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That...did not feel good!
Cutting Room Excerpts #2 Another in our series of chapters that didn't make THE NIGHT POLICE final cut. This may have been round filed,...
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Authors Bios
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WHO ARE the
night police?
​
Policing in the 70s, 80s, and 90s:
The Raw, Unvarnished Truth
Explore the gripping tales of the cops who owned the night and ruled the streets.
Our stories reveal the gritty, unfiltered reality of urban policing. Experience true accounts of law enforcement from an insider’s perspective, unapologetically raw and free from political correctness, embracing the hard truths of suspect tactics and street-level justice.
Meet the formidable men and women who made up The Night Police, dominating the streets after dark. These lawmen and women navigated the treacherous landscape of urban crime, confronting danger head-on and using any means necessary to uphold the law.
Our narratives delve into intense and vivid tales of high-stakes confrontations and unexpected acts of humanity. Explore the intricate and often shadowy journey of The Night Police through our gripping stories.
abouT the
Authors
Paul James Smith and Chris Berg
Circa 1980
Paul served community and country in a variety of pursuits from age 19 to age 59. After completely flunking out at San Diego State, a Marine Corps recruiter handily outsmarted him, and he fell for the old “aviation guarantee”. This launched a long and checkered career of service as enlisted marine, a local lawman, Federal Agent, and reserve Coast Guard officer where his assignments included command of two expeditionary units, Commander, Maritime Security Force, Guantanamo Bay, and four wartime deployments to the Persian Gulf.
Paul’s 31 years of cop experiences ran the gamut-Patrolman, Field Training Officer, SWAT, Detective, Federal Agent, Sniper and Sniper Instructor, and National Tactical Team Leader. The cases were varied too; seizing meth labs, busting outlaw motorcycle gangsters, and special operations at Ruby Ridge and Waco.
After retiring from active service, Paul and his wife Kay ran a gun shop in Alaska for a few years. He built custom rifles, and they collectively lost their minds to boredom. They now live at the edge of Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, he writes, she gardens, together they go Dungeness crabbing from their kayak. They are enjoying life to the fullest.
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chris berg
In 1977 Chris became the third generation of his family to sign on as a lawman. Serving as a patrol officer, evidence technician (long before CSI was a thing), and vice/intelligence detective it was his posting as an undercover narcotics agent that fit him best. He relished the life of hand to hand undercover drug “buys”, clandestine lab investigations and the requisite counterfeit persona. Chris still revels in the adventures and friendships that come with being part of the police fraternity.
After retiring due to injury, Chris had a successful second career in corporate America and… it bored him to death. The high point of that life was traveling the world; Malaysia, Dubai, Beijing, Moscow, Rio, Hong Kong and much more. Still, that world was never a fit, not for an ex-Night Policeman.
Chris and his wife Janet now call southwest Florida home. Their daughter Kelsey, is a Strategic Intelligence Analyst, living a happy cowgirl life in the mid-west. Chris keeps up with his passions: baseball, fishing, and all things cooking and BBQ, not necessarily in that order.
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Paul james Smith
About
Reviews
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE NIGHT POLICE
"The Night Police is an excellent read. Full of action based on real-life events, you won't want to put it down. For those in law enforcement, the book has a realistic feel of day to day events on duty. For those not familiar with law enforcement, the book is fast-paced and entertaining. "
- Hilary Romig, Reviewer
"Retired cops Berg and Smith offer an unapologetically politically incorrect look at the lives of Midwestern cops in this collection of fictionalized stories based on their experiences"
- Publishers Weekly
"This would have been a book that I think my father would have really liked and I plan on getting a copy for his best friend and old partner on the job because I still talk to those cops I grew up with. It’s a family. Just like the military. You never lose those bonds." - Click Here To Read More.
- The Horror Report
“I love THE NIGHT POLICE’s authentic feel. It propelled me along a harrowing journey into the unseen world of adrenaline and pursuit that left me wanting more!”
Andrew Peterson, Internationally bestselling
author of the Nathan McBride series
“Fascinating, gut-wrenching, highly entertaining…a rare tale that this reader will not forget. It reads like the truth…an amazing novel.”
The editors at BookBaby
“Once you pick up THE NIGHT POLICE, you’ll have a tough time putting it down! The tales are apt to leave you with the same odd sensation in the pit of your stomach felt by the cop who lived to tell the tale…”
Rob Hanley, Former writer at The Los Angeles Times;
Editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune
​
"This is a work truly difficult to put down, even in the moments that rend the heart and soul. So immersive is the writing that the reader cannot help but feel transported into the screaming police cruiser, amidst the fog of war, and back again to the duo of relief and melancholy at end of watch. We hear the author’s voices, their shouts and laughter and tears translate as clearly and cleanly as if we were in the mix alongside them.
At its core, the gift of this writing is empathy for our guardians, if only a sliver. For even now, THE NIGHT POLICE have the watch, and we owe our relative tranquillity to them."
Charlie Gris, Buffalo, NY
Advance Reader
​
"Are you game to be transported into the lives of THE NIGHT POLICE? How does it really feel to be in their boots, to feel the other side only the inner circle knows? Reading the experience from the point of view of THE NIGHT POLICE themselves is an exceptionally rich experience.
In some places it hurts and stuns. It’s funny, poignant and at times, bizarre. By the final chapter you may even question yourself for any separation you may have felt between them and us”.
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​Randy Kirwan, San Rafael, CA
Advance Reader
​​​
"A great job by Berg and Smith. THE NIGHT POLICE is in the vein of Michael Connolly and the gritty deeds done by his Harry Bosch character.
Truly a page-turner. The sensory descriptions were real, the sounds and smells put you on the beat with THE NIGHT POLICE."
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Tom Stuhlreyer, Milwaukee, WI
Advance Reader
​
"I reviewed the book as a 30 plus year veteran cop from a major metropolitan police department, and I can tell you THE NIGHT POLICE is on target with every salvo beginning to end. The book accurately portrayed the path of a cop’s career from bright-eyed rookie to grizzled veteran. Parts of the book were told in such a way that it brought me back to scenes from my own career and brought an unexpected rush of emotions, good and bad.
I had to put it down at times to process old feelings, and it reminded me of the deep bond that forms between cops, a bond that lasts a lifetime. When I finished, all I could say was “Wow man... wow!”
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Sgt. Brett Linden, San Jose PD, Retired
Advance Reader
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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. In some areas, I thought the book did not flow, like it jumped around. But, at the end, it all came together. Very good insight on what law enforcement has to deal with. This book made me want to continue reading it. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.
Member Profile: https://www.netgalley.com/publisher/member/367563
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We're seasoned contributors to conference panels, including the Killer Nashville International Writers Conference. We dive deep into the intricacies of crime fiction with engaging talks like A POLICE OFFICER'S GUIDE TO COMMON AVOIDABLE ERRORS IN CRIME FICTION and UNDERCOVER INK: UNVEILING THE TRUTH OF UNDERCOVER WORK & CRAFTING CAPTIVATING CRIME NOVELS.
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