The Detectives: Their Toughest Cases in Their Own Words

by Peter A. Micheels

From rape to murder, from bombings to hostage-taking, the world of the New York City Police Department's detectives is full of danger-and full of opportunities for heroism. These accounts from top investigators tell how it really goes down; never have detectives spoken so openly and in such detail. Here are the stories of what it takes: going underground to catch a dangerous and seemingly untouchable drug dealer, defusing a bomb factory located in an apartment building with over three hundred people in it, investigating a brutal and elusive rapist who poses as a gypsy cab driver. And for every crime there is a deeper story: how a detective tracked the criminal from crime scene to arrest; how a hopeless case turned around on the smallest condemning detail; and how insight, experience, and courage stopped some of the country's fiercest criminals. With clear-ringing authenticity, Peter Micheels captures the action of the street, the politics of the precinct, and the drama of the courtroom. The ibooks hardcover edition of The Detectives includes a large percentage of totally new, exclusive, topical and dramatic interviews with the men and women whose lives are on the line every day, giving the reader a "close up and personal" view of the life of The Dectectives in today's world.

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1994

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"New York is a city of crime. In 1990, its seven million people reported over half a million felonies . . . It is the perpetrators and the victims of this gruesome catalog of cruelty, deceit and greed who are dealt with on a daily basis by members of the detective bureau of the NYPD. These detectives form the main line of resistance against the forces of chaos and injustice that threaten the city." -- from the introduction

Although now a bit dated - its 1994 copyright date means such contemporary issues like internet scams, white-collar crime, and terrorist-related activity are still several years away - author Micheels' The Detectives remains a nice time capsule of sorts to then-modern police work. Focusing on eight investigators from various precincts in New York City's police force - the largest law enforcement agency in America, with nearly 30,000 members - these men and women recount some of their notable cases, experiences, and frustrations during the 70's and 80's in their own words. Running the usual offense-based gamut from burglary to robbery to sexual assault and of course homicide, the individual chapters - presented as if the investigator was simply talking to the reader in one long conversation - are often prosaic and not always very arresting (Haha!) in nature. However, there were occasionally some affecting anecdotes as well as several distressing reminders that those with ill-intentions will forever be present on this earthly plane in search of their next victim.

[Mickey Bits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essentially a transcript of various detectives telling war stories. It's very "off the cuff" and it reads like they are in the room with you relating all of these hijinks and personal histories.

As an aside, I purchased this book as part of a mystery shopping job I was doing. I had to cut the cover off the book and send it in to get paid for the job. The book languished on my shelf since the mid 1990s and never got rid of it, thinking, I'll read it some day. Well, that day came and I randomly pulled it off my shelf and dived in.

A nice, relatively quick read. And it's different detectives so you can read one chapter, put it down and come back to it whenever. I read it in between some novels.

2025 update
This relatively obscure title is probably out of print but worth seeking out. You can probably find it on eBay or many other places. Those interested in going into police work and/or being a "detective" would be well served to read about the mostly boring world or stake outs and endless paperwork