must in my opinion). Despite the in-depth chronicling of his thoughts, I never felt like I truly was inside his head, more like I was standing behind him watching them scroll across a screen in the back of his skull.

This book needed some seriously heavy editing. Did we really need a listing of Catholic churches in Manhattan and the Bronx taking up 2/3 of a page to open a chapter? Nick’s thoughts should have come in for some heavy red penciling, too. Half of them—no, 60 to 70% of them—could have been cut without losing the gist of this story.

I don’t feel as if I saw any growth in the main character over the course of the novel. If he did, it was so miniscule, I missed it.

And finally, the story just stopped, leaving too many loose ends dangling. Do Nick and his wife get back together? Is she pregnant? Have Nick and Esposito bonded tighter than brothers? These are just a few of the unanswered questions at the end of this book.

All in all this book did not live up to the hype of its cover blurbs.

[Randall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remember in your college comp class when you had that one story read aloud that seemed like the author had a checklist of literary conventions and worked tirelessly to hammer each and every one of them into the ground throughout the piece to where you wanted to scream, "OKAY! WE GET IT! YOU'VE PAID ATTENTION!"

Yeah. Well, imagine if that short story assignment was extrapolated into a fairly lengthy novel!

Fun?

No.

I got to a point with this book where I was tired of all the heavy-handed allusions and allegories and parallels and foreshadowing and and and and...Just tell the story.

When it comes down to it, there's not much story here.

It funny that I read this immediately after "Blood, Bones and Butter" by Gabrielle Hamilton. Both books are dominated by a narrator/protagonist who can't get out from under their own shadow of self-pity and largely self-inflicted misery.

Personally, I can barely take the people on facebook or twitter who use their daily sentence or two to complain about some unhappiness in their lives, so you might can imagine how enjoyable I might find a few hundred pages worth of it while trying to get to what I thought was going to be some bit of an insightful police thriller or some such.

I grew to resent this book, its author and its protagonist as battled through piles and piles of whiny words, hoping we'd get more action on the crimes sprinkled throughout the pages.

I will say the relationship between the uber-sad Nick Meehan and his partner Something Esposito was interesting enough. Probably the best part of the book, in fact. When the story focused on the two of them and their pursuit of solving crime or their relationship as partners and potential friends, Conlon is at his most-readable.

Unfortunately, you know it's only a matter of one of them exits the room so Meehan can mope and reflect more on the misery of his existence, interspersed randomly with lengthy descriptions of New York scenery.

Probably I should have just put this book down at some point and walked away. Seems obvious now, but...yeah.

This writing style clearly works for some. There were enough kind reviews of this book to prod me to pick it up in the first place. However, if Conlon someday discovers the value of words and brevity, rather than just puking as many letters on the page as possible, that might actually be interesting.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red on Red is a cop book, but not in the traditional police procedural vein. While there is a thread of related and unrelated crimes none of these take precedence in this novel. Instead, Mr. Conlon offers us a lyrical look at the city he loves and reveals what it's like on the job.

Throughout this book we get to ride along with two homicide detectives - Meehan and his new partner, Esposito (Espo). Theirs is an unlikely pairing - Meehan, Irish, withdrawn, dragging himself through the days; and Espo - Italian, family man with many women on the side, a taker of risks, filled with flash and charm. As we ride along with them, the true complexity of a police partnership is revealed.

Conlon has written believable and whole characters with real problems in a real city. Even his minor characters are unforgettable - Sister Agnes, the tough and scary Indian nun; Raul da Costa - potential murderer and rapist in red women's underpants; and Daysi - Meehan's impossible love.

Mr. Conlon moves through all the extraordinary parts of an ordinary day as a cop and takes us along for the ride. With beautiful prose and lyrical descriptions of New York (that often reminded me of Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood) Red on Red doesn't sensationalize events, but lets them unfold of their own accord each moving to each as the days are melded together.

This is an extraordinary book and just what I expected from its writer, the author of Blue Blood, one of the best memoirs I've ever read.

[Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this a moody love-letter to New York City that also is kind of what The Wire might be like if it were a novel and set in NY and if McNulty were more philosophical and less of a horndog and Bunk were Sicilian.

[Kelly Roll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be warned, those readers thinking that they are about to read a straightforward “this is the crime committed, this is how the crime was solved” type book will be disappointed. This book is really about relationships, particularly the relationship between Nick Meehan and his partner, Esposito, but to a lesser extent the other cops in their precinct as well as the criminals they encounter.
I really appreciated Conlon’s depictions of the life of a cop. He spotlights not so much the excitement of what we, the readers, assume is a cop’s life but rather the banality and drudgery that these individuals deal with. At times I felt exactly as if I were sitting at a table eavesdropping on these men’s lives. What was also so fascinating to me is how grey a lot of their decisions are. We definitely do not have the “noble knight of justice” version here but neither do we have the intentionally dirty version of a cop either. Rather we have two men who have valid reasons, at least in their own minds, for the actions they commit.
Nick and Esposito are markedly different. Nick is an introspective somewhat depressed man while Esposito is very much the live wire who prefers the hustle of a good case. Throughout the book they encounter a variety of cases – a suicide; killings of one gang member by another; a young girl who refuses to go home; a serial rapist. Ultimately these cases and the decisions made around their resolution will strain the friendship that Nick and Meehan have built.
My one quibble with the book is that the pacing could have been tightened up. It seemed to meander on a bit too much when circumstances forced a separation between Meehan and Esposito. Also, in the latter half of the book Nick’s depression began to be just too much. I felt that both he and I would have been better off popping a Xanax. The end of the book begins to pick up but abruptly stalls and, for me, the ending was confusing.
I do think the book worthwhile reading for the relationship aspect portrayed in the book. I would not recommend reading it on a cold drizzly day or the reader too may sink into a depressive state.

[J.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gritty literary epic of police life as it often is, rather than the fiction of TV and film.

The title comes from street lingo for criminals killing other criminals. But it might as likely be applied to the relationship between Meehan and Esposito. The former, in limbo as a result of marital difficulties and insecurity about his life, has accepted assignment as an Internal Affairs “field associate” in order to transfer to this squad. Ironically, the change has him partnered with the IAB target. A person who has everything a man like Meehan lacks—a loving wife and family, confidence and stability—Esposito constantly walks the edge, seemingly daring life to take away what he has.

Despite their differences, the two men soon become close and Meehan begins to regret his assignment. He starts ignoring calls from his IAB contact as often as he does those from his wife.

We follow the pair through a succession of calls—an apparent suicide, a shooting in which the victim turns out to be the “good” brother of a drug dealer, the obligatory call on the victim’s family (which results in the death of the mother and a life-threatening development for the officers), the rescue of a kidnap victim followed by a shoot out at a funeral, and what may or may not be the gang rape of a teenager. Along the way, Esposito plays cupid for Meehan with a Latin florist who gives the man hope for a future, at least for a little while.

Sad and funny at times, the novel moves to a realistic conclusion and hope that this is not to be the author’s only excursion into fiction.

[miteypen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was a bit like watching a long episode of "Law and Order" but was much better than that. I don't usually like a lot of description, but the author handles it wonderfully; he really made "place" come alive for me. This is partly police procedural (although on the "shady" side) and partly what seemed to be an authentic look at what it's like to be a New York City police detective. Which makes sense, because that's what the author is. I'm a mystery fan, and this wasn't exactly a mystery, but I did care about the main characters and wanted to see what would happen to them. The only criticism I have was that the middle section of the book, when the partners aren't working together for a while, was kind of boring. All in all, though, I highly recommend this book.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Goodreads for this advance copy from the giveaways! This book is about two NYPD detectives. One is secretly partnering up with the other as a narc for the internal affairs division. The story follows them through several cases that are somewhat interwoven. Their relationship grows and the IAD cop becomes disenchanted with his role and starts to feel more and more protective of his partner until he is entangled in a situation from which they both must "bend the rules". I found the book a little hard to get into at first, but with each turn of the page, I became more captivated by the story and ended up having a hard time putting it down. I really enjoyed it!

[Nette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pulled this off a library shelf kind of at random (it fulfilled my basic criteria: nice and thick, no cats or swastikas on the cover, and it didn't seem to involve vampires). And I enjoyed it immensely. In TV terms, it's more "The Wire" than "Law and Order" -- sharp characterization, great dialogue, no neat conclusions. It's very realistic, not surprising since the author is a working detective. Don't read it if you're looking for a traditional police procedural or thriller, but if you're a fan of the great Richard Price you'll probably like this one too.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book, its a crime novel that is more about the shades of gray in the relationship between the two detectives, as well as legal shades of gray, than it is about the crime aspect.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this debut novel by a NYC cop refers to what happens in wargames when the oppositional or attacking side (ie. the "red" team) turns on itself. It's a very apt title for a story that features plenty of blue (police) vs. red (criminal) activity, but also plenty of blue (regular police) vs. blue (internal affairs), and red (gang 1) vs. red (gang 2) drama. Indeed, as in many of the better crime stories, there are all kinds of moral shades of gray flickering across the pages.

The protagonist of the story is Nick Meehan, a typically Irish-American cop (although thankfully not an alcoholic), separated from his wife (their marriage broken by the trauma of multiple miscarriages) and living with his father up in the Bronx. He's an unusual cop, introverted and wry, with a genuine fondness and eye for the absurd. He's just been partnered with Esposito, a sharp-dressing, smooth-talking, married-with-kids-ladies-man who has a genuine jones for the action from murder cases. The two have enough quirks to set them apart from the rest of the guys in their squad, but somehow form a comfortable new partnership.

Their story sprawls across a series of plotlines, opening with the investigation of a woman hanging from a noose in Inwood Hill Park. But the big running investigation is a spate of tit-for-tat gang warfare that Esposito is happy to encourage and use an informant to leverage, as it results in plenty of "exceptional clearances" of open cases (ie. the people killed are the top suspects in other pending murder investigations, and thus the police can "clear" the old cases). There's also a strange Catholic schoolgirl who keeps popping up from time to time, and lurking somewhere in the background is a serial rapist. But as much as the book revels in the the moment-to-moment policework of all these various cases, its eye is more concerned with the strange and strained tones of this oddish couple of partners. And the elephant that lurks in the room is that Meehan has agreed to "keep an eye" on Esposito for NYCPD's hated Internal Affairs.

This is a police novel that's much more meditative and structurally loose than most I've read. This leads to some genuinely moving moments throughout, but it can also at times drift into too much navel-gazing. There's enough going on with the various storylines to keep one glued to the page, but sometimes Meehan's interior life just gets a little too overwritten for my taste, especially when drawn out over the course of 450+ pages. Is it good? Definitely. Is it great? Not quite. But I wouldn't be surprised if Condon's next book is, especially with the right editor to reign in the few excesses. If you're a fan of Richard Price's work, you should pick this up.

[Dindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a slow book- it develops slowly, drawing out the various cases assigned to two cops, and rising to a slow conclusion. As a study in character development, it is impeccable. And it can serve as a model for young writers on how to carefully draw out a plot to the very end.

Nick Meehan is a young cop who is gong through the motions of his job and of his life. He and his wife are separated, with neither of them having the energy to either try to get back together or to take the final step toward divorce. Nick is stuck with a supervisor who steals the credit for Nick's work, and it appears as though his life is stalled.

Then he is transferred to the precinct where he lives and partnered with Esposito, a larger than life cop who is under investigation by internal affairs. Esposito pushes the boundaries, a lot. He understands that there are rules and there is reality and that sometimes the two don't always match up.

Nick is asked by internal affairs to go undercover and report on Esposito's activities to help them build a case against him. As th two of them investigate cases involving a suicide, and the murder of a gang member, Nick finds that he and Esposito are becoming more than partners, but they are becoming friends.

This is a complex book with many, many threads. Some of the threads are personal, involving Nick's relationship with his wife and a young woman he meets at a flower shop, and some involve the cases they are investigating. Still another thread involves a teen-aged girl who is the daughter of a witness in the suicide case.

I listened to the audio version of the book, and at first I thought it was really slow. As I continued to listen, I realized that even though it was slow, almost every single word was meaningful and important to the overall story. By the time I got to the last couple of hours of listening, I was unable to turn the book off, so en-rapt was I in the story.

My only complaint about the book is that after drawling out the plot in such a tortuous fashion, it ended very abruptly. I was left wanting to know what happened to the characters who had really worked their way into my head.

I definitely plan to look for more books by Conlon as this was a masterpiece of characterization and the relationship between Esposito and Nick.

If you are wanting a fast paced mystery, this isn't it. But if you are willing to take the time with this one, the payoff will be huge.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so much better than the many lukewarm reviews I have read of it; I think it is mainly a problem of expectations. This is emphatically not a plot driven story. There are many threads involving several cases which are more improbably connected than is strictly believable. That's why we gladly suspend our disbelief.

None of that matters as much, anyway, if you get into the actual story here, which is the story of a partnership, begun out of a kind of betrayal but growing, in spite of the odds, into a complex friendship. It is definitely in the vein of Richard Price's last several novels, in that it's driven more by interest in character and a Dickensian social curiosity than by a dramatist's deft efficiency (I think of Pelecanos especially as that type of writer; he can definitely keep the story moving, so much so that I sometimes wish he'd vary his pace a bit more).

Conlon doesn't quite have Price's mastery of pace just yet, I think, but he's a different writer anyway, and this is his first novel. It's a very impressive start.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

FirstReads Giveaway-thank you! The writing and storylines in "Red on Red" are original and vividly written. Occasionally it's so honest in its descriptions, that you cringe. Conlon gives you more peeks into real police life than most authors usually dare. The characters are wonderfully flawed and realistic. I often wondered if the author pulled them from the NYCPD and if so, would they recognize themselves in the novel? Conlon didn't pull any punches so you'd like the characters. They were who they were. Those are the things I enjoyed about the novel. There are some beautifully written parts of the book that indicate to me that Conlon's next book or the subsequent book will be a 4 or 5 star for me. This one was flawed for me in a key area. The plot tended to be loose and I was occasionally lost. There were a few too many coincidences and so many storylines going on that I couldn't keep track of them and the secondary characters.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ambitious cop novel by actual NYC detective. The story revolves around Nick Meehan, who is bored and at loose ends in several aspects of life, and his partner Esposito, who is under investigation by Internal Affairs. Nick is helping, sort of, but is conflicted about it.

We're talking drug dealers and street thugs, psycho rapists and hottie florists.

And we're also talking a lot of time in Nick's head, where no thought is too weird or insignificant to go unexplored. At length.

Strong points: Good dialogue and an eye for the absurd — the lieutenant, dressed as a priest during a stakeout, bumming a smoke from a Catholic schoolgirl.

Weak points: What Joe Bob Briggs would call "too much plot getting in the way of the story."

I say check it out anyway.

[Zack Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, skillfully constructed police procedural. Conlon gets the cops right: the artificially induced intimacies between partners that grown into real relationships, the merciless pranks, the petty gripes, the betrayals large and small, the dumb luck that is oftentimes better than skill. The action is somewhat slower than a page-turner, but the artful character studies carry the book along with the steady pace of a strong current.

[Alfred St · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful

Read up to 11 percent of the book and could go no further. This book was one of the most boring I have ever read. I am still trying to understand the high recommendations.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Red on Red' is a gritty, introspective mystery that takes readers into the mind of detective Nick Meehan and his partner, detective Esposito, whom the Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) has recruited Meehan to keep an eye on. I found it slow to get into but ultimately quite rewarding, with a few points of note that make it a departure from other mysteries I've read.

First of all, unlike most books in the genre, there isn't really one central mystery that the detectives devote all their time to solving, but several different ones, some of which turn out connected and some of which don't. It's interesting to follow the pair as they shift from case to case even in the course of a single day.

Secondly, the book devotes a lot of time to Meehan's thought processes and emotional challenges. Between his relationship with his estranged wife, his guilt over his IAB betrayal of his partner, and assorted other hangups, he's got a lot going on, and it takes his toll on him as the novel progresses. It's not so simple as snapping, so much as his mental state gets worn down. It feels very real.

Other little details, like office banter between the various detectives, feels genuine as well and adds charm to the story. Conlon's a former detective himself; it's interesting to imagine a similar camaraderie may actually exist in various departments.

Conlon's extensive time in New York comes through in his descriptions of the various neighborhoods. New York's as much a character in the book as Meehan or Esposito. As someone who's lived near New York all my life, I found it charming, but I expect the extensive descriptions might bore those less invested.

The only thing that bothered me was one of the characters switched from dubious to outright illegal behavior. I wasn't sure I really bought he'd actually cross that line.

Still, overall it was a great read - a different sort of mystery, with a very human feel.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two most unlikely NYPD detectives work to solve cases. Meehan is by-the-book and is to spy on his partner, Esposito, who is known to take liberties to solve his cases. Rumor has it that he even accepts bribes. What is the truth? As the relationship develops between them, one begins to understand both men who are unpopular with the rest of the squad.

Meehan's marriage is falling apart but his partnership with Esposito is strengthening as the two find that they work together well. Their cases include a young woman found hanging from a tree, a drug-related shooting and a missing daughter. As they investigate the shooting, they find a group terrorizing a man they have wrapped in cellophane tape. The youngest member of the group is killed.

Nick Meehan is having a tough time. Both he and Esposito are injured in a stakeout at a funeral that turns violent. While he stays with Esposito and his family his father dies quietly and alone in the apartment. His wife consoles him but acknowledges that their life together is over. He pursues Daysi, a flower shop owner, when he can and thinks that he may be in love with her but her son, Estaban, hates the idea of anyone replacing his father.

As Nick struggles with depression and contemplates suicide. When someone shoots at him and misses, he realizes that he doesn't want to die. His breakup with his wife and Daysi depress him. When he thinks that Esposito has had sex with Daysi he is so angry believing that even his partner has let him down. The relationship between the two deteriorates even more and the squad wonders what will happen next. The climax is sudden and surprising as cases mesh and are some are finally solved but not as either man envisioned. It's a read that investigates the inner feelings of two policemen who work together and how it affects their work and their lives. I rather enjoyed reading this on.

[Doug Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

{3.5 stars}

RED on RED has so many admirable and dissatisying aspects to it that it's hard to decide how many stars it really earns. Unlike many authors in this genre, Edward Conlon can definitely write, and, being an NYC detective himself, shows impressive authority on his subject. The police lingo and wisecracking NYC humor are very real, without the overdoings that we often see in this setting, and Conlon's metaphors and similes are frequently just plain brilliant. Yet, he often tries a bit too hard to go deep. Several other reviewers have commented on how virtually every nuance, mannerism, motivation, and tone of voice is subject to analysis in this novel. While it's good to read a suspenseful cop thriller that isn't all just fast shoot-'em-up action and whodunit guessing games, just about anyone is likely to find the abundant introspection and philosophizing a bit tiresome. Many of the perceptions here are quite acute, but there are also a number of passages that are unnecessary, unclear, and/or just plain bad; e.g., "Nick wanted to tell Mr. Barry that racism was spiteful and wasteful, a shame and a plague, but that if he wanted true havoc [?], white and black men had to work together" (373).

Having said all of this, I want to emphasize that the beginning of the novel, as well as much of the rest of it, is absolutely gripping. RED on RED has all the threads, complications, and surprises that we expect from a story of its sort. It definitely did NOT leave me with the feeling that I'd just wasted several hours reading it (something that I cannot say for a lot of books) and I am eager to read more from this author. Some of the problems I've described may be due to hurried writing: RED on RED would have been VERY successful with more pruning of the words and better pacing of the action, things I hope to see in Conlon's next book.

[Brandon Pagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red on Red by Edward Conlon is an action-packed fiction book about the life of a detective in one of the harshest environments to have such a job: New York City. The detective works day and night as a homicide investigator with an intriguing partner on the job. As the case goes from cold to hot in a series of very unusual events, the cop now had gotten deeper into something more mysterious than he could have thought. After his father dies unexpectedly, and after having an affair, he becomes confused, depressed, and weak. Soon, having many people wanting to kill him, as well as the many failed attempts, the cop ends up having to make many choices that ultimately are tough on his partner, his friends and coworkers, and his family.

Edward Conlon delivers a great book that was always on point. It makes me image the lives of the characters in a true-to-life perspective. The nearness to life is outstanding. It puts the reader in the feet of the detective and shows how life in the Big Apple is, both the good and the bad.

Overall, Red on Red was a book that beat my expectations by a long shot. I hope to see another quality book that I will read again from Edward Conlon.

[Zora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart, funny, compelling first novel by a cop about cops. I have no idea why all the lukewarm reviews here; this was a great debut novel. The author is a Harvard-educated NYPD detective, and his protagonist seems like one too, an introspective and philosophical man who is always thinking at several levels and would have done well in philosophy or semiotics courses at a top-end university. Teamed with a less cerebral partner who may or may not be corrupt, tasked to ferret out the partner's corruption, our hero winds his way through several related cases and difficulties in his personal life. There is a lot going on in this novel, but I found that thrilling. It's of the genre, while not formulaic. I've read all the Edgar nominees for this year, and had I voted for Best First Novel, this definitely would have gotten my vote; indeed, it was better than most of the best novel nominations. I hope we see more fiction from the author and that he doesn't get hired away from novels by Hollywood.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a regulator in my past life, I found this novel to be very meaty in its content.

From the back cover: In 'Red on Red', Edward Conlon captures the vibrant dynamic of a successful police partnership between two NYPD detectives-the tests of loyalty, the necessary betrayals, the wedding of life and work. 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.

I know from personal experience that these types of work relationships are extremely difficult. Trust is an element seldom realized and an idividual will question everything about the job and self. Rarely do I pay attention to every word in a novel. This one proved the exception.

[Valerie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I sometimes think I spoil a book for myself with anticipation. I had read a review about Red on Red and could hardly wait until it was released. When I went to the bookstore to purchase the book I wanted to sit and begin reading it right there.

Ultimately I was disappointed. There was a very good premise – bad cop, bad guys, good cop, good guys. The author did a very good job of developing the characters. You felt like you could see them, at times even hear them. After that the story fell short. I got the feeling the author was trying to adopt a similar style as Elmore Leonard. There was a lot of rambling in parts. There was no real excitement. The story would roll along and there would be some anticipation for some excitement but then nothing.

As much as I enjoy reading crime novels, I really didn’t enjoy this one.

[Jill Tiefel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was already composing my review before I'd finished this book. I was drawn to read it by the description (thrilling) but it wasn't at all what I expected. It was much more literary than anticipated and the author's style and prose is slow and detailed. I did enjoy this, but it also made it hard to get into the book. This was definitely not an easy read (I tend to read when I have a chance and my time blocks are often short. I had difficulty remembering what happened because the pace was so slow.)

The premise of the book is interesting: Searching for a way to advance in his career and approached by internal affairs, Nick Meehan becomes paired with another detective (Esposito) under investigation. Exploring the impact this has on their partnership is the main theme of the book, as they weave through various cases which are interrelated.

[Alyssa Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. As an actual detective, the author had some great insights into the world of crime and justice. His descriptions of the characters were great, as well as their reactions to the world around them. The main character suffered with depression through a lot of the book, and it was really hard to get through because I'm a naturally optimistic person, but it allowed me a glance into the life of someone who may really want to take their own life.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because it seemed like things "tidied up" too much at the end. The entire book was a twisting, winding world of figuring out who the criminals and good guys were, but then it kind of just boxed itself up nicely in the end. Would've liked to see more uncustomary justice, as that's kind of what the whole book was about.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read the cover blurb by Joseph Wambaugh I knew this wasn't going to be a slam-bang thriller. It was like a Wambaugh novel. Very psychological. Emphasis on the boring day-to-day details of a police squad. But it had a way of weaving in some very interesting plot lines that seemed to emerge throughout the book. Very cleverly put together. I just got a little bored with the little mind games the author narrates that Nick, the main character, goes through. He traces his development as a cop turned rat in a very realistic manner. I was a little bored at the end when Nick and the main protagonist are going at it, but it has a satisfactory ending. I'm guessing it's the first in a series of books about Nick and his partner, Esposito, who is constantly under investigation by the IAD.

[Kristina Coop-a-Loop · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't read this book. I enjoyed Edward Conlon's first book Blue Blood about being a NYC detective, but I can't get through this one. It's the best example of overwriting that I've ever seen. Conlon doesn't know when to stop with a description or a scene or anything. He uses a lot of commas and slows down the pace of the book with excessive words. Stop, Conlon! I think the characters will be interesting and the plot (well, he kinda hasn't gotten to the main plot yet) seems interesting but I can't keep my interest focused. This isn't the type of book to skim through so I can't do that just to get to the meat of the book. I'm giving up and returning it so I can move onto the many other good books I still have to read.