The Whites

Every cop has a personal 'White': a criminal who got away with murder – or worse – and was able to slip back into life, leaving the victim's family still seeking justice, the cop plagued by guilt. Back in the 1990s, Billy Graves was one of the Wild Geese: a tight-knit crew of young mavericks, fresh to police work and hungry for justice, looking out for each other and their 'family' of neighbourhood locals. But then Billy made some bad headlines by accidentally shooting a ten-year-old boy while bringing down an angel-dusted berserker in the street. Branded a loose cannon, he spent years in one dead-end posting after another. Now he has settled into his role as sergeant in the Night Watch, content simply to do his job and go home to his family. But when he is called to the 4 am stabbing of a man in Penn Station, Billy discovers the victim is the 'White' of one of his oldest friends, a former member of the Wild Geese, who is now retired. As the past comes crashing into the present, the Wild Geese seemingly rise from the dead, and the bad old run-and-gun days of the 90s are back with a vengeance. Richard Price, writing for the first time under the pen-name of Harry Brandt, is one of America's most gifted novelists. He has always written brilliantly about New York City, and this electrifying novel – fast-moving and stripped to the bone – marks a heart-stopping new departure.

About the Author :
Harry Brandt is the pen-name of acclaimed fiction writer Richard Price, whose eight novels include Clockers, Freedomland, Samaritan and Lush Life. He is also an internationally renowned screenwriter for both film and television, having written among other works Sea of Love, Ransom, the Academy Award nominated The Color of Money and multiple episodes of The Wire. The Whites is his first straight-shot urban thriller, and his first under the name Harry Brandt. He lives in Harlem with his wife, the novelist Lorraine Adams. Ari Fliakos is an actor with experience in television, radio, film, theatre and voiceovers. His narration of Seth Patrick’s Reviver won an Audie for paranormal fiction. He has narrated Black Site and Tier One Wild by Dalton Fury, as well as Gangster Squad, The Inquisitor and Shotgun Lovesongs. On screen, he is best known for his roles in Law & Order, Pills and Company K.

Review :
'If a more powerful crime novel is published this year it will be a bleeding miracle.' 'The Whites is a fine book about the corrupted moral universe in which his all-too-believable New York cops have to work . Billy is confronted by one hard choice after another as matters build to a tense finale.' 'Electrifying . This is a fast-paced tale with well-written characters and a strong narrative.' 'No less a judge than Stephen King calls this "the crime novel of the year", and it is hard to disagree . Price has brought ambiguity, self-doubt and fear among the police to life – as he again displays in this story of Billy Graves . He is a legend, and deserves to be.' 'Riveting . He not only has a visceral ability to convey the gritty, day-to-day realities of their jobs, but also a knack for using their detective work the way John le Carré has used spy stories and tradecraft, as a framework on which to build complex investigations into the human soul.' 'The Whites is the crime novel of the year – grim, gutsy, and impossible to put down. I had to read the final 100 pages in a single sitting. I began being fascinated, and ended being deeply moved. Call him Price or Brandt, he knows everything about police life, and plenty about friendship: what your friends do for you; and what they sometimes do to you.'