The Writing of the Crime Novel “Caught Between”

(First published in Per Niente Magazine)

Many years ago, a friend introduced me to her boss at a company function. We found ourselves at the bar. I told him I was a fledgling writer with a poem published in an obscure Japanese journal. One drink led to another, and he started telling me a fascinating true story about an off-duty New York City Police Officer who shot and killed a high-ranking mafia leader’s gangster son back in 1975. 

We met again, and both agreed somebody should write the story – but who? Remember in the play or movie Camelot when Lancelot first appears? He’s singing “C’est Moi,†and anything Robert Goulet could do, I could do better. Also, I rarely miss an opportunity to put one foot in my mouth and the other in quicksand. Lawyers were called, contracts signed, and I would write a spectacular first novel. 

I called up friends and told relatives I was on a liquorless high. I thought, first, I better write my gracious Pulitzer Prize-winning speech and then one to thank the academy for choosing my script for an Oscar. Life was rolling smoothly, and my righteous destiny was on track – the great American writer.

I bought a small tape recorder, and a few times a week, I met with my literary source. He explained how the case proceeded and how the lead Detective had to weave his way through the many deterrents he never expected to encounter. I learned about police procedures, political wrangling, and Federal intervention. I also learned about racism, bias, discrimination, and how an old boy’s network hates change. We traveled to NYC and visited all the spots where the actual story took place. I met with police officers who remembered the incident and dug into the archives at the NY public library. I was on my way. 

I had my notes, tapes, computer, and a mind racing with ideas. I was ready to write my novel based on a true story. Um, okay, well, I started. Then I started again. Though I am a well-read individual, from mysteries to classics, have written papers, and a master’s degree, everything I wrote for the first six months was terrible. The reality was a harsh teacher- I didn’t know how to write a novel.

I bought books, tapes, attended seminars, even videos on how to write a novel, but what I had written amounted to a couple of hundred pages of what was not good. My attention-getting book was full of typical beginner mistakes; punctuation, sentence structure, and tense problems. How could something written flawlessly in my head be so challenging to get on paper? 

One year passed; what I had written was little better than a college sophomore English paper. The second-year was coming to a close, and I think this is where I started seeing a therapist regularly. My writing was a bit better, but a bit better from not very good is no great step. In the third or fourth year, I noticed I was actually learning how to write correctly. Everything was falling into place, or should I say words were sliding nicely into proper sentences, but the whole seemed to lack Hemmingway’s focused American restraint. At this time, I was reading nineteenth-century European literature. D. H. Lawrence’s languid phrases didn’t belong in Raymond Chandler’s novel noir. I was presumptuous, pompous (though some still think I am – and there is some truth to that), and more interested in impressing my audience with my vocabulary than merely telling a good story.    

I was accepted into a graduate writing program. It was very beneficial, and I learned a great deal, but I had to move on. Life, making a living, always interferes with what we want. Without concentration and practice, like most things, nothing is accomplished. The novel became something I dabbled with when I had time. The book went on the shelf.

Jump ahead some fifteen years and many relationships later, I rewrote and re-rewrote what had already been re-written. The novel was okay, it needed work around the edges, but the main storyline was solid. The finished product was five hundred pages and had fifty characters. Too many pages and too many characters. I sought professional help. I then spent the ensuing years refining, reducing, and energizing the story. 

The next phase was mixing with editors, agents, and publishers. I kept on learning, but the rejection letters were endless, as was the advice. The book languished in the neverland of making changes. Then, one day, as I searched for something to make the book a bestseller, I had to admit that “Caught Between†was finished. It may not win awards, but it tells a convincing narrative. Another rewrite was not going to make it better. Ultimately, an editor said to me that your book has a solid story and is well written. I know a small publishing company, I believe, will seriously consider publishing it.â€Â 

Yeah! Yes, I agreed. The book does have a powerful story about the gritty world we inhabit. Where do I sign? Did I have something in common with Dr. Faust? 

JaCol first published my poetry book, “I Never Finished Loving You,†then my first novel, “Caught Between.†It’s been a long time coming, and I appreciate this recognition of what has become my work. I am grateful for their acknowledgment and support.

So, what is this story that has been clinging to me for twenty years: Caught Between is about an off-duty Italian Cop who shoots and kills a mafia leader’s gangster son. 

In the summer of 1975, NYC is about to become bankrupt, and many municipal departments, including Fire and Trash, are on strike. Crime is daily front-page news, then why is this incident – this case so intriguing? The police didn’t want to investigate the shooting unless – the truth was inconsequential. The Mafia had issued a contract on the shooter’s life, but they hated the heat. The Feds wanted complete control and promised to make it all go away. The Feds were very self-serving. The case became a gnarled knot that kept getting tighter yet looser at the same time. Most stories have twists and turns; this story is all twists and turns. 

The chief investigator would find extensive evidence to both exonerate and condemn the officer who did the shooting. He also discovers a ruthless and corrupt “system.â€Â  Questions remained – what is relevant, what is not, and does truth matter?

I wrote the story in the first person so the reader can interpret the information as the real Detective Seargent did back in the summer of 1975. Jump into his shoes, read the book, and discern whether the shooting was excellent police work or premeditated murder?  

If you would like a signed copy of “Caught Between,†please go to my website, www.PhilipButera.com, Facebook or send me an e-mail at [email protected].  

Police and firefighters have been reduced. Racial tension is peaking. Murders, robberies, and arson are on the rise. Moral decay and financial ruin are cresting. New York City is a cesspool in the mid-1970s. Crime is front-page news daily, so why does the killing of a mafia henchman by an Italian cop arouse so much concern? The Feds come to town; the Mafia puts out a contract, politicians lie, and the police blame the “system” for any incompetence.

The question remains, was the shooting excellent police work or premeditated murder? Most stories have twists and turns; this story is all twists and turns. Every person and organization involved just wanted this case to disappear. The police didn’t want to investigate the shooting; the truth was inconsequential. The Mafia issued a contract on the shooter’s life, but they hated the heat.

The Feds wanted complete control and promised they would make it all go away. The case became a gnarled knot that kept getting tighter yet looser at the same time. The chief investigator would find extensive evidence to both exonerate and condemn the officer who did the shooting. He also discovered a ruthless and corrupt “system.” Like unpeeling an onion, in the end, questions remained. What is relevant, what is not, and does truth matter? “Caught Between” is based on an actual incident, though names and places have been changed.