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Relentless.

It’s like watching Good Fellas except the wise guys are cops.

It’s also like watching The Gangs of New York � our gang is bigger than your gang. The NYPD is the biggest gang on the streets and it’s a turf war. But like in Scorsese’s film, the Feds are the biggest gang of all.

Winslow describes a New York police department task force team, assigned a section of North Manhattan, who patrols for guns, drugs, and every sort of crime. The leader of the task force team, Dennis Malone, is an old school Irish cop whose line has blurred � by becoming the toughest man on the streets to protect and serve, he’s also become the same kind of criminal he’s sworn to bring to justice.

But it’s complicated. This is not just a dirty cop story, about a young idealistic police officer who crossed a line early and then kept going deeper and deeper into the dark side. Malone is still a cop and wants to do the right thing � wants to serve and protect and keep the neighborhoods safe and bring criminals to justice. He wants to be a good father and to be the kind of cop that his father was and much of his inner turmoil is about the conflict between doing what is right while also doing it legally.

At one point he says something like � “I’ll fight fair when everyone else does.� In other words, following the procedure and observing constitutional and civil rights runs contrary to practicing the actual methods of bringing justice. Malone has tapped into a primitive, street justice where a beating � or even an execution � serves the greater good more than what is sanctioned by law.

Winslow also explores the ideas of corruption in the context of public service and of double standards that exist and what levels of corruption are tolerated and even accepted. Malone observes that what is OK for the rich and famous, the politically well-connected and mainstays of society is seen as abhorrent when committed by cops, the blue-collar workers of our criminal justice system, on the streets and in the trenches. Where is the line drawn? A free cup of coffee and a sandwich? A favor? When does this become a bribe or graft?

Winslow pulls no punches here, Malone has crossed a line � he is a dirty cop. He is the Nietzschean gazer into the abyss, he is Conrad’s Kurtz. But Winslow’s Hollow Man still feels and loves and regrets and is torn asunder by the conflicting powers of the most fundamental ideas about what is right and wrong.

Winslow’s narrative style is a fast paced and frenetic stream of consciousness dialogue and internal monologue wherein we analyze the motivations behind Malone’s actions and he shares with the reader a character study of a tortured soul. Malone is drawn not so much as an anti-hero but rather as a tragic hero � we know where his path leads but we cannot look away as he confronts his demons and walks resolutely towards an absolution that may not be recognized by society but one that is ultimately even more personal and real. The final scene is as poignant and appallingly beautiful in its ironic tragedy as any I’ve read before.

Powerful, riveting and engaging. Winslow has long been on my radar and I will read more from him.