Martin Preib is an officer in the Chicago Police Department a beat cop whose first assignment as a rookie policeman was working on the wagon that picks up the dead. Inspired by Preib s daily life on the job, " The Wagon and Other Stories from the City" chronicles the outer and inner lives of both a Chicago cop and the city itself.

The book follows Preib as he transports body bags, forges an unlikely connection with his female partner, trains a younger officer, and finds himself among people long forgotten or rendered invisible by the rest of society. Preib recounts how he navigates the...