From Lorenzo Carcaterra, novelist and former writer/producer for TV’s Law & Order, TIN BADGES combines elements of mystery, police procedural and family drama. It’s a difficult mix that works surprisingly well, and may be the debut of a new series for the author.

Tank Rizzo and his partner Pearl were once the NYPD’s top detective team. Then an accident during a stakeout forced their retirement. Now they are “tin badges,” retired officers who take on the occasional cold case. One such cold case involves a break-in and rape. But digging deeper, Tank and Pearl discover that the case is linked to a dangerous criminal kingpin known as Gonzo.

Then Tank learns that his brother and his brother’s wife were killed in a car crash. His brother’s teenaged son, Chris, now orphaned, chooses to live with Tank rather than loose his way in the adoption maze.

Tank knows he is ill suited to be a father. Then Chris reveals his passion for true crime and his skills with a computer. Tank knows these talents could help in the case against Gonzo. But is Tank willing to risk the one remaining family member he has?

Tank’s first-person narration drives most of the plot, with a few shifts focus to other players. But it’s Tank’s voice that we remember most as the events unfold.

Carcaterra enhances the story with an assortment of secondary characters that make up Tank’s investigative team. These include Carmine, a one-time wise guy who now owns a restaurant that is Tank’s favorite hangout; Connie, Carmine’s daughter, who manages Carmine’s restaurant and is Tank’s main love interest; and a few other outcasts who combine their individual talents with Tank and Pearl.

The family drama is further complicated by Tank’s relationship with his late brother, Chris’s father. The brothers were once close, but then something happened that lead to their estrangement for the past several years. Chris, of course, longs to know what tore his father and Tank apart, but Tank is reluctant to reveal the truth.

Such personal complications occur in the midst of Tank’s scheme to take Gonzo down. It is a complicated plan, but Carcaterra keeps the events in coherent order thanks to his structure of brief chapters. This same structure aids in the tension and suspense that builds with each event.

TIN BADGES admirably succeeds in all of its endeavors, and is an entertaining and involving story that is sure to please most crime fiction fans.

But will we be seeing more of Tank Rizzo and his crew? The promotional material for Crcaterra’s latest hints that we will. For the moment we have this impressive debut to enjoy while waiting to see what the future holds for Tank, Pearl, Chris and the others. —Alan Cranis

Get it at Amazon.