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)
External links[]
- William Caunitz at IMDb
- 1991 audio interview with William Caunitz at Wired for Books.org by Don Swaim
References[]
- ^ Bernstein, Richard (1995-08-09). "Books of the Times – Bad Cops, Bureaucrats and a Natural Schlemiel". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
- ^ Dahlin, Robert (1984-04-06). "One of New York's Finest". Retrieved 2016-09-27.
- ^ Sam Swaim, William Caunitz (1991). "Audio Interview with William Caunitz". Wired for Books. Archived from the original on 2012-02-21.
- ^ 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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- 1933 births
- 1996 deaths
- New York City Police Department officers
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- United States Marines
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