Rizzo's War Audiobook By Lou Manfredo cover art

Rizzo's War

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Rizzo's War

By: Lou Manfredo
Narrated by: Bobby Cannavale
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Rizzo's War, Lou Manfredo's stunningly authentic debut, partners a rookie detective with a seasoned veteran on his way to retirement in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

"There's no wrong, there's no right, there just is." This is the refrain of Joe Rizzo, a decades-long veteran of the NYPD, as he passes on the knowledge of his years of experience to his ambitious new partner, Mike McQueen, over a year of riding together as detectives in the 62nd Precinct in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.

McQueen is fresh from the beat in Manhattan, and Bensonhurst might as well be China for how different it is. They work on several cases, some big, some small, but the lesson is always the same. Whether it's a simple robbery or an attempted assault, Rizzo's saying always seems to bear out.

When the two detectives are given the delicate task of finding and returning the runaway daughter of a city councilman, who may or may not be more interested in something his daughter has taken with her than in her safety, the situation is much more complex. By the end of Rizzo and McQueen's year together, however, McQueen is not surprised to discover that even in those more complicated cases, Rizzo is still right - there's no wrong, there's no right, there just is.

Rizzo's War is an introduction to a wonderful new voice in crime fiction in the Big Apple, ringing with authenticity, full of personality, and taut with the suspense of real, everyday life in the big city.

©2009 Lou Manfredo (P)2009 Macmillan Audio Mystery Police Procedurals

Critic reviews

"Lou Manfredo gets it. As a depiction of the Byzantine, politicized existence of a working American police department, Rizzo's War stands as a valuable primer. This is good police work as it actually occurs - full of flaw and compromise, absent the pristine science of television procedurals, and bearing only a vague resemblance to what any social or legal philosopher might define as justice. With all of that said, though, sometimes good police work is nearly enough." (David Simon, creator of The Wire)
Excellent Police Procedural • Believable Plot • Gorgeous Voice Inflections • Extraordinary Character Depth
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Captivating from start to finish. Great character development. Cannavale is perfect for this book. I can't say enough great things about this one...and no, they aren't paying me- it's just a great audio book deserving of praise!

Don't miss it!

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I LOVE Rizzo. The story goes into a great amount of nuance about law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and the human impact of many difficult situations and decisions officers have to make every day. Lou Manfredo is truly a gem of an author. Can’t wait to listen to Rizzo’s Fire and Rizzo’s Daughter. TV Series or Movie please!!!

Great book, Great story, and Great Narration

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As if the story wasn't good enough, add in Bobby Cannavale with gorgeous inflections of tone and you've got one superb audio book. The story is good and has enough twists and subplots to keep me guessing. I'm a big mystery buff and have listened to tons of Robert B. Parker with Joe Mategna narrating. This one surpasses even Joe. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good old fashioned detective novel, complete with wide eyed rookie and hard boiled old-timer.

Hey kid, pass me the coffee and donuts!

Bobby Cannavale is so yummy!

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This book takes its time to get into the plot line, spending quite a few pages letting us get involved with the characters. Its a book that lets us know the players by actions in the development of the book. I enjoyed the narrator immensely. A believable plot, with good characters (not to many thank you....) it translates well into audio format.

Mix up some Connolly with a bit of Wambaugh and you are well into this book.

Kickin...

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Any additional comments?

I listened to this book half a year ago. Been hoping there would be movement on getting the next two novels in this series uploaded, but there doesn’t appear to be any audio versions. I might just have to READ for a change, ha.

If you love this book, let’s bug Audible and hope the rest of this series is made available and read by Bobby Cannavale. He helped make this a treat.

I usually try to write better reviews, but Audible seems always to take them down. So spread the word about the other books in your reviews. Check out Amazon. They’re there.

Audible MUST add the other books in this series

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I had never heard of Lou Manfredo before, but I had heard of Bobby Cannavale from his theater work and his reading of Richard Price's Lush Life. This story is an excellent police procedural, with an old, experienced cop and a new, fresh kid who gets thoroughly introduced into the corruption and evil that are New York City politics and the NYPD force. I take it that much of this book is exaggerated, and it provides great entertainment, no matter how fictional it is. The story is wide-ranging and includes a few scenes which are truly thrilling and cinematic. It is not, however, made for the movies, as are a few books which just cannot hide their ambition. "Heat" is one of these, and I believe that it was actually created to go with the TV series.
The real find, though, is this narrator. Bobby Cannavale has a wonderful voice. He voices many characters with understanding and skill. He is believable and has great dramatic abilities. The absolutely wonderful thing about him, though, is the fact that his natural voice is one of the most delightful instruments to listen to in my entire life of hearing actors speak their lines. His voice has a grainy, rough, masculine texture that cannot be imitated. Clearly a New Yorker, he can disguise his natural accent, and he can rise and fall to match the emotions demanded by the character, the author and the plot situation he finds. Having heard him work will change your view of narrators forever, IMHO. I can't wait for him to do more of this work. If you get to see him on stage, you are a lucky person, indeed.

Bobby Cannavale should read many, many more books.

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Rizzo deserves a series. I appreciated his humor, it was smart, witty and a great listen.

Ths was just dope!

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can't give this book more than 3 stars....mainly i got tired of rizzo saying there is no right and there is no wrong. theres' only what is...rediculous mantra for a cop but all in all not a bad read

rizzos war

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My reviews seldom do justice to any of the best mystery/thrillers I've read. When I'm shopping for a book, reader reviews have a huge impact on my purchases. I get frustrated trying to scroll through others' reviews to find the "can't misses." So following this review are a few of my best bets and can't misses!

Rizzo is an honest, grizzled veteran teaching his newly promoted partner how things get done in New York. The performance by reader Bobby Cannavale is outstanding, bringing every character to life as I'm sure the author intended.The characters are fantastic, each with extraordinary depth. This is no trite story.

But the mystery itself is where the story falls short of 5 stars. I found the politics, maze of inner-department workings, and relationships engrossing. I enjoyed the whole experience and will probably listen again based on the reader alone.

Here are a few of my can't misses in the thriller category. You can look up reviews on each one, but don't miss any of these! Gutshot Straight, Dawn Patrol, Winter of Frankie Machine, Paranoia, Power Play, all 5 of Nesbo's Harry Hole books, Rain Gods, Crusader's Cross. I've listened to each of these more than once. Better still, my wife who shies away from this category, loved these as well.

Hear's my must listen list...and review!

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A little slow moving but good character development and it laid the groundwork for future books.

Many plots and issues

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