Four police officers-Joe Lawless, Barbara Babalino, Leo Grady, and Arnold Gertz-work to uphold the law at the tough Fifty-Third Precinct, a vicious, crime-ridden precinct that is the dumping ground for misfit police officers.

Tom Philbin (1934-2014) was born in the Bronx to an Irish American family. Throughout his life, he had a variety of jobs, mostly related to the publishing world, and went on to author more than seventy books, including true crime, nonfiction, crime novels, and home-repair books. He has also published many articles for magazines, including Reader's Digest, Family Circle, and Woman's Day. He has appeared on and has written for television and movies as well.