Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Citycide-Gary Hardwick

Citycide


Gary Hardwick

HardBooks, Mar 5 2012

ISBN: 9780972480468

www.garyhardwick.com



In dying Detroit, an assailant assassinates hooker Rashindah Watson as she sits in her car with her gay best friend Quinten Forrester. He escapes the hit. Special crimes Chief Yvette Riddeaux assigns the murder inquiry to detectives Danny Cavanaugh and Erik Brown. They head to Rashindah’s apartment only to see it on fire. Unable to sleep, Danny uses a street contact to track down the witness only to end up in a deadly shootout with Rakeif Simms; Forrester is dead too.



Riddeaux announces the case closed, but dedicated Danny thinks otherwise as someone hired Simms a two bit felon. As he continues to investigate Mayor Patterson orders Police Chief Tony Hill (see Cold Medina) to tell Danny to drop the case or else. Soon all hell breaks out as the mayor’s seemingly illegal use of his office has him defended by attorney Marshall Jackson (see Supreme Justice) against criminal charges prosecuted by Jesse King (see Double Dead) . Meanwhile, Danny continues his investigation.



Filled with twists involving high level cover-ups, drug trafficking, sex peddling and questionable federal surveillance, aptly titled Citycide is a terrific Motown police procedural. Danny being white but growing up in the inner city is an interesting protagonist as he loves his endangered city almost as much as he loves his beautiful African American princess Vinny the ex-cop turned lawyer. Fast-paced, readers will relish Danny’s tour of the mean streets of Detroit as he refuses to accept the politicians’ obit that his hometown is already dead; they just have not announced the wake.



Harriet Klausner



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