Bad to Blue: The True Story of a Chinatown Gangster Turned NYPD Detective

Moy illuminates his journey from crook to cop in this unique if somewhat short-sighted memoir. The author grew up in Manhattan’s Chinatown in the 1970s, where he learned, at an early age, that Chinese street gangs dominated the neighborhood. When Moy was 16, he joined one, developing the confidence to confront racist bullies while selling guns, committing armed robbery, and becoming “a hero to myself and a villain to others.” After NYPD officer Steven McDonald gained publicity for forgiving the teenager who shot and paralyzed him in the late ’80s, Moy felt inspired to leave gang life. He applied to the NYPD in his early 20s and, through extreme luck, passed the background tests. He served on the force for over 25 years, concealing his past from his colleagues and retiring in 2021 after achieving the rank of detective. Moy’s story is fascinating and stuffed with vivid details about downtown New York in the ’70s and ’80s, but some of his broad-brush statements about law enforcement (“In the world of crime solving, a crime is never dismissed as minor”) feel facile. Still, readers will take heart in Moy’s messge that “no life is beoynd repair.” Agent: Tina Wainscott, Seymour Agency. (July)