Badge of Evil

by Craig Horowitz, Bill Stanton

From the same deadly crucible that forged Al Qaeda and ISIS, a new terrorist plot threatens to strike at the heart of America, and it’ll take an uneasy alliance between New York’s sharpest investigative journalist and one of its toughest private eyes to take them down. Badge of Evil is the first novel in a bold new thriller series from the writing team of private investigator Bill Stanton and award-winning journalist Craig Horowitz.

All eyes are on New York City’s police commissioner Lawrence Brock after his hands-on role in a raid on a potential terrorist cell that turns into a blazing shootout. There’s even talk that he may be headed to Washington to take over Homeland Security.

Investigative journalist A. J. Ross wants to expose the ruthless opportunist behind Brock’s heroic image. Freewheeling private investigator Frank Bishop is hired by the family of the lone surviving suspect, desperate to prove the young man’s innocence. A. J. and Bishop hate each other at first sight, but they’ll need to learn to work together quickly if they want to take down the commissioner—because Lawrence Brock will do anything to ensure the dark secrets of his past remain hidden.

Badge of Evil introduces a dynamic new voice in thriller fiction, in the spirit of such bestselling authors as Harlan Coben and David Baldacci. It is a novel of our times and for our times—an all too familiar story of corruption and abuse at the highest levels, and how the lust for power can drive men to commit the most shocking acts.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Adult Fiction

293 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2015

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

As quoted in the beginning pages,

"...and ye shall know the truth,
And the truth shall make you free."
The Gospel According to John
The New Testament

Great suspenseful story, of police corruption in New York City, by authors Bill Staton (former NYPD officer) and Craig Horowitz. (Former award-winning Journalist) Well written story. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to the authors, Goodreads and the Publisher, Regan Arts, for the opportunity to read this book. This was a Goodreads First Reads Book, in exchange for my honest review.

[B Shea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Corrupt New York City police commisioner who is about to get appointed to head homeland security. Gets taken down by hero reporter and his ex-cop private investigator. Somewhat predictable and written by who would have guessed an ex-reporter.

[Christine Zibas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A NYC cop is murdered in the Hamptons and found with a dead hooker. A raid is conducted on a terrorist cell in the city, but neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the local terrorism task force is informed. A music mogul with ties to the drug trade is shot at while appearing at a popular NYC night spot. What do all these events have to do with each other? That's what top reporter AJ Ross and private investigator Frank Bishop are trying to determine.

These unlikely partners have teamed up to try and sniff out something suspicious at the NYPD. The brash Commissioner Lawrence Brock is reveling in his power as he positions himself for his next step, as head of the Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile that means he needs to clean up some of his unsavory past, and as a result, the body count is rising.

Just who is the Commissioner teamed up with, and what sort of things is he trying to hide? Who's doing his dirty work, and why is that important? As the Ross-Bishop team begins to explore the connections among different events, the danger mounts for them personally. Although they are warned to drop their investigation into the terrorist raid, it only fuels them to look at events more closely. What they find will be disturbing, but the bigger question is can they stop the momentum for a cover-up?

The writing team of Craig Horowitz and Bill Stanton have merged their own NY personas with those of their characters to tell a fascinating tale of corruption at the highest levels. Their familiarity with New York and the world of law enforcement make them the perfect pair to take on the mystery/thriller genre. This book's plot is well developed, and its pacing is excellent.

Each parter brings a unique angle to the storyline, and "Badge of Evil" is likely to put the new series featuring the duo of Ross and Bishop on mystery readers' radar.


Review first appeared on ReviewingtheEvidence.com.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but a little too much gratuitous sex and violence for my liking. Would try other books by this author.

[Todd Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read worse cop flings, and many better. While Horowitz delivers a serviceable story in the long run, I felt much of the plot and writing to be predictable. At one point I actually set it down and tried to remember if I had read this one before. (I hadn't, but it sure felt like it.) A promising author, for sure, and a good enough entry into the genre.

[kenneth h. robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Politics and Evil Folks

Investigators who are also writers check out some events that are suspicious in New York City. The bad guys have ambitions.

[Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should be re-titled Badge of Stereotypes. Without them the book would be half as long and twice as good.

[Kathy Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Usually, I do not care for corrupt police stories. However, this book kept my interest. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

[Elke Haas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intertwined, weaving, with a red thread that quickly unfurls, this book takes you to possibilities too fearful to imagine.
And yes - refreshingly - the good guys do not save the whole day.

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a fan of this book. The writing was juvenile, and the characters were hollow. The plot was rushed and there was little to no depth in the subplot. No suspense, no originality. Will not be reading an sequels. I won a copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corruption in the NYPD running to the highest levels with an investigative reporter and a P.I. sniffing around where they just might end up getting hurt. I really enjoyed this book and felt that it really packed a lot into a book that ran under 300 pages. Definitely a page turner that I lost some sleep over. Every time I tried putting the book down I just had to read on to find out what was coming next. So this one ended being a definite winner for this reader.

[Hector Arocho Jr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really disappointed in this book; the dialogue was infantile and didn't even come across as credible. The author clearly used Guiliani, Bernard Kerik, and Shady Al Sharpton as reference for his characters. The book reads as if it were put together in a week by a wanna be community college author.

[Patrycja · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess if you like this kind of stories....
"This is New York. Shit does happen."
NYPD, detectives, reporters, terrorists, drugs, murders, hookers, corruption. That would sum up the whole story just right.
It is like authors took all the news stories from TV and newspaper and combined them into one book.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast pace police and political intrigue. I enjoyed that it was based in reality, not a Michael Bay movie. Can't wait to see where the partnership goes next!

[Mark Levandoski · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast paced gripper making you wonder whats on the next page. This book I received for free as a winner in the Goodreads Firstread Contest.

[Lisa Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!!

I really enjoyed this novel!! Great characters, fast paced with unexpected twists and turns! Highly recommended!! Looking forward to the next Bill Stanton novel!

[JustHB · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story line, but I was confused by the writing. At certain points, emphasis was more on the characters than the story, and I'm still not entirely sure why AJ and Bishop work together, and continue to do so. Rather confusing.