Red Hook

I was born and grew up in Red Hook. When I was 9 years old, my life's ambition was to live to the ripe old age of 21, leave, and forget. After 50 years I almost succeeded in making a clean getaway to the far corners of the world until Gabriel Cohen's remarkable book yanked me back to the Brooklyn of my childhood - agonizing memories and more. This book brought back the men of the 76 Precenct's P.A.L. where guys like Detective Jack Leightner donated their time to teach kids like me how to make a shoeshine box, play chess, take a picture with a Kodak and develop it ourselves. Cohen creates a Jack Leightner's Brooklyn that rings true, transcends and transports like Hammett's Sam Spade, and Colin Dexter's Morse. Those of us who need another Dashell and Dexter say Bravo Gabriel - I look forward to your next outstanding work.

For NYPD Detective Jack Leightner, the murder of a young, Dominican immigrant should have been just another case. But the execution-style killing evokes strong, unwelcome feelings and sad memories for the seasoned detective, a member of the elite Brooklyn South Homicide Task Force. And when the only possible witness is also brutally murdered, Jack starts to have serious doubts about his career, his past, his family, and sometimes his sanity. In the midst of the investigation, Jack is struggling to find common ground with his son, an aspiring documentary filmmaker.Just as the case heats up, Jack is warned away by his superior. Has he become obsessed? Or is he just a thorough investigator?I love picking up a first novel, with the (usually futile) hope that I'll get in on the ground floor, be one of the clever readers "in the know" who discovers a rare genius. Usually, of course, I'm disappointed. This time, however, I was delightfully surprised. Gabriel Cohen tells an absorbing tale fraught with emotion and realism. The characters are so genuine I half-expected to find their numbers in my Rolodex. The plot is fresh, yet not so outlandish as to stretch credibility. But the real shining star of his book is Cohen's sense of place. I'd never even heard of the neighborhood of Red Hook, until Cohen brought it to life for me. Now I feel like I've actually walked the cracked sidewalks. If he has more books like this in him, Cohen has a long, successful career in his future.

This book should appeal to anyone who has ever lived on the low-rent side of the Brooklyn Bridge. It should also appeal to people who have felt they'd never again muster the energy and faith to make a new relationship work. Or who feel like they're walking around with a weight that keeps them heavy, never light enough to feel real joy. It reminded me of a Sue Grafton book where you get involved with the characters so much that they matter as much as the mystery... That said, there's a decent yarn here, with some kinks and twists that keep it interesting right to the end. Some scenes from this book will stay with me a long time: the pain of a confused little boy with very cold feet, the awkwardness of a young man who hides behind a camera, the inner arguments of policeman whose personal code repeatedly wins out over department regs... These characters were obviously created by a person who has observed well, felt sincerely, and cared and worked hard enough to share.

If you look for "Red Hook," you will find it listed as a "mystery." Hah! Don't believe that for one minute. Sure, there are a couple of murders and some good police investigation. However, the heart and soul of this book is about a man's search for himself...for acceptance of things past and the capacity to open his heart to the future. Jack Leightner, a 50-year old divorced man, is a detective in a special homicide squad in Brooklyn. Jack is Brooklyn born and bred and has never had the desire to leave. I have often heard people say they like the sense of place they get from a book. If you want to spend some time in the real Brooklyn, this is your book. Mr. Cohen has captured the cultural differences of each neighborhood in that borough of New York. When a man is found dead in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, Jack and his special homicide unit are assigned the case. The circumstances surrounding this murder are a true to mystery to him and his partner. Why would anyone want to kill a Dominican janitor in such a brutal manner? In his tireless search for the answer, Jack not only confronts his childhood which was spent in Red Hook, but the future of this area of Brooklyn whose golden days seem long past. Jack's exploration into his darkest and deepest hidden fears bring him face to face with his relationships with both the dead and the living. He tries to come to terms with a strained relationship with his dead father and his feelings about his younger brother who died at thirteen. While doing this, he is trying to reconnect with his 20-something son and enter into his first meaningful relationship with a woman in almost 20 years. The ending of this book is second only to that of "The 25th Hour." I couldn't turn the last 20 pages fast enough. Like the famous roller coaster ride in Coney Island, Mr. Cohen takes you on a heart-thumping ride that sends you soaring and plummeting time and again. This does not end until the very last page when you can catch your breath and get off the ride. With the publication of, among others, "The Bottoms," The 25th Hour" and "Mystic River, the mystery novel has joined the ranks of fine literature. Add "Red Hook" to this impressive list.Five stars does not do this book justice. Pick up a copy and see if you're not rooting for Jack.

I came upon Mr. Cohen's "Red Hook" by its cover--the title drew me in, as did the b/w photo. I knew I was taking a chance on a new writer, so my expectations were low. I was astonished. Not only does Mr. Cohen write like an angel, he is a generous artist as he gives his readers wonderful, lovable, round and real characters, along with a lightning-fast plot filled with twists that make the Coney Island Cyclone look like a kiddie ride. Mr. Cohen knows this Red Hook neighborhood as well as the people he puts into its grim streets. At turns dark and lurid, "Red Hook" creates an atmosphere of palpable suspense. I read it through in one sitdown and called in sick to work so that I could finish it. It's the best book I've read since Mark Helprin's "Winter's Tale." Congratulations to Mr. Cohen, and to all fortunate enough to read "Red Hook."