About Bob Martin

Last year, I had the pleasure of editing a great action novel, Bronx Justice, written by Bob Martin. I asked him to share how he came to write this book. Here are his answers. [Lorna]

Joining the NYPD was a forgone conclusion for me. I come from an NYPD family. I followed my father and older brother onto “The Job.” Like them, I started with the rank of Patrolman. There were no female police officers in the 1970 NYPD, so Patrolman was not considered a sexist term. In 1974, when women joined our ranks, the title was officially changed to the more politically correct Police Officer.

As I was retiring, after thirty-two years, my son took the baton and joined the ranks of the NYPD. We were heading to the one-hundred-year mark of family service to the Department when he switched and joined the FDNY-Fire Department New York.

I was in no way disappointed with his decision then, and wake up each day now, overjoyed with his move. Police work has always been a dangerous calling. But, the upheavals of the last few years have made it more dangerous than ever. The assassination killings of police officers in Brooklyn, Dallas and Baton Rouge have confirmed my feelings. My boy is much better off as a firefighter than a cop.

I began my writing career while still with the NYPD. I was attending college and wrote a paper for a course I was taking: NYPD History. I interviewed a legendary Queens Homicide lieutenant, Dan Kelly, who had been doing murder investigations for over thirty-five years. My teacher, an ex-cop, thought the story was worthy of publication. It ran in 1991 in The Badge, the magazine of the Fraternal Order of Police. That started the ball rolling. I have had numerous articles published in newspapers and magazines.

Last December, my first book, Bronx Justice, An NYPD Novel, based on a real case, was published. For that, I owe a debt of gratitude to the woman whose blog you are reading, my phenomenal editor Lorna Collins.