Seven Shots

On July 31, 1997, a six-man Emergency Service team from the NYPD raided a terrorist cell in Brooklyn - and thus narrowly prevented a devastating suicide bombing of the New York subway. "Seven Shots" tells the dramatic story of that raid, the painstaking police work that went into it, and its unexpected aftermath, which drew the officers involved into a long-standing conflict with other rank-and-file police and publicity-hungry top brass. Drawing on her own experience working in the NYPD and a wide network of police contacts, Jennifer C. Hunt tracks the lives of three officers on the Emergency Service team and two bomb technicians from the day of the raid through their struggles with their superiors - which began when they balked at being used as political props and escalated to arguments over tactics, training, and promotion - on to 9/11, when they once again found themselves risking their lives on the front lines of the battle against terrorism. Throughout her fast-paced narrative, she maintains a strikingly fine-grained, street-level view, allowing us to understand the cops on their own terms - and often in their own words. The result is a compelling insider's picture of the world of elite police work, from precincts and squad cars to physical dangers and family strain. As gripping as an Ed McBain novel - and just as steeped in New York cop culture - "Seven Shots" takes readers on an unforgettable journey behind the shield and into the hearts of the city's sentinels.