Book Review: Pen Name Faux Pas Doesn't Cloud Price's 'The Whites' - 27 East

Arts & Living

Arts & Living / 1343476

Book Review: Pen Name Faux Pas Doesn't Cloud Price's 'The Whites'

author on Sep 28, 2015

The first mystery encountered while reading Richard Price’s new crime novel, “The Whites” (Holt, 333 pp, $28), is why he chose the transparent pen name of Harry Brandt—“Richard Price Writing as Harry Brandt.”

He told Terry Gross on NPR’s “Fresh Air” that he wanted to write something “slicker, tighter, faster, more the surface of what’s happening, more propelled by the mystery at its core [without] … any social resonance.” What Mr. Brandt has done, however, is write a Richard Price novel. One’s style, like one’s fingerprints, cannot be denied.

The book’s title is not a racial reference. It refers to the cases in which the “perpetrator”—or “actor,” as Mr. Price calls him—is known, but can’t be brought to justice. “The Whites” are the ones who got away, like Ahab’s great white whale.

The protagonist is Detective Sergeant Billy Graves, who heads up the Night Watch, the graveyard shift that covers all the crimes committed during the night throughout the city, until the individual precincts open in the morning. It is a kind of exile for Graves, who once shot a drugged-up perp and accidentally hit a child bystander when the bullet passed through the criminal’s body. He became the focus of media attention and his career went south.

Graves had been a member of a group of rookies who styled themselves “the Wild Geese.” They were an ambitious group who “were given a ticket to ride in one of the worst precincts in the East Bronx,” Mr. Price writes. “Preternaturally protective, sometimes showing up at the trouble spots two steps ahead of the actors … they were decathletes, chasing their prey through backyards and apartments, across roof tops, up and down fire escapes and into bodies of water … the Wild Geese in the eyes of all the people they protected and occasionally avenged, walked the streets like gods.”

All members of the Wild Geese rose quickly to the rank of detective, such was their crime-fighting success. Yet each of them has a “White,” Mr. Price writes, “who had committed criminal obscenities on their watch and then walked away untouched by justice.” When the novel begins, each of the Wild Geese has gone on to other careers. One is a real estate tycoon, another is a funeral home director and yet another is a private security guard. Yet they remain in touch and periodically get together to remind themselves of their glorious past.

Graves’s life is relatively stable. He is married to his second wife, Carmen, an emergency room nurse, and they live on Staten Island with their two young boys and Graves’s father, a retired police captain who is suffering from dementia. But on St. Patrick’s Day, he is called to Penn Station. Someone has been murdered.

He discovers it is the White of one of his former partners, whose whereabouts during the murder established his innocence. Gradually, more and more of the Whites are being killed, and Graves’s search for the murderer, or murderers, fuels the narrative.

There is, however, a second plot. Another officer, Milton Ramos, psychopathic and remorseless, recognizes Carmen as a figure from his past, who was responsible for the death of his brother when she was a teenager. He is determined to make her suffer, and the threats against her and her family are ratcheted up. He frightens Carmen and Graves by making himself known to their children when they are waiting for a school bus. He abducts Graves’s father, who thinks he’s being picked up by his driver to go on patrol. And the action finally culminates in an unforgettable scene in the family living room.

“The Whites” exhales the odor of the squad room and has the gritty street-wise realism for which Mr. Price is so well known. He has an enviable gift with language—Graves’s eyes have “a crushed cellophane look” and another character “is nearly big enough to have his own zip code.”

“The Whites” is a novel of obsession and an inconclusive meditation on morality. Early in the book, the father of a White’s victim says, “Our pastor says Jesus wants us to try and forgive, but I’ll tell you, these last few years? I’m all about the God of the Jews.”

Mr. Price’s world is not limned in black and white, but in varying shades of gray. Nevertheless, it is a rattling good story. Once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down.

You May Also Like:

How a Cold Murder Case Spawned a Veteran Journalist’s Debut Novel | 27Speaks Podcast

Journalist Steve Wick recently published his debut novel, "The Ruins," a gripping tale of murder, ... 13 Mar 2025 by 27Speaks

'Explore the Luminous': Quincy Egginton To Teach Watercolors in Bridgehampton

Watercolor painting is an art form that Quincy Egginton of Wainscott has honed for years. ... by Christine Sampson

Joan Baum Discusses 'Bambi's' Hidden Meaning

​This year marks the 80 since the ending of World War II and the liberation of Europe’s concentration camps. And 80 years since the little known Austro-Hungarian writer and critic Felix Salten died. Salten, born Siegmund Salzmann in Pest, Hungary, was the author of “Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest,” a tale first published in German in 1923, from which one of the most remarkable cinematic events of all time was made by Walt Disney in 1942. The beloved movie that has engaged youngsters and adults for decades, however, is far from the unsentimental allegory intended by ... 12 Mar 2025 by Staff Writer

Special Opening Events for ‘Eternal Testament at The Church’

In grand commemoration of The Church’s opening of its new exhibition “Eternal Testament” on Saturday, March 22, co-curators Jeremy Dennis and Meranda Roberts have created an electric series of events that will inspire, delight and inform all on the topic of the show. The run down is: 5 to 6 p.m. — Panel Discussion With Jeremy Dennis, Meranda Roberts & Denise Silva Dennis Join the show’s two co-curators on the lower studio level of The Church for a conversation with artist Denise Silva Dennis (Jeremy Dennis’s mother). The trio will dive deeper into some of the themes, intentions and inspirations ... by Staff Writer

Solar: The Cha Ching Factor

“When there’s a huge solar energy spill, it’s just called a ‘nice day’” — Anonymous ... by Jenny Noble

Marc Camoletti's Fast-Paced Farce 'Boeing Boeing' Lands at Hampton Theatre Company

The Hampton Theatre Company continues its milestone 40th season with Marc Camoletti’s high-flying comedy “Boeing ... 10 Mar 2025 by Leah Chiappino

Parrish Art Museum's 2025 Exhibition Lineup

The Parrish Art Museum has announced its 2025 schedule, featuring solo exhibitions by internationally renowned ... by Staff Writer

Get Your Slavic Groove Going

On Saturday, March 22, at 8 p.m., Hamptons Jazz Fest presents Slavic Soul Party! at ... by Staff Writer

‘Tight Lines’ Highlights Artists Who Are Inspired by the Sea

The Grenning Gallery’s new exhibition “Tight Lines,” is a group show of contemporary paintings inspired ... by Staff Writer

First Literature Project Exhibition Opens at Ma’s House

Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio will present an opening reception for First Literature Project, ... by Staff Writer