"Powerful police procedural"

In Philadelphia, two white police officers Mutt and Roy, call for supervisory help. Sergeant Eddie North arrives only to have African-American Councilman Sonny Knight scream at him to get the two cops away from him. Later, Sonny accuses Mutt and Roy of beating him up and adds Eddie to his list of accusation. Both officers deny ever touching Sonny and Eddie believes them because he knows he is innocent and neither of the policemen on the scene showed any signs of using force, let alone excessive.

However, the brass, the politicians, and the media think otherwise forcing an Internal Affairs investigation. As this scenario further splits a city divided over another controversial case, Eddie tries to learn why Sonny lied, but soon finds he is drowning in a polluted cesspool of corruption, bad cops, and duality racism.

The inquiries made by the IA staff and by Eddie are intelligent and entertaining so that police procedural fans have a powerful enjoyable tale. However, FOUR TO MIDNIGHT is more than another urban police story. Instead the theme focuses on how racism engulfs everyone in a swamp and destroys the innocent and their friendships. Thus the audience receives a superb police procedural with a cleverly interwoven powerful message.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 20, 2003

Summary

With Four to Midnight, award-winning crime reporter Scott Flander, author of the critically acclaimed novel Sons of the City, returns with a second explosive novel of justice, politics, and race featuring Sergeant Eddie North. When a black city councilman is badly beaten on a West Philadelphia street and blames two of Eddie's best cops, they deny it. Called to the scene, Eddie -- uncertain of what really happened -- decides to back his men and finds himself accused of a conspiracy to cover up the truth. The media, the politicians, and the public are outraged. And then a man in a black ski mask begins a campaign to assassinate cops. As Eddie races to learn what was really behind the beating, more trouble erupts. A fellow sergeant has taken advantage of the tension in the city and formed a ring of corrupt officers that includes one of the two cops for whom Eddie is risking everything. The widening conflict between the police and the black community is mirrored by the battle of cop against cop. And with the stakes so high, there are no winners ... just those strong enough -- and lucky enough -- to survive. Masterfully plotted and delivered in evocative prose, Four to Midnight is a riveting story of how hard it is to do the right thing in the midst of a raging battle to maintain brotherhood and morality in a city under siege from within.