THE COPPER INDIAN
Fast-paced novel investigates police abuses in New York
Take an Inside Look at the Skimming of Drugs and Money
Fast-paced novel investigates police abuses in New York
2007-12-19
LONGWOOD, FL?'Police work is fun and unorthodox in the 1950s and Õ60s. This is readily apparent to Detective Jim Utze, an idealistic and frustrated Native American, when he joins the NYPD, one of the most storied cultures of society in the mid-twentieth century. Jim longs for the days of the Wild West, when good people helped the weak and oppressed. But when the erosion of his integrity becomes too prevalent, Jim questions his continuing acceptance of the system. Even his girlfriend, Ruth, becomes an enigma, especially when Jim suspects she may have played a part in the use of his personal weapon in an assassination.
Drawing on author J.P. Morgan, D.Min.'s almost 40 years' involvement in law enforcement, The Copper Indian ($14.99, paperback, 978-1-60477-225-8) takes an inside look at the skimming of drugs and money and teaches how bounty-driven narcs make arrests based on intuition and profiling. Combining suspense, humor, and action, the novel is a fast-paced homage to the career of an author who has "been there and done it all."
Says Morgan of the book's message, "Policing was fun in the '50s and '60s in New York, but some officers abused the freedom they had. As Jim eventually learns, some things are just wrong, even though you ca have fun doing them. Rationalizing just keeps getting you in deeper and deeper."