Lady Gold

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Long on atmosphere but short on action, this first novel by former NYPD detective Amato and Sharkey author of the true-crime book Above Suspicion, 1993 describes the unlikely friendship between a small-time informer and a street-smart New York cop at a turning point in her personal and professional life. When 30-year-old Detective Gerry Conte is assigned to keep an eye on Eugene Rossi, who has promised to rat on his mob-underboss uncle, she feels contempt for the preening, volatile young con and doubts that his information will prove useful. But as time goes by, she develops sympathy for Eugene, who, she realizes, was tricked into cooperating with the police through his naivete and poor reading skills. Meanwhile, Eugene shows a surprisingly gentle side: he helps insecure Gerry gain confidence in her body by taking her to the gym and, through his trust in her, gives her faith in her own judgment--even as their friendship upsets Gerry's live-in lover, a fellow cop who already resents her early success and her ambition to become a lawyer. Whether Amato and Sharkey are describing a seedy Italian pastry shop or the resignation of a hardworking woman who's learned to make the best of an imperfect life, they are adept at evoking places and mood, and the story of Gerry's friendship with Eugene is surprisingly moving. Unfortunately, the plot is episodic and meandering--which makes for a fine portrayal of an honorable cop's workaday life but also for a less than thrilling story. Agent, David Vigliano; author tour; film rights to Sherry Lansing. July FYI: Like her heroine, Amato quit her job as an NYPD detective to become a defense attorney.

Library Journal

Like her heroine, Gerry Conte, Amato is an NYPD detective who left the force to become a criminal defense attorney. But while Conte runs into trouble protecting a mob informer, Amato has had better luck: her novel got optioned by Paramount even before publication.

School Library Journal

YA-A thoughtful, well-written novel featuring NYPD Detective Gerry Conte, who has a chance to work undercover on a Mafia setup but finds it a slow, drawn-out process. Paired with Rey, who has worked undercover so long that he feels little or no emotion, the two are part of a team that is trying to arrest a top guy, Salvatore Messina. When the operation goes nowhere, Gerry attempts to collect the information that could result in Messina's arrest, but in one horrific scene, a carefully laid arrest plan goes belly-up. The conflict between the roles of men and women on the police force is depicted as is that between the old and young members of the Mafia. The author's sense of humor shines through in the most unlikely situations, lightening some tense incidents. A realistic tale of a covert police operation, without the sensationalism and violence one might expect, plus the humaneness of Gerry, add up to a book that will appeal to YAs who like adventure and intrigue.-Pam Spencer, Young Adult Literature Specialist, Virginia Beach, VA

Kirkus Reviews

One of these writers spent nine high-wire years with the NYPD, and does it ever show. The storyþs too long, and occasionally repetitive, but first-novelist Amato, a former gold shield detective (hence the title), and Sharkey, an investigative reporter (Bedlam, 1994, etc.), have teamed up to make this cop novel seem as real as any Smith & Wesson. At the outset, Eugene Rossi, a CI (Confidential Informant), is in police custody. Detective Gerry Conte gets assigned to help baby-sit him and to help wring him dry of all pertinent information. Rossi ("He's just a young punk") wouldn't mean much to the NYPD if he weren't nephew to Tony Rossi, a Mafia underboss. But Uncle Tony wouldn't mean much, either, if he weren't a potential link to "Seashore Sally" Messina. It's Messina the NYPD wants to put away forever, partially because he's a murdering crook and deserves such a fate, but mostly because he's equally high on the FBI's wish list. Naturally, both law enforcement organizations yearn to be the first to make a viable case against the slippery Messina. (And by doing so rake in a bonanza of public relations rewards.) Meantime, Gerry finds herself drawnþunwillinglyþto Eugene. He's arrogant, ignorant, a fifth grade dropout, and yet there's some charm to him, a weird kind of innocence that Gerry finds hard to resist. In addition, her sense of fair play is outraged by what she considers shameless double-dealing on the part of the NYPD, with clueless Eugene as the patsy. While the NYPD and the FBI plot and counterplot to trap Messina, Gerry's caught in the middle. She wriggles free, battles colleagues who are also back- stabbers, outfaces the Internal Affairs Bureau, and eventuallyscores a sweet if offbeat victory. Authenticity galore. Plus Gerry, who is as appealing as she is convincing.(Author tour)