William Caunitz

William J. Caunitz (1933–1996) was a New York City Police Department officer who used his own experiences to write best-selling thrillers.

After serving in the United States Marine Corps, and working for an insurance company, he joined the NYPD in his twenties. He first worked as a patrolman, and eventually rose through the ranks to become a Lieutenant, followed by an assignment as a detective squad commander. Caunitz wrote with great authenticity when describing precinct day-to-day life in his novels. The New York Times has compared him to Joseph Wambaugh.[1]

After many rewrites,[2] his first novel One Police Plaza came out in 1984. It was made into a television film starring Robert Conrad in 1986. In 1988 the film got a sequel, The Red Spider. His novels usually center around one or two police officers that follow detailed police procedures to solve a crime, and he also used some sensational elements of thrillers. He did not write with an outline, preferring to let the plot evolve unpredictably as he was writing.[3]

Caunitz died in 1996 from pulmonary fibrosis[4] His last novel, Chains of Command, was half-completed at the time of his death and finished by Christopher Newman.

Bibliography
  • One Police Plaza (1984)
  • Suspects (1986)
  • Black Sand (1989)
  • Exceptional Clearance (1991)
  • Cleopatra Gold (1993)
  • Pigtown (1995)
  • Chains of Command (1999)

References
  1. Bernstein, Richard (1995-08-09). "Books of the Times – Bad Cops, Bureaucrats and a Natural Schlemiel". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  2. Dahlin, Robert (1984-04-06). "One of New York's Finest". Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  3. Sam Swaim, William Caunitz (1991). "Audio Interview with William Caunitz". Wired for Books. Archived from the original on 2012-02-21.
  4. Grimes, William (1996-07-23). "William Caunitz, 63' Wrote Thrillers Inspired by His Police Career". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-27.


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