Cop on the Hook

Carlo Cardoni has a choice to make. Having grown up during the Depression in the impoverished Italian neighborhood of the First Ward, in Newark, New Jersey, he has known hard times. Violence and crime is a way of life both for him and his close friends, brothers Frankie and Phil Fasino. Frankie and Phil end up working for the Family, but Carlo escapes by joining the Army Air Force. While his childhood buddies become Mafia wise guys and unscrupulous businessmen, Carlo goes on to pursue a career as a police officer. Somehow, he has evaded the life of a Mafioso, to which he seemed destined.

Or so he thinks. Carlo has accepted a lot of favors to get where he is. And favors to the Family have to be repaid. Will Carlo honor his commitment? Can he keep his distance from the corrupting influence of the criminal underworld? Or will Frankie and Phil have to kill their childhood friend?