Exit Strategy: An NYPD Negotiators Novel

This energetic series launch from Danna (No Man’s Land as Sara Driscoll) introduces NYPD Det. Gemma Capello, who specializes in hostage situations. Her Italian American cop family includes her widowed police chief father and four brothers who work for the NYPD. They’re all enjoying a holiday meal at the Capello home in Brooklyn when a call comes in from an officer in Lower Manhattan: a gunman may have taken the mayor hostage along with several other people. Gemma and her cop brothers rush to the scene, where she soon proves her mettle by establishing a phone bond with the suspect, who wants the city’s stop-and-frisk policy rescinded, and offering herself as a hostage to free the others. Meanwhile, she fends off a SWAT team leader eager to make an assault. Convincing descriptions of New York City neighborhoods and police tactics, along with flashbacks full of Italian family lore, compensate for some stilted dialogue and heavy-handed action. Fans of contemporary police procedurals will hope to see a lot more of the capable Gemma. [em]Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency. (July) [/em]