Fiction and Non-Fiction Police Stories
By Paul Bishop, Ed Dee, Jim De Filippi
and other Members of the Police Writers Club
Edited by Liz Martinez DeFranco, Marilyn Olsen and Keith Bettinger
With a Foreword by Dan Mahoney
“Cop Tales 2000 is the real deal. The voices and the lives of real cops-sometimes funny, sometimes dark, often adrenaline-drenched and always full of hard-won knowledge-shine from these pages. Real cops-and real writers, too.”
-- S.J. Rozan, author of Stone Quarry
“During my 35 years in law enforcement, I have often said that if you could be so fortunate as to be exposed to police officers and the ‘tales’ they could and would tell if given the opportunity, you would be in the presence of potential literary magnificence, if not Pulitzer material. Cop Tales2000 has made me a prophet. The intelligence, humor and literary ability of these writers has made me proud to be a part of both professions.”
--Joseph Coffey, author of The Vatican Connection and The Coffey Files
“Exciting. Gives you a feel for what it’s like for a cop in 20th-centuryAmerica to walk the street..gritty and realistic..”
--Lt. Hugh Holton, CPD, author of Chicago Blues and Left Hand of God
The new millennium will start off with a bang as COP TALES 2000 (.38 Special
Press/$16.95) hits the stores. The first short-story collection of its kind, COP TALES 2000 details the experiences of cops on the streets: what they think, how they act, what they really think of the people they lock up.
Best-selling police authors Paul Bishop (Tequila Mockingbird, Twice Dead), Ed Dee (Nightbird, Little Boy Blue), Jim DeFilippi (Blood Sugar, Duck Alley) and Dan Mahoney (Black and White, Edge of the City) bring the grit of the city streets to life in the pages of COP TALES 2000. Joining them are writers whose books will hit the shelves this year, including Gina Gallo (Armed and Dangerous) and Laurick Ingram, whose release is forthcoming from St. Martin’s Press.
Other members of the Police Writers Club make the pages of COP TALES 2000 sizzle. Marlene Loos, for example, who has the dubious honor of being the first female Suffolk Co. (NY) PD officer shot in the line of duty, writes about her experiences in “The Healing Game.” Retired NYPD officer Philip Bulone reminisces about his last day on the Job in “Blue is the Color of Death.” Robert Cohen remembers his days with the New York City Transit Police in “Going to Manhattan.”
On the lighter side, forensic fire photographer Penny James, whose photos remain part of evidence in the Oklahoma City bombing to this day, writes about an investigator who gets help solving a crime from famous fictional detectives that only he can see in “Cafe Midnight.” Retired police officer Keith Bettinger pens a delightful tale of major cases in the tiny “forgotten” borough of New York City in “A Heinous Crime on Staten Island.”
Marilyn Olsen, editor of Indiana’s Finest magazine, discusses a hilarious marijuana raid that was fun for everyone except the culprits in “Harvest Time for the ISP.” Editor Liz Martinez DeFranco showcases the underbelly of the sleepy tourist hot-spot Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in “The Feast of St. Cecilia.”
The winning stories from the last two Police Writers Conferences are also included in the anthology. The 1999 Police Writers Conference will be held in Williamsburg, Va., November 5-7.
Readers can find more information about the book and the authors, including book tour updates, on the Web site at www.38SpecialPress.com or at www.PoliceWriter.com.
Excerpt from COP TALES 2000
I met the devil at a Long Island gas station on a sunny day in December while on patrol. Although much of the events are cloudy, certain things are forever a part of me. My mind functions like a broken record replaying a couple of minutes of the encounter over and over again. His intention was clearly articulated. “I’m going to fuckin’ kill you!” He tried. He really did. He pulled the trigger. He shot me. He hit me twice. He tried fifteen
times. Lucky for me, the devil is a poor shot. --"The Healing Game” by Marlene Loos
COP TALES 2000
Edited By Liz Martinez DeFranco, Marilyn Olsen and Keith Bettinger
.38 Special Press
Price: $16.95
Pages: 250