First published 2012
Officer Jake Martinez starts his first day on the force with high hopes and rigid training protocols. The streets teach him lessons the academy never covered. His veteran partner shows him the gray areas between right and wrong that exist in real police work. Martinez encounters domestic disputes that have no clean solutions, drug dealers who are also fathers, and victims who refuse to cooperate. Each shift tests his ideals against the messy reality of law enforcement. The young officer must decide what kind of cop he wants to become when the rulebook offers no clear answers. His choices will define not just his career but his character as he learns that protecting and serving means something different on every block.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, police
Vibes: fast-paced, gritty, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, moral-dilemma
272 pages · Unknown Binding · Dark Sun Press
Content warnings: violence