Bullets Over Bourbon
A collection of urban crime stories.
“Readers are on patrol with the NYPD. The characters and scenarios in this collection feel extraordinarily authentic, resulting in visceral, emotional, compelling dramas. Skip the TV cop shows and spend your free time with these powerful stories.”
“David Goldstein’s prose is so rich in detail the narrative compels readers to believe in police, in criminals, and humanity. Crime story fans, or anyone curious about human character, will find this work a compelling page-turner.”
Urban Crime Stories
Written by a cop with twenty-five years on the streets, these thirteen stories focus on crime and its ramifications as seen through the eyes of cops, criminals, and victims. As the characters wind their way through foot pursuits, gun fights, first dates, and lonely nights, it becomes clear that the pursuit of justice is as murky now as it ever was.
The collection begins in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, when two veteran cops pursue a would-be rapist into a sprawling homeless shelter, with disastrous consequences for everyone involved.
In Bullets over Bourbon, an exhausted detective leaves work only to walk in on an armed robbery of a liquor store in Queens, forcing him to make decisions no cop should have to.
In Bed-Stuy Burning, a disfigured young loner with a price on his head takes refuge in a dark, trash-filled house. But the thugs he’s pissed off will stop at nothing to see him finally burnt to ashes.
In Up Close and Personal, two Brooklyn Detectives come face-to-face with a man who may very well be The Devil. Years earlier, these same two detectives were patrol cops who investigated a modern-day “whodunnit” in Jasmine.
And in Big Mac’s Baggage, a middle-aged train operator picks up a prostitute on a desolate Brooklyn street. “Big Mac” is used to getting what he wants. But by the end of this ride, all he wants is to escape with his life.
Often violent, always gritty and real, these stories shed a little light on the shadowy back alleys running behind the scenes of modern city life.
Praise for Bullets Over Bourbon
Rich in detail, a compelling page-turner
"There is an old saying, 'You just can't make this stuff up.' David Goldstein’s prose is so rich in detail the lengthy narrative compels readers to believe—in police, in criminals, and humanity—because the book makes them easier to understand. Crime story fans, or anyone curious about human character, will find this work set in New York and Los Angeles a page-turner. Goldstein removes the cynicism so often shown in films and television series, yet he shows why cops' relationships, romantic and with the public, often suffer collateral damage. A key takeaway is that most of society is not as citizens see it—it is more what cops see, which is why the law enforcers and courts are often misunderstood."
Authentic, visceral, emotional, compelling, and powerful stories
“As an officer with the New York Police Department, David Goldstein worked high-crime areas in Brooklyn and Queens. In these short stories, readers are on patrol with the NYPD (and sometimes LAPD, for whom he also worked). The characters and scenarios in this collection feel extraordinarily authentic, resulting in visceral, emotional, compelling dramas. Skip the TV cop shows and spend your free time with these powerful stories.”
Authentically original, succinctly riveting, and unreservedly recommended
"As an author with professional experience in law enforcement, the individual noir style short stories comprising "Bullets Over Bourbon: Urban Crime Stories" aptly demonstrate David Goldstein's impressive flair for the kind of character and narrative-driven storytelling style that is ideal for the short story format. His deftly crafted tales are authentically original, succinctly riveting, and will have enormous appeal to fans of contemporary crime fiction. Entertaining, engaging, and at times simply fascinating, "Bullets Over Bourbon: Urban Crime Stories" is especially and unreservedly recommended for both the personal reading lists of noir crime story fans and community library Contemporary Criminal Suspense/Thriller Fiction collections.”