OFFICER DOWN The Chicago Police Department says Samantha Mack shot her partner, Fred, during the confusion of a bungled pursuit. Mack says it was their quarry, a violent pedophile named Marco Trovic, who fired the deadly round in that darkened room. But Mack was knocked out and can’t really say what happened. When no evidence of Trovic is found on the scene and the bullet is shown to have come from Mack’s own gun, the Department labels Fred’s death as a case of friendly fire.Back at the station, it seems no one believes Mack’s account. Not Internal Affairs investigator Alex O’Conner, and not even Mack’s lover, whose best attempts at support leave her as cold as the wind whipping across Lake Michigan. With the Department looking to quiet the bad press, Mack can’t count on anyone to help her track down Trovic. Even if she can somehow find him in the dark recesses of Chicago’s underworld, can she prove that Trovic was the shooter? With her back to the wall and her career at stake, now it’s time for Mack to take matters into her own hands to clear her name—and avenge her partner’s death. * Winner of 2006 Edgar Award for Best First Novel * * Nominated for 2006 Anthony Award Best First Novel * * Independent Mystery Booksellers November bestseller * * Featured in the Barnes & Noble Dec 2006 mystery newsletter * Rights Information Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur, Hardcover (August 11, 2005) St. Martin's, Mass market paperback (October 31, 2006) Territory: North American Rights Available: Electronic; Translation; Film/TV Reviews: "Mixing the gritty atmospheric underpinnings and evocative metaphors of hard-boiled classics by authors like James Ellroy and Raymond Chandler with arguably one of the most realistically drawn, fully realized female protagonist ever to grace a contemporary mystery, Schwegel's Officer Down is nothing short of a crime fiction masterpiece - intense, unsentimental, heart-wrenching, self-destructive, shocking and, above all else, oh so satisfying." - Paul Goat Allen, Barnes & Noble "[A] powerful and compelling first effort that promises good things to come from Schwegel." - Chicago Sun Times "Schwegel's sympathetic protagonist and fast-paced action turns out an impressive, gripping first novel." - Publisher's Weekly "Readers at last can enjoy a tough-gal yarn with heaps of moral ambiguity and good guys gone bad. In the end, it's clear that Mack isn't your average cop. And considering the company she keeps, that's probably just as well." - San Francisco Chronicle "Credible cop background and evocative Chicago scenes add to the pleasures of this memorable first novel." - Booklist Magazine "a hard-edged take on the police novel" - Rocky Mountain News "[I]mpressive debut...The descriptions are terse and the style almost staccato, in parallel with the layers of betrayal and mistrust revealed...an excellent choice for contemporary noir fans." - Sarah Weinman, Baltimore Sun "Schwegel, who writes about police work with authority ("It's like hide-and-seek and my .38 is a heavy toy," she has Smack think as a bust develops), has created a tough and original character. At 32, Smack is as honest as they come" - Chicago Tribune Blurbs: "Officer Down is the best crime novel I've read in a long time. Theresa Schwegel captures the soul of Chicago's streets throught he eyes of a distinctly vulnerable, if hardened cop. This author has big things ahead of her." - David Ellis, author of In the Company of Liars "Tough and dark and wickely funny...Theresa Schwegel is a major new talent." - Scott Phillips, author of Cottonwood Purchase at Amazon.com

OFFICER DOWN

The Chicago Police Department says Samantha Mack shot her partner, Fred, during the confusion of a bungled pursuit. Mack says it was their quarry, a violent pedophile named Marco Trovic, who fired the deadly round in that darkened room. But Mack was knocked out and can’t really say what happened.

When no evidence of Trovic is found on the scene and the bullet is shown to have come from Mack’s own gun, the Department labels Fred’s death as a case of friendly fire.Back at the station, it seems no one believes Mack’s account. Not Internal Affairs investigator Alex O’Conner, and not even Mack’s lover, whose best attempts at support leave her as cold as the wind whipping across Lake Michigan.

With the Department looking to quiet the bad press, Mack can’t count on anyone to help her track down Trovic. Even if she can somehow find him in the dark recesses of Chicago’s underworld, can she prove that Trovic was the shooter? With her back to the wall and her career at stake, now it’s time for Mack to take matters into her own hands to clear her name—and avenge her partner’s death.

* Winner of 2006 Edgar Award for Best First Novel *
* Nominated for 2006 Anthony Award Best First Novel *
* Independent Mystery Booksellers November bestseller *
* Featured in the Barnes & Noble Dec 2006 mystery newsletter *

Rights Information

Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur, Hardcover (August 11, 2005)
St. Martin's, Mass market paperback (October 31, 2006)

Territory: North American

Rights Available: Electronic; Translation; Film/TV

Reviews:
"Mixing the gritty atmospheric underpinnings and evocative metaphors of hard-boiled classics by authors like James Ellroy and Raymond Chandler with arguably one of the most realistically drawn, fully realized female protagonist ever to grace a contemporary mystery, Schwegel's Officer Down is nothing short of a crime fiction masterpiece - intense, unsentimental, heart-wrenching, self-destructive, shocking and, above all else, oh so satisfying." - Paul Goat Allen, Barnes & Noble

"[A] powerful and compelling first effort that promises good things to come from Schwegel." - Chicago Sun Times

"Schwegel's sympathetic protagonist and fast-paced action turns out an impressive, gripping first novel." - Publisher's Weekly

"Readers at last can enjoy a tough-gal yarn with heaps of moral ambiguity and good guys gone bad. In the end, it's clear that Mack isn't your average cop. And considering the company she keeps, that's probably just as well." - San Francisco Chronicle

"Credible cop background and evocative Chicago scenes add to the pleasures of this memorable first novel." - Booklist Magazine

"a hard-edged take on the police novel" - Rocky Mountain News

"[I]mpressive debut...The descriptions are terse and the style almost staccato, in parallel with the layers of betrayal and mistrust revealed...an excellent choice for contemporary noir fans." - Sarah Weinman, Baltimore Sun

"Schwegel, who writes about police work with authority ("It's like hide-and-seek and my .38 is a heavy toy," she has Smack think as a bust develops), has created a tough and original character. At 32, Smack is as honest as they come" - Chicago Tribune

Blurbs:
"Officer Down is the best crime novel I've read in a long time. Theresa Schwegel captures the soul of Chicago's streets throught he eyes of a distinctly vulnerable, if hardened cop. This author has big things ahead of her." - David Ellis, author of In the Company of Liars

"Tough and dark and wickely funny...Theresa Schwegel is a major new talent." - Scott Phillips, author of Cottonwood

Purchase at Amazon.com