The stunning new novel by one of “crime fiction’s most gifted writers” (George Pelecanos), about a racially charged police shooting.
On a Brooklyn street corner, a police officer shoots and kills a young Black man, igniting a firestorm of protests and unrest, denials and excuses from cops, promises and apologies from politicians, and cries of hate and outrage from an aggrieved public. The police officer in question, Georgina Reed, is a rookie, fresh from the police academy, and she herself is young and Black.
Caught in the middle of this conflagration of law, politics, and race is the rookie cop’s unlikely defender, Will Way, her police union representative. Will does what he can for her, but soon the case becomes less about what really happened on that dark street corner and more about the larger forces in society. Will Way ceases to be merely defending a fellow cop in a criminal investigation and becomes a target of the investigation himself as his past spills into the present with all his hidden secrets and regrets.
While events reach back and forth through time and circle around New York City, Robert Reuland always takes the reader to the place he knows best, the world of crime and punishment centered on a building known as Kings County Supreme Court, which courthouse regulars call simply: Brooklyn Supreme.
The long-awaited third novel of Robert Reuland, Brooklyn Supreme is a clear-eyed exploration of the fault lines of class, gender, and race in America. It is also a nuanced portrayal of the family politics that affect fathers and sons and fathers and daughters. A standout crime novel by a writer with an undeniable gift, Brooklyn Supreme is a gritty and gut-wrenching read.
“The raw social commentary is as powerful as brass knuckles to the skull and the gritty existentialism palpable. Assured prose and a strong ending.” Publishers Weekly
“Robert Reuland brings a heartfelt seriousness to the pursuit of justice in his powerful third novel…This sustained compelling storytelling like Lehane and French…lifts Brooklyn Supreme far above a conventional cop or legal novel into tormented wrestling with the flaws of our time.”
New York Journal of Books
“Riveting…I appreciate Robert Reuland’s attempt to grapple with hot-button issues…The resulting panorama, informed by Reuland’s work as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, drips with cynicism.”
Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review
“A ballsy deep dive into the same toxic morass [Tom] Wolfe once swam in…the viewpoint remains steadfast…this one’s smelling like a winner.” Mystery Scene Magazine