THE MEN FROM THE BOYS Marty Bond had been a famous cop in New York. But that was before he was “retired” from the force. Now he’s a house dick at a crummy hotel, pimping, rousting, drinking too much. His stomach is killing him, and it comes as no surprise when the doctor says it might be a tumor. Knowing he must have cancer, Marty starts to plan a quicker exit. That’s when his stepson comes to him. An auxiliary cop working the streets, Lawrence thinks there was something fishy in a meat seller who cries robbery one minute, then changes his mind the next. Marty tells him to forget about it. But the kid investigates anyway, and is almost beaten to death. Now Marty figures it’s time to take Lawrence’s suspicions seriously. But what can an ex-cop on the skids do when all he has left are a few old skills, a cynical heart, and the little time remaining? If you like your mysteries rough, this one is for you. --Pittsburgh Press Well constructed and harshly realistic... --San Francisco Chronicle It is a vivid, hard-hitting police story with no punches pulled. --Will Oursler THE MEN FROM THE BOYS Marty Bond had been a famous cop in New York. But that was before he was retired from the force. Now he s a house dick at a crummy hotel, pimping, rousting, drinking too much. His stomach is killing him, and it comes as no surprise when the doctor says it might be a tumor. Knowing he must have cancer, Marty starts to plan a quicker exit.That s when his stepson comes to him. An auxiliary cop working the streets, Lawrence thinks there was something fishy in a meat seller who cries robbery one minute, then changes his mind the next. Marty tells him to forget about it. But the kid investigates anyway, and is almost beaten to death. Now Marty figures it s time to take Lawrence s suspicions seriously. But what can an ex-cop on the skids do when all he has left are a few old skills, a cynical heart, and the little time remaining? Ed Lacy was born Leonard Len S. Zinberg in New York City on August 25, 1911. During the late 1920s, he attended the College of the City of New York, then wandered the U.S. in the next decade working odd jobs. Returning to New York in the early 40s, he married Esther, and except for a stint in the army in WWII, lived with his wife and daughter in New York City on the fringes of Harlem the rest of his life. A huge fight fan, Zinberg s first published novel in 1940 was a boxing story, and became a Broadway play. He went on to create the first credible African-American PI, Touie Moore, in Room to Swing, which won the Edgar for Best Novel in 1958. Overall, Zinberg published 29 novels and over 90 short stories before his death by heart attack on January 7, 1968.