Rat Island
'A REAL CONTENDER FOR CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR' David
Peace
'FANS OF DON WINSLOW WILL LOVE THIS' Claire McGowan
New York, 1995. Cop Callum Burke arrives in New York from
Hong Kong, drafted in as part of an international investigation into organised
crime.
With the handover of Hong Kong to China only a couple of years away,
gangsters are moving their operations out of the territory and into New York
ahead of the looming deadline.
Burke’s experiences with East Asian crime and the Triads’ links to the
Irish Mob make him the perfect man to send in undercover.
But as he infiltrates these vast and lethal criminal networks, bodies
start to pile up in his wake and his conscience threatens to send him over the
edge.
And when Burke’s NYPD handlers push him to continue the investigation at
all costs, he may have to cross the line from cop to criminal just to stay
alive…
Readers of Don Winslow, Michael Connelly, Steve Cavanagh, Richard Price
and John Sandford will love this dark and morally complex novel which presents
a searing portrait of mid-1990s New York as you’ve never seen it before.
PRAISE FOR RAT ISLAND AND JOHN STEELE:
'A nonstop thrill ride... a lyrical, super read filled with plenty of
intrigue, action and suspense and sent against an exotic and seldom explored
corner of crime fiction' Gerald Posner
'RAT ISLAND speeds and thrashes with the dangerous energy of the
Manhattan streets which are so vividly recalled' Gary Donnelly
'John Steele writes with grit, pace and authenticity' Claire McGowan
Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B096W8W32T
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096W8W32T
Excerpt
In this extract from Rat Island, set in New
York in 1995, Irish-born undercover cop Callum Burke goes to a meet with his
superior. However, instead of his boss, belligerent NYPD detective Mike
O’Connell turns up. Callum and O’Connell exchange barbs and discuss the Irish
gang which Callum has managed to infiltrate. The gang are in the heroin
business with Triad gangsters and Callum is one cog in a law enforcement
machine trying to bring a RICO case against organised crime in the city.
By the time Callum walked into the Turkish coffee shop in Hoboken, wet from the spring rain, he felt like he had his own personal thundercloud over his head. The place had six Formica tables and a counter at the back of the room. Big ceiling-to-knee-high windows on the front. Too big for Callum’s liking but at least the lighting was dim as the darkening sky outside. An old guy sat in the corner by the window with his hand down his pants.
‘Here’s our boy,’ said O’Connell. ‘How’s
life in the moving business?’
The New York cop had selected a table by
the bathroom at the back of the shop. Callum sat down like he’d walked all the
way from Brooklyn Heights.
‘Where’s Milburn?’
‘With Ho. Your Chinese colleague was late
calling in so your boss was concerned and wanted to meet him. And he gotta
report back to his bosses in Hong Kong. He thought I could run solo tonight, us
being Celtic brothers and all.’
‘Whereabouts were you born again?’
‘Jersey City to an immigrant Irish father
and third generation mom. You want a coffee?’
Callum went for a piss. He didn’t like that
O’Connell was running him like a confidential informant. It made him feel less
like a cop. When he returned to the table he found a small cup of Turkish
rocket fuel waiting. He sat with his back to the window then lit a cigarette
and watched O’Connell purse his lips at the first flurry of smoke. Callum made
sure to exhale in the cop’s direction.
O’Connell said, ‘You haven’t called in a
couple days.’
‘I haven’t had much to report.’
‘So remind me where we are.’
‘Previously on “Inside the Irish Mob”.
Paddy Doolan took me under his wing. I’ve been working on New World jobs.
Doolan moved out of the Belleclaire Hotel and got himself an apartment on
Bleecker Street. He’s talked about sharing but nothing concrete so I’m going to
his place after this to talk it over.’
O’Connell scratched his nose and squinted
like a kid. He said, ‘Love at first sight. What do you think of Doolan?’
Callum took a sip of the strong coffee. He
stared at the inky liquid in the cup, rich in caffeine, and looked forward to
getting some sleep sometime next week.
‘He’s where you thought he would be on the
ladder in Walsh’s Mob. Definitely low-level but connected. Seems a pretty
garrulous guy.’
‘In English.’
‘Talkative. He’s popular with the crews at
New World, likes a drink, has a temper. You know he went off at that client
last week. I can see why he’s got a record for violence but I can also see why
he hasn’t done serious time. He’s just a brawler.’
Author Bio
–
John Steele was born and raised in Belfast, Northern
Ireland. In 1995, at the age of twenty-two he travelled to the United States
and has since lived and worked on three continents, including a thirteen-year
spell in Japan. Among past jobs he has been a drummer in a rock band, an
illustrator, a truck driver and a teacher of English. He now lives in England
with his wife and daughter. He began writing short stories, selling them to
North American magazines and fiction digests. He has published three previous
novels: RAVENHILL, SEVEN SKINS and DRY RIVER, the first of which was longlisted
for a CWA Debut Dagger award. John’s books have been described as ‘Remarkable’
by the Sunday Times, ‘Dark and thrilling’ by Claire McGowan, and
‘Spectacular’ by Tony Parsons. The Irish Independent called
John ‘a writer of huge promise’ and Gary Donnelly appointed him ‘the undisputed
champion of the modern metropolitan thriller’.
Social
Media Links –
Twitter: @JohnSte_author
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