Amazon.com Book Description (ISBN 0877959943, Hardcover)

It is the first day of the new year and Detectives Meyer and Carella of the 87th Precinct find themselves faced with the most heinous of crimes. A wealthy young couple returns to their apartment at 2:30 A.M. to discover that the babysitter - and their baby - have been savagely murdered. Even these veteran cops are shocked and puzzled by the brutal crime; but then other matters compete for their attention. The city erupts with gang warfare, the kind that threatens its very foundation; a burned-out colleague swears off sex and undercover work (not necessarily in that order); and the drug business heats up. The 87th Precinct finds itself tense and taxed - and ultimately, of course, richly rewarded

"He can stop you dead in your tracks with a line of dialogue." (Cleveland Plain Dealer)