Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Stories and Essays by Tim McLoughlin This small package holds a beast of a narrative voice.
The book is divided into two sections, stories and essays about the life of cops and detectives in a world that is both just and corrupt. Like the world, the protagonists in Mr. McLoughlin’s stories and essays reflect the same hard-ass, yet frequently empathetic, ways toward crime and criminals, often trampling the gray line between what is acceptable and what is purely criminal.
The characters that fill the pages are losers. Not “lovable losers,” just losers. They’re down on their luck, or they see an easy way to steal a dollar. While this is the truest element in the book, it may also turn off some readers. However, if you need a source book for big city crime, this book is for you.
The downside for me? Some of the stories ended too quickly. After pages of set up, the author draws a rapid conclusion. In the author’s future works—which I would buy and read—I would hope he spends more time with the endings. After all, a good ending sells the next book.
Did I like the book? Yes. And I found it disturbing. The strongest element in this book is the author and his voice. A reader may find a story morally questionable, but there is no doubt that the author’s/narrator’s voice is pervasive. McLoughlin fills in the gaps between right and wrong with “right for me” or “wrong for me.”
This is a voice you don’t usually hear, but one you should not miss.
4 stars.
( )

The bits and pieces of real life in the New York City demimonde were more interesting than the stories, although - especially in light of current events - the bragging about legally robbing people, outside of "proper procedures", even, while using his police badge and gun... Shitty at the time, and has aged worse.

Reading this book took me back to watching Barney Miller as a kid - no it wasn't a comedy, it just had that gritty kind of feeling to it. I don't think this book is for everyone to read because it is a little too honest about the reality of crime and the stories that span the world, but for those who can take it Tim McLoughlin's book will make a nice read. The stories are cohesive and move very quickly but leave thoughts and questions behind in your mind. The essays leave more questions than answers. Definitely worth the time to read. ( )

Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms: stories and essays is written by Tim McLoughlin.
Mr. McLoughlin is a 30 year veteran of the New York City Criminal Justice System, working as a Peace Officer. His books, stories and essays evoke a recurring theme of “ chronic displacement, people standing still in a city that is always changing. These are McLoughlin’s ghosts , these casualties of progress, and he holds them dear and celebrates them.”
From Coney Island train stations to Atlantic City casinos to altar boy experiences to the NYC Criminal Court, his books, stories and essays are hard-boiled, very dark, gritty, authentic ‘bites’ of New York City life, extremely Noir.
Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms: stories and essays is published by Akashic Books (known for its NOIR series - of which Tim McLoughlin is a past editor and co-editor). I thank them for an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of this title.
The book includes an Introduction by the author. 2 Parts - Part 1 contains 6 short stories and Part 2 contains 7 essays. There are Acknowledgements.
The Introduction sets the tone for the stories and essays to follow.
Stories include:
When all this was Bay Ridge
Scared Rabbit - I can’t get The Swamp Room Bar out of my mind “with a large, scratched,
smoke- yellowed plexiglass panel in the floor covering a tank containing 2 alligators”
Seven Eleven
Rubber Gun - concerns an opioid-addicted catsitter
The Amnesty Box
Indigenous
Essays include:
Ralph and Sam - a court officer in NYC Criminal Court
Surfing the Crime Wave
Opening Day - I never expected to hear of people living in NYC train yards
Maharaja for a year (1999-2000)
Abraham, Martin & Greg Scarpa - This was my favorite - it was sad, deplorable, crazy, full of memories of my childhood parish community
Excited Utterances - “I remember exactly where I was standing and what I was doing the first time I heard a 710.30(1)(a) statement, but then, who doesn’t?”
Pimps and Hoes - “So, at the end of the day, I’m still a pimp. And so are you.”

I liked this title written by Tim McLoughlin. It screams New York City. It screams Noir.
***** ( )

McLoughlin, editor of the Brooklyn Noir titles (some of these stories were previously published in various Akashic Noir volumes), draws on over thirty years of experience working in the New York City criminal justice system for these stories and essays on the lesser-seen aspects of being a cop in the Big Apple. Change is a recurring theme; many of the protagonists (including, in the essays, McLoughlin himself) find themselves dealing with changes—to their circumstances, to their city, to the changing nature of crime and criminals—beyond their control. The book is evenly divided between stories and essays. My favorite stories include "Scared Rabbit," about a cop near retirement involved in a questionable shooting; and "The Amnesty Box," about the consequences of a postal policeman not carrying out a duty that wasn't legitimate to begin with. Favorite essays include "Ralph and Sam," about cops trying to stop the selling of unlicensed merchandise at concerts (the title is a reference to the wolf and sheepdog in the Chuck Jones Warner Brothers cartoons; if you’re familiar with those, you have an idea how well that works); "Surfing the Crime Wave," about changes in NYC crime and New York’s response to it since the days of Son of Sam; and "Maharaja for a Year (1999-2000)," about the time McLoughlin was pursued by an Atlantic City casino as a high roller. I enjoyed the essays a bit more than the stories because they ran slightly more to the humorous, but everything except the briefest is memorable. Recommended especially if you like the Akashic Noir series.