Seven Shots

“Seven Shots uncovers the stories, rivalries, and human beings behind the New York City police officers who defused the subway bomb attack that foreshadowed September 11th. With unparalleled access, Hunt uncovers the never-before-told stories of heroism, September 11th, and petty rivalries that drive and destroy life in the NYPD. This is a true-life crime story that shows, warts and all, the unrequited love of good police officers toward an organization that doesn’t love them back. At times gripping, tragic, and theoretical, Seven Shots penetrates deep into the police world. Seven Shots vividly brings me back to my own policing days with laughs, tears, excitement, and adrenaline-filled moments of sheer terror. A groundbreaking, page-turning work.”

“This is the most honest, accurate, and heartfelt look beneath the surface of the NYPD that I’ve ever read. This writer understands cops. The core event, the 1997 raid that prevented a Brooklyn subway bombing, moves with the pace of a thriller, yet Jennifer Hunt perfectly, movingly captures the thoughts and emotions of the cops involved. It’s a rare accomplishment to get cops to pour out their hearts like this. That night the actions of a handful saved thousands, yet what followed was jealousy, backstabbing, and betrayal, a result of the shameful NYPD culture that rewards sycophants and political hacks over those who risk their lives. Hunt’s conclusions are clear-eyed and brutally honest. The reader understands as he sees the cops standing knee-deep in the impossible ash and debris of 9/11 struggling to put it all back together. Because this is what cops do, and the NYPD must put itself back together or risk losing these people. This is a must read for anyone who cares about the future of our cities.”

"Hunt here details the NYPD cops who took down a terrorist cell in 1997. Acting on a tip, the NYPD Emergency Services team raided a Brookyln apartment and shot two suspects, who had a fully operational suicide bomb that they planned to detonate in the subway during rush hour. The officesr should have become decorated heroes, but the politics of the police hierarchy complicated their stories. Hunt, who has spent years studying police culture in the NYPD and elsewhere, unfurls the operation and its consequences from the perspectives of five participants. The raid, the petty jealousies, and the politicking of publicity-hugnry superiors all the way up to the police chief and the mayor are brought vividly to life. . . . By turns inspiring, heartbreaking, and infuriating, this will appeal to readers interested in police culture as well as both students and fans of the real-life police procedural."