| Event Schedule |
Dec 01, 2010
12:00 PM
Northeastern Univers
Boston,
MA.
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| Featured Title |
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The Big Policeman
The Rise and Fall of Thomas Byrnes, America's First, Most Ruthless, and Greatest Detective
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| ISBN: 978-0-7627-7175-2 |
Pub Date: 11/08/2011 |
| $16.95 |
Paperback |
Pages: 336 |
“A fascinating, fast-moving account of one of the most polarizing and influential figures of nineteenth-century New York.”
—Daniel Stashower, author of The Beautiful Cigar Girl:
Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder
“An essential read for those interested in police work, detective stories, and New York City history.”
—Library Journal From 1854 to 1895, Thomas Byrnes rose through New York City’s police department to become one of the most celebrated detectives in American history, a giant who captured Manhattan’s Jack the Ripper copy-cat killer, solved the murder of prostitute Maude Merrill, cracked the largest bank heist in American history, and “shaped not just the New York City Detective Bureau but the template for detective work . . .
in every modern American metropolis,” according to the New York Times. Byrnes pioneered crime scene investigations, was the first to use mug shots, and perfected the brutal interrogation process called “the third degree,” but he was forced to resign amid widespread corruption that had plagued the department for decades. Author J. North Conway narrates in vivid detail the crimes, corruption, and gritty police work associated with the man history has dubbed “the big policeman.”
The remarkable career of one of America’s greatest detectives—a story of murder, mayhem, and intrigue Philip Marlowe, Dirty Harry, and even Law & Order—none of these would exist as they do today were it not for the legendary career of nineteenth-century New York City cop Thomas Byrnes. From 1854 to 1895, Byrnes rose through the ranks of the city’s police department to become one of the most celebrated detectives in American history, a larger-than-life figure who paved the way for modern-day police methods, both good and bad. During the age of Gangs of New York, Byrnes solved many of the most sensational and high-profile cases in the city and the country. He captured Manhattan’s Jack the Ripper copy-cat killer; solved the murder of prostitute Maude Merrill, who was killed by her jealous lover—her own uncle; solved the largest bank heist in American history; arrested anarchist Emma Goldman for inciting a riot in Union Square; and accomplished much more. For both good and ill, according to the New York Times, Byrnes “shaped not just the New York City Detective Bureau but the template for detective work . . . in every modern American metropolis.” He not only pioneered crime scene investigation, but also perfected the brutal interrogation process called “the third degree.” He revolutionized the gathering of evidence and was the first to use
mug shots and keep criminal records. But when Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt investigated the corruption that had plagued the department for decades, the man one prominent journalist had dubbed the “big policeman” was forced to resign. Bringing the Gilded Age to life as he did in his acclaimed King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America, J. North Conway narrates in thrilling, vivid detail the crimes, murders, corruption, and gritty police work associated with the father of the American detective.
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“Creating period atmosphere by quoting extensively from newspaper accounts of the sensational crimes Byrnes solved, Conway portrays his subject’s cleverness and excesses with a flawed-hero flavor that should draw in true-crime fans.” —Booklist “Conway presents the exceptional biography of Thomas Byrnes, who has been called ‘the father of detective work.’ The story of his remarkable career is interwoven with many notable 19th-century events. . . .An essential read for those interested in police work, detective stories, and New York City history.” —Library Journal “A fascinating, fast-moving account of one of the most polarizing and influential figures of 19th-century New York. Conway brings ‘the big policeman’ to life.” —Daniel Stashower, author of The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder “A treasure trove of information not only on larger-than-life pioneering detective Thomas Byrnes but also
on law-and-order in wide-open nineteenth-century Manhattan.” —David Pietrusza, author of Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series “Across the sordid tableau of crime, vice, and murder in New York City’s Gilded Age, no figure cut so enduring a path as Thomas Byrnes, the city’s top cop who used brains and brawn in his then-groundbreaking belief that to catch a criminal, one must think like one. J. North Conway has mined the clues and unraveled the mystery of the man behind the headlines, painting a nuanced portrait of the crusader who pioneered law enforcement’s most durable and controversial investigative techniques. Meticulously researched and written like an unusually well-crafted police blotter, The Big Policeman portrays New York’s criminal underground and ambitious lawmen as vividly as any TV drama ripped from the headlines.” —Greg Campbell, coauthor of Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History and author of Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World’s Most Precious Stones
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Praise for King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America “Engrossing . . . Conway skillfully paints a backdrop of fierce and flamboyant personalities who paraded across the Gilded Age, from Brooklyn Bridge engineer John Roebling to Marm Mandelbaum, ‘queen of the criminals.’ . . . [H]e capably recounts his story against a background of glitter and greed.”
—Publishers Weekly “A page-turning account of one of the most brazen crimes of our time.” —Reader’s Digest “Conway, a college prof and ex-newspaper man, covers this ancient tale in a way that makes it feel like a hot news story.” - New York Post |
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Other books by this author |
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List all books by this author |
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About the author
J. North Conway is the author of nine nonfiction books, including King of Heists: The Sensational Bank Robbery of 1878 That Shocked America (Lyons Press) and American Literacy: Fifty Books That Define Our Culture and Ourselves. He teaches English at Bristol Community College and the University of Massachusetts Darmouth.
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