Bad Connection is a novel with a fascinating premise --a telephone worker listens in on the corrupt dealings of financial bigwigs in Manhattan and attempts to use the information to his own advantage. Sean Macklin is the closest thing to a hero in this basically amoral tale. He works underground in midtown Manhattan, where he repairs the phone lines for some of the world's most powerful financiers. When he overhears a conversation about an upcoming merger, he sees no harm in using that information to do some daytrading of his own. Macklin's inspiration to make extra money is not greed, but his wife, who is seriously brain damaged after a car accident. The plot thickens when Macklin continues to listen and learns of a plot that involves not merely stock manipulation but the killing of native people in Central America. Sean then turns this information over to his brother Ray, a corrupt cop. From here, we have a complex but well-developed story, as Sean, Ray, the callous CEO of a pharmaceutical company and his ex-CIA henchman all collide over this volatile bit of information. I really enjoyed most of this book, but found the last quarter of it or so a little over-the-top in its action and violence. Although Bad Connection deals with moral issues, it doesn't exactly have a moral, being ultimately too cynical for that. Michael Ledwidge has an exceptional talent for writing clear, taut and elegantly descriptive prose. Although this is a good book, I think he is capable of even better ones.

If you like gritty, noirish fiction -- as I do -- then you've gotta read BAD CONNECTION. Set, literally, in the underbelly of New York, its hero is an everyman who seizes an opportunity that he lives to regret. This book made me think about how private telephone conversations are actually very vulnerable; in this high tech age, personal privacy is becoming a very tenuous thing. I enjoy the works of writers like Ed McBain and Jim Thompson, and Ledwidge is definitely writing in that style. An excellent read.

Bad Connection by Michael Ledwidge is a crime fiction not to be missed. A real compelling page turner.

I love reading anything that sounds true-to-life and Bad Connection is exactly that.

A thrilling story about a telephone repairman that accidentally overhears a business conversation that helps him make a killing in the stock market.

Trouble soon follows after overhearing a follow-up conversation involving the world of finance.

Some of my favorite books of fiction are that of the powerful and rich. Bad Connection is everything a wonderful mystery should be!

This bloke can write. I raced through Ledwidge's book in two days. The pages are filled with lively writing and great detail. I could smell the Bronx, feel the Manhattan streets and taste the Guiness coming from the pages. A great read. I can't wait for the movie.

This book is great. I grew up on Bainbridge and in my humble opinion Mr. Ledwidge seems to have done his research for this one.

Michael Ledwidge is the most exciting new voice in crime writing to come down the pike in ages. His novel has the characters, plot, pacing and descriptions that scream "this is the real thing" to anyone who knows New York City. Ledwidge reminds me of a young Richard Price, with whom he shares a brilliantly dark sense of humor. "The Narrowback" is for anyone who enjoys Elmore Leonard, Jim Thompson, Peter Blauner or the early novels of James Ellroy. My hunch is that he's a writer headed for the big-time.

This book is all setup...very little character development and no real resolution. Yes the action is interesting but that did not sustain the read. I was extremely let down at the ending.

The author has written a story that grabs you and drags you in before you know it. Just don't think too deeply, enjoy the rush.

John Coglin is a dedicated New York patrol officer who transferred to Street Crimes. His girl is pregnant with his child and any day he is going to give her a ring so they can start their life together.

On his way home from work, he notices a group of teen-age thugs beating up an old man. He intervenes only to have the leader Ream almost kills Coglin. Expecting to die, Coglin shoots the black teen. A fellow officer arrives and places a throwaway gun in the vicinity of Ream. At first it's judged an acceptable homicide, but the media and political forces working behind the scene stir up the public. Coglin goes on trial for second-degree murder, but receives a tip that he's going to be found guilty. He joins his Uncle Aidan, a former IRA assassin and bank robber extraordinare, on a plan to rob a Rockerfeller Center office of millions of dollars worth of diamonds. However, a very special visitor at the office where the gems are located leads to the Feds. Only FBI Agent Collette can, if she chooses, bring salvation to Coglin.

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD is a dark and gritty urban noir novel. It is unfair that the protagonist goes to trial and what happens during it makes him realize that those who he thought were friends or allies have turned their back on him or actually betrayed him. It's difficult to judge him because few would know what they would do given his choices. Michael Ledwidge plays on the emotions of the readers like a master pianist.

Harriet Klausner