Body Parts

About the Book

In the ever-maddening crush of rush hour, a stranger departs the subway from Manhattan. He carries with him an instrument of death, and it is on this night that he will use that instrument to commit another brutal murder. Thus starts the odyssey through the novel, BODY PARTS, the shocking story of the pursuit of a sadistic serial killer and the detectives’ search for justice.

     When a young victim is found murdered the detective assigned to the case have no way of knowing that this is just the start of a series of events that will not only test their investigative abilities, but put them on a roller-coaster of emotions that even the most hardened of veteran cops rarely ride. BODY PARTS provides insight into the daily stress endured by those charged with keeping order in an ever increasing violent society. The dark humor used by the detectives in their interactions with the public and their peers would seem morbid and insensitive to most, but, in actuality, is their way of coping with the realities of human suffering.

    Set in the revitalized section of a city that was left to decay decades ago, the story’s main character, Harry Hanvey is a cynical, but wily veteran of the police force, who has a hard time accepting the new law enforcement concepts of community-policing and public relations. Harry is a complex man, obsessively neat, a professional pessimist, who can either rough up a suspect or schmooze them, whatever Harry feels is necessary to get results. He also is a connoisseur of

wine, food, and music, an aberration among members of his profession. Harry is teamed with his long time partner, Detective Tony Baggadanno, a bear of a man, smarter than his crude demeanor reveals. Along with their colleagues from the downtown precinct, they quickly become immersed in an investigation that has the City in a panic and the political and community leaders putting increasing pressure on them to solve the case. As the brutality continues and the body count goes up, clues are scarce and suspects are few. In the midst of this fiasco, Harry finds himself becoming romantically involved with Erin O’Reilly, the sister of one of the victims. And so another dilemma presents itself to finicky Harry, is he in love or just in need of companionship during this stressful time? Is Erin in love with him or just seeking comfort from her sorrow? The killer, on the other hand, is starting an inquiry of his own; that of the investigating detectives. He fills a notebook with information about each one, compiling enough pertinent facts to counterattack if necessary.  To him, knowledge is power, and he always felt far superior to any bumbling cops who would try to pursue him. He thoroughly enjoys this part of the adventure.

    As these characters are brought together in a deadly game of psychological suspense, Harry becomes obsessed with the case and it becomes a personal vendetta to apprehend the one responsible for the carnage in his city.

About the Author

Paul W. Rubino is a retired Lieutenant of the Jersey City Police Dept. in New Jersey with extensive supervisory and investigative experience and is a certified instructor of law enforcement procedures and administration.