The Force

Product Information

But it’s complicated. This is not just a dirty cop story, about a young idealistic police officer who crossed a line early and then kept going deeper and deeper into the dark side. Malone is still a cop and wants to do the right thing – wants to serve and protect and keep the neighborhoods safe and bring criminals to justice. He wants to be a good father and to be the kind of cop that his father was and much of his inner turmoil is about the conflict between doing what is right while also doing it legally. Malone is the de facto leader of NYPD's most elite crime-fighting unit, the Manhattan North Special Task Force, whose mission is to rid Washington Heights and the more gentrified Harlem of drugs and guns. Dubbed "king of Manhattan North," Malone wears the crown proudly. Somewhere on the path from his beginning as a young beat cop from Staten Island--son of a hero Irish cop--Malone lost perspective, became greedy, self-serving, and forgot what it means to be a guardian of his community.

The addicted white Americans found that Mexican “cinnamon” heroin was cheaper and stronger than the pills and started shooting it into their veins… I listened to this and Dion Graham deserves more than five stars for his narration. He was truly amazing.

Reader Reviews

Elements of the plot are definitely familiar, but woven together with Winslow's amazing storytelling, it is completely riveting, and I read nearly the entire book on a cross-country flight. Perhaps because of all the references to Serpico I kept seeing a young Al Pacino as Malone, but the characters and the images are so vivid, I watched the book play out in my head as I was reading it. I cannot wait to see this adapted into a movie, because in addition to the violence and bravado and corruption there are moments of true tenderness and emotion and vulnerability. Es un libro que me hizo dudar sobre la corrupción en sí misma y en la propia injusticia de nuestro sistema capitalista dónde quién menos arriesga es el que más gana y el que más pone su propia vida en riesgo es quién se va a casa sin nada con que alimentar a sus hijos.

A questo bisogna aggiungere che Winslow ha cominciato facendo la sorveglianza sui borseggiatori nei cinema, poi è stato un investigatore privato per una ventina d’anni occupandosi di frodi, incendi dolosi, abusi sessuali sui bambini, tutte esperienze che lo portano a dire che l’uomo non è buono. La vita ti fa diventare più furbo, non migliore. Overall, this novel is a very convincing crime drama, a story one can sink their teeth into, with a lot to chew on. Ever since I learned Winslow would be writing this book, I couldn't wait to read it. Now that I have, I am so excited about the response it has received from critics and readers across the country. He is definitely a writer worth reading, and whether you start with this book or one of his others, you're sure to find an excellent, exceptionally written story.

Beyond the Book

According to Winslow, The Force is the product of years of intense research. Much of that comes through in obvious ways, such as dialogue that captures specific speech patterns, slang, and terms of art. It also comes through in Winslow’s evocation of New York City, often giving you a street-by-street tour. Through Malone he seems to channel a rough fondness for the place: When Da Force makes the biggest heroin bust in the city, they're hailed as hero cops. Yet Malone and his partners actually steal some of the drugs and some of the money before turning everything else in. They're entitled. But this sends them down their slipperiest slope yet, and when Malone catches the eye of the feds for a fairly routine (but still illegal) thing, he finds himself caught in a trap, and has to decide whether to save himself or betray his fellow officers, something he vowed he'd never do. I read on the train, and that requires a certain kind of book. It can’t be a throwaway title, a so-called “beach read” or “guilty pleasure,” because that won’t hold my attention, and if it’s not holding my attention, then I’m intensely focused on the fact that I’m on a noisy, rattling train. On the other hand, it can’t be super-complicated or dense, since there are constant interruptions. In other words, I need a book that is both exceptionally captivating but also one that I can start and stop with ease.

But this is not exactly new territory, although it is a fresher and more original spin on the classic cop drama. This book did put me in mind of some older books, television programs, and movies from days past that portrayed the realities of big city crime and justice, and the inner workings of the police departments, where corruption, payoffs and greed were standard operating procedure. This time he immerses us in a police force and takes us into its vagaries, into its humanity, into its imperfection.This is not a criticism by any means. I think it’s great when a writer of talent decides to use that skill in a genre piece. It would be going too far to say that Winslow redefines the life-on-the-streets novel. Certainly, though, he delivers a stunning epic of cops and drug dealers and cops who are drug dealers. If you’ve watched The Shield this might sound a little familiar. There’s also a lot of the same kind of behind-the-scenes exploration into all the ways that the system is broken which is what The Wire spent a lot of time exploring. This is Don Winslow exploring a lot of that same territory. Denny Malone- a cop- NYPD, the member of an elite group. He’s seen it all in his eighteen years of service. But his badge is tarnished, and his dirty deeds are coming home to roost. Stealing drugs and skimming copious amounts of cash from a major drug bust, Denny is now under the watchful eye of the Feds, while the racial atmosphere in his city is threatening to boil over at any moment. To complicate matters further, Denny is separated from his wife and kids, and is involved in an interracial relationship with a nurse who happens to have a problem with heroin.