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Detective Lieutenant, Matt Stuart, third generation New York cop, is precinct head in Pigtown, an old wiseguy neighborhood where the name remains but the pig farms are gone in a forgotten section of Brooklyn. Which is where Beansy Rutolo is found inside a refrigerator with his brains blown out. Nobody cares about mob hits anymore, but Matt owes one to Beansy due to an ancient favor on Beansy's part to Matt's father. Matt's investigation of the hit on Beansy rattles the top brass in the Big show more Building, resulting in Matt taking chances with his career and his life. Pigtown is as stark as today's newspaper, as real as New York itself, and the best book that William Caunitz has ever written. show less

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Author Information

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14+ Works 1,291 Members
Born in 1933, William J. Caunitz used his thirty years of New York City police department experience for background in writing numerous novels depicting police corruption. In 1985, Caunitz published his first literary work, One Police Plaza, which gave readers a behind-the-scenes look at the way real cops behave. The book quickly became a New York show more Times bestseller. After the success of his first novel, Caunitz continued to write whodunit books focusing on the police force. From 1987 to 1993, Caunitz published Suspects, Black Sand, Exceptional Clearance, and Cleopatra Gold. His sixth and final novel, titled Pigtown, published in 1995, was considered by critics to be his best. The book chronicles the investigation of a mob hit that puts lead detective Matthew Stuart and his fellow cops in mortal danger. Caunitz, who divided his time between New York City and a little town in Mexico, died in 1996 at the age of 63. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Common Knowledge

Original publication date
1995
People/Characters
Joe Borrelli; Calvin Jones; Matthew Stuart; Anthony "Beansy" Rutolo; Neil Dellacrose; Tommy Bilotti (show all 28); Patrick "Paddy" Holiday; Jerry Jordon; Andrea Russo; Mary Terrella; Helen Kahn; Angela Albertoli; Manny Rodriguez; Bill Manning; Della Johnston; Frankie "Bones" Marino; Daniel "Danny" Lupo; Paul Whitehouser; Suzanne Albrecht; Gee; Hollyman; Madeline Fine; Pablo Asante; Ken Kirby; Patrick Sarsfield Casey; Herta Renard; Kevin Hartman; Carmine Marino
Important places
Brooklyn, New York, New York, USA
Dedication
For my loving wife, Pat,

who showed me the road to happiness.
First words
When Detective Joe Borelli yanked open the door, he found Beansy Rutolo's body propped on the base of its spine inside an ancient white Westinghouse refrigerator.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)As they came together, a sudden warm gust of wind swirled a few dry yellow and red leaves, the last of the summer dance.

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, Mystery
DDC/MDS
813.54Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991945-1999
LCC
PS3553 .A945 .P5Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1961-
BISAC

Statistics

Members
128
Popularity
254,247
Reviews
1
Rating
½ (3.50)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
20
ASINs
4