cover image Triple Homicide

Triple Homicide

Charles Hynes. Thomas Dunne Books, $24.95 (278pp) ISBN 978-0-312-33860-2

Incumbent Brooklyn district attorney Hynes, best known for his service as the special prosecutor in the 1987 Howard Beach murder case, doesn't succeed in translating his considerable law enforcement experience into a compelling fiction debut. The force of the main plotline-the trial of idealistic young NYPD Sgt. Steven Holt for the murder of a corrupt fellow officer and two other men-is dissipated by interspersed flashbacks to the experiences of Holt's uncle, Robert Mulvey, whose career in the NYPD hit a few bumps after he was tapped to serve as a tool for his superiors to expose rampant corruption inside the force. Few readers will wonder whether Holt is really guilty, and the 11th-hour trial tactic employed to exonerate him will strike many as improbable. Hynes has a great store of knowledge regarding the history of police graft and efforts at reform, but this novel proves an unwieldy way to convey it.