Median Gray

Editorial Reviews:

“Equal parts Ed McBain, George V. Higgins, and Barney Miller.  You can’t go wrong.” –author/screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi, GoodFellas, Casino

“Mesce conjures up wonderful, hard-boiled prose to tell a fast-paced urban story of crime, regret, pain, and redemption.  The book is knowing and raw nerved.”—David L. Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of War of the Rats

“It’s the New York I remember from my days on the street in all its gritty, sooty, crazy glory.”–Ret’d NYPD “French Connection” detective Sonny Grosso

“Mesce takes you on a blistering ride-along down mean New York streets with the most irreverent detectives this side of Richard Price.  And with dialogue so true it feels wire-tapped; Price had better watch his back.  This one’s a winner.”  –David Breckman, co-executive producer of TV’s Monk and The Good Cop

“Smart, gritty, and authentic, Median Gray delivers a crackling tale complete with complex and damaged characters, and a keen eye for what cops know and think.” – SFPD Sgt. Adam Plantinga, author of 400 Things Cops Know and Police Craft.
 
“A masterful deep dive into the gritty New York City cop culture of the ’80s.  A page turner you won’t be able to put down.  Mesce keeps you guessing until the very end, tossing small grenades, injecting secrets, all the while keeping these characters human and relatable.” –Suzanne Trauth, author, Dodie O’Dell Mystery Series

“Great story, a bit grim at times, but full of intrigue and excitement. This police thriller definitely packs a punch. Highly recommend.” –Valery Elias, Shelf Knowledge

Description:

New York City, Summer 1963
Rookie beat cop Jack Meara is bleeding out on the dirty floor of a tenement hallway – next to the body of another cop. The eyes of the shooter burned into his memory. Meara watches and waits to see the shooter brought to justice, but, instead, “Tony Boy” Maiella climbs up the Mob ranks, slipping off indictments as easily as his designer overcoat. But on the eve of his retirement, Meara decides on one last kamikaze-like try to even the scales of justice.

New York City, 1983
Rookie detective Ronnie Valerio finds himself unknowingly pulled into the wake of Meara’s quest. A go-go palace bartender is being stalked, a body turns up in a neighborhood dumpster, machine guns blaze in the night, a New York bookie turns up dead in the Jersey Pinelands and the only thing they all have in common is, in one way or another, they all tie back to Jack Meara.

How far does a cop go to even a score? How far does a brother cop go to shield him? Is justice worth any price when the line between right and wrong blurs?