In this "inspiring inside tour of the human toll, and the satisfactions of becoming a cop" (The New York Times), Irish immigrant and retired NYPD homicide detective Luke Waters takes us inside the New York City police department and offers a glimpse at the grit, the glory, and the sometimes darker side of the police force.

Growing up in the rough outskirts of northern Dublin at a time when joining the guards, the army, or the civil service was the height of most parents' ambitions for their children, Luke Waters knew he was destined for a career in some sort of law enforcement....