The Job

March 23, 2015
In this engaging memoir, Osborne, a former NYPD lieutenant, shares the highs and lows of the two decades he spent tussling with the worst that the Big Apple had to offer. Raised in blue-collar Jersey City with a cop father, Osborne knew early on that he wanted
to take down the bad guys some day. He chose to work graveyard shifts in bad neighborhoods, which provided him with thrills, good arrest stats, and stories worth telling, including an account of a run-in with a Wall Street rapist and a close encounter with a subway train. Osborne first presented much of this material via the Moth, a storytelling series, and because each Moth story is treated as a standalone, some jokes and phrases are repeated in the book. Yet the public origin of the stories surely helped Osborne develop the frank and intimate voice that suffuses his prose. At times, he comes across as a crusty cop with heart of gold, but his humor, sensitivity, and attention to detail transcend that stereotype. Osborne’s personal life is described only obliquely in the book, including his reasons for leaving the NYPD (although the chapter on 9/11 provides clues), but this is a solid insider’s account of what life is like on the force.

February 1, 2015
Raucous recollections from a career as a New York City cop, from a veteran of The Moth storytelling series.Osborne retired in 2003 as the commander of the Manhattan Gang Squad after 20 years of service, yet he seems more aligned with the street cop's earthy brotherhood than with the authority of command: "It's a good feeling knowing that you belong to a family [and] also the biggest and baddest gang in the city." Although his narrative approach is generalized rather than focused on concrete case histories, the author portrays a rough arc of the transformation of New York City from the decay and constant crime of the early 1980s to the historic crime reductions followed by the greater horror of 9/11 (at which he was present). In explaining his post-retirement interest in storytelling, he writes, for "twenty years my family and friends really didn't understand what I did for a living." The son of a tough cop himself, Osborne seemingly never considered any other life. Tonally, he comes off as an avuncular, world-weary tough guy, embodying the "cops know best" attitude that many find alienating. Yet he elevates his perspective by displaying empathy for the civilians, victims and even criminals he has encountered, drawing complex lines between the "lost souls" and "evil motherfuckers" of the underworld. The book has a light, episodic structure, with most chapters built around a less-understood aspect of policing (the weird dynamics of midnight tours or elite anti-crime units) or a dramatic street scene (a near riot in Washington Square Park). Osborne is often humorous, although some readers may find him frank to the point of cynicism: "People like to think cops are racists and only lock up minorities....After being a cop for a few years, you learn to dislike people equally." Despite their anecdotal nature, these punchy policing tales seem provocatively true to life.

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Starred review from March 1, 2015
Cops are innately good storytellers, and Osborne must be one of the best. He was an NYPD cop for 20 years, coming on the job when crack was king in the 1980s and retiring, two decades later in 2003, as the commanding officer of the Manhattan Gang Squad. The 14 riveting chapters here were shaped by Osborne's experience as a stand-up memoirist with the Moth Project ( True Tales Told Live ), in which people talk about their experiences in live events, on podcasts, or on the Moth Radio Hour. Osborne went the live route a few years ago, and the immediacy of live performance carries over into his writing. From his first account of witnessing a stabbing in broad daylight right in front of his patrol car in Washington Square Park, through his takes on drug dealers, stakeouts, pursuits, and a millionaire stockbroker accused of rape, who emerges from his loft apartment with a flak jacket and a gun, Osborne takes us inside what he was told as a recruit would be the greatest show on earth. The chapter on how he pursued a robber into a New York subway tunnel itself could win an award for most terrifying. Osborne laces his war stories with reflections on what the job does to copshow it makes them cynical and how it forces them to build a wall between themselves and their emotions.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

June 29, 2015
Osborne shares stories from his 20 years as a N.Y.C. police offer. Each one contains some measure of danger, hilarity, and ridiculousness, usually ending with a heart-warming message. Osborne’s pieces, which were largely adopted from his unscripted performances for the popular radio show the Moth, work quite well when narrated, especially with Osborne breathing life into them. He knows all the right places to put emphasis, pause, move quickly, and slow down. His deep and raspy voice pulls in listeners and keeps them engaged throughout the production. His thick N.Y.C. accent adds flavor and authenticity to the narration, enhancing it in a way that the book could never achieve. It’s hard to imagine that a professional narrator could do better. A Doubleday hardcover.