- Featured on Good Morning America on November 9, 1995 with Joan Lunden and Charles Gibson
- Winner of special award from the NYPD Retired Detectives Association (“Presented to Harvey Rachlin, author of The Making of a Detective, for telling a story with compassion, humor, dignity, and above all, professionalism of the kind of detective New York City Police Department is proud of”)
- Feature article about author and subject of book in The New York Times
“The career of a New York City police officer — in particular a homicide detective — has never been more graphically or expertly related than in this probing look at David Carbone by the author of The Making of a Cop.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Harvey Rachlin’s nonfictional The Making of a Detective expertly chronicles the career of Dave Carbone from beginner to seasoned, sharp, experienced detective . . . Rachlin was given unprecedented cooperation by the New York City Police Department, the 75th Precinct Squad and Carbone. He deserves the trust extended to him. This is an in-depth, exciting, unsettling account of the real daily life of those who undertake one of society’s least pleasant but most necessary jobs.”
–Dorothy Uhnak, The Washington Post
“Rachlin was granted extraordinary access to the police department and spent two years following Carbone through his paces in the bloody 75th Precinct, located in Brooklyn’s East New York . . . Superbly reported and competently written, a balanced account of big-city policing from the inside; it’s not NYPD Blue, it’s better.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Harvey Rachlin’s The Making of a Cop is an exciting, compulsively readable true account of New York City homicide detective David Carbone’s education in murder on the streets of New York. Carbone is for real. So is the book.”
–Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy
“The Making of a Detective is a real slice of police life. Reading it brought back vivid and fond memories of my days as a detective. Harvey Rachlin powerfully depicts Dave Carbone’s compelling journey, from the white shield of a street cop to the gold shield of a detective, through the mean streets of N.Y.C.”
–Sonny Grosso, “French Connection” detective
“The New York City Police Department owes a debt to Harvey Rachlin, as The Making of a Detective makes a formidable case for the people’s debt to the NYPD.”
–Carol O’Connell, author of Mallory’s Oracle
“True-crime fans who remember Rachlin’s The Making of a Cop will line up for this book.”
—Booklist (American Library Association)
“The book reveals a reality that even most experienced officers might not imagine. This hard-hitting account of the danger and violence involved in fighting urban crime also proves a compelling portrait of a tough, professional, yet compassionate detective . . . easy reading and hard to put down.”
—Law and Order
“Meticulous details . . . difficult to put down!”
—New York Daily News
“A cut above the others . . . vividly re-creates the feel of the streets. This will be a popular addition to true-crime and police collections.”
—Library Journal (a Library Journal Prepub Alert selection)
“Forget NYPD Blue — and enter the real and dangerous world of Dave Carbone, homicide detective in ‘New York’s deadliest neighborhood.’ (New York Post) . . . Rachlin’s intimate and unvarnished account of Carbone’s education as a homicide detective on New York City’s meanest streets will transform you to places where few civilians have ever gone. It provides nonfiction reading at its most compelling.”
—The Gold Shield (Official Publication of the Detectives’ Endowment Association of the Police Department of the City of New York)
“The Making of a Detective is electrifying and compelling; an unforgettable look at urban violence and urban policing. I expected nothing less from the talented Harvey Rachlin.”
—Police Times
“Realistic . . . dramatically re-created.”
—Journal Enquirer (Manchester, Conn.)
“The Making of a Detective is a powerful portrayal of a world beyond the wildest thoughts of most ordinary, law-abiding people.”
—Birmingham (England) Post
“The book ripples with humor . . . a remarkable journey into the depths of the New York City Police Department.”
—American Police Beat
“In other hands, this work would inundate the reader with the repetitious recitation of one gory tale after another. Rachlin selects his episodes so as to illuminate another previously unexamined aspect of the art of detecting. The result is an exceptional look past the customary into the life of an urban policeman who carries the coveted detective’s shield.”
—Magill Book Review
“Imagine NYPD Blue in print. The Making Of A Detective is a compelling read in straightforward language which causes the reader to continually remind themselves what they are reading is real, not fiction. Author Harvey Rachlin follows the career of real-life Detective David Carbone…As so often in the USA, the average American is constructed as both working man and hero; Carbone is both a working police officer and the subject of the book. Rachlin followed Carbone and his fellow detectives for several years to collect material, enjoying almost unlimited access to police procedure, crime scenes and the detective’s personal life. The details build a realistic picture of his life and work, at times horribly realistic. And the result is a readable, honest account which at times glamorises but never dehumanises the realities of life in the crime-ridden area of East New York.”
–The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia)
“This book has been described as “a formidable case for the people’s debt to the NYPD’ and was written after Rachlin followed its subject, Detective David Carbone, into the squad room, crime scenes, canvasses, emergency rooms, courtrooms and interrogation rooms. A non-fiction novel in the most gritty tradition.”
—The Daily Telegraph Mirror
“So rich with insider information, you’ll hope criminals aren’t taking notes.”
—Entertainment Weekly
Published in hardcover by W. W. Norton in 1995 (ISBN 0-393-03797-5); published in paperback by Dell in 1996 (ISBN 0-440-22316-4); 320 pages