Red on Red by Edward Conlon is a story of life behind the badge
"CBS Early Show" News Anchor Jeff Glor interviews NYC police detective turned author Edward Conlon, about his new book "Red on Red."
Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the book?
Edward Conlon: As a New York City detective, my job is to knock on doors until people tell me stories. Not all of them are true, to say the least, but even the worst liars can have something important to tell you. The book is about what happens to a couple of door-knockers as they get caught up in the stories, including the ones they tell each other.
JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?
EC: In writing fiction, my notion of the ridiculous and coincidental has been misshapen by police work. I can't refuse to take a case involving identical twins because it's over-the-top, but my editor wouldn't stand for it.
JG: What would you be doing if you weren't a writer?
EC: Overtime.
JG: What else are you reading right now?
EC: Kevin Baker's "Dreamland." A big, panoramic novel of New York a hundred years ago, full of gangsters, politicians, and Coney Island freaks. A beautiful book about my kind of people.
JG: What's next for you?
EC: What I can say is that New York City and police work are the things that I know best, and I don't think either subject has been exhausted.
For more on "Red on Red," visit the Spiegel & Grau website.
