A true story of two cops and a very special nurse who changed New York into the safest, biggest city in the USA. It is inspiring and heartbreaking. It is a behind the scenes look at figures (key) in the New York Police Department from the 1970s to 2021. It gives the reader a look at the police’s perspective of their work and philosophy.

It's not just a history of late 20th Century NYPD triumphs and tribulations. It's a reminder to all of us who know the value of good policing in this era of assassinations of police, publicity about the worst enemy of police everywhere--bad cops, and the movement to defund the police. It's also a moving bio of several people who were responsible for reversing negative trends in police effectiveness against rampant criminal activity in our most iconic city. Meet the game changers who truly made a difference in how things should be done. A fantastic read!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Twelve Books/Twelve via NetGalley. Thank you!

The book was different than what I thought it was going to be, the first part of the book talks about Stephen MacDonald and then moves on to Jack Mapel. The stories of the people around them that work with them in their recovery are also amazing as well as what they did afterward. I really thought it was going to be more little individual stories of the everyday officer. Other than that this was a good book.

A book we need at just the time we need it. Daly's New York's Finest begins with Steven McDonald, and his story as he navigates life in being part of New York's Police Department, and subsequent friendship with his nurse Nina, then moves on to Jack Maple as he also journeys into different aspects and promotions within the same New York Police Department, only to really circle back to Steven McDonald. But really, this book is so much more than just these two cops. It's the stories of those whose lives intersected with these two main people, and why it matters. The stories of those who put their lives on the line, the changing landscape of how the cops were working (one minor nugget that was kind of surprising to learn was that they got to choose their time to work, and mainly worked from 10am to 7pm and had weekends off...until events changed that). It's also the story of how the New York Police Department changed and evolved, from leadership styles, from small time crooks to the mob to the evolution of crime into gangs, from Mayors in charge, from going from the worst rottenest place on earth to live, to the safest city in the world, and back to yet another evolution of change that looking at today's war on cops isn't surprising that the crime levels are climbing all over again. Daly puts names and faces to those in blue, that humanizes them and brings a perspective of integrity, character, justice, and yes, even the bad apples within the bunch. A comprehensive story that crosses several decades and yet still doesn't lose sight of the actual humans behind the shield. Excellent story that's needed to really highlight the good guys and call out the bad guys. Kudos!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

Mr. Daly tells the tale of everyday people doing the best that they could in desperate times. This is the quintessential American story. Common people fix the problems generated by a series of bad ideas. Crime is rampant, money is short, and chaos reigns.

This book wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t quite what I expected. I thought that the majority of the book would be about the day to day lives of New York City police officers offering insight into this very unique profession. The story mainly focused on two police officers, and the first 1/4-1/2 of the book was really about one of the police officers recovering from a life altering injury he received while on the job. The story was interesting, but I went into it with a slightly incorrect understanding of what it would be about and as a result it wasn’t quite the type of book I was interested in reading.

If you would like to know more about the scary and often tragic situations the NYPD face, and the aftermath or side effects some of these situations cause, this is a great book for you! The author gives a window into the feelings and challenges family members of NYPD experience which is a perspective many memoirs or non-fiction books about occupations or careers do not focus on.

I really appreciate the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

When I first saw this title, I was excited about the prospect of reading it. I was not disappointed. New York's Finest really is an excellent book about the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to make NY a safer place to live and work.