William Caunitz
William J. Caunitz (January 25, 1933 – July 20, 1996) was a New York City Police Department officer who used his own experiences on the police force to write best-selling thrillers. His first novel One Police Plaza was made into a television film starring Robert Conrad. The 1991 feature film Homicide, directed by David Mamet, was adapted from his second book Suspects.
Biography and career
[edit]Caunitz was born in Brooklyn and graduated from Erasmus Hall High School.[1] His father was a professional piano player and his mother, a housewife.[2] He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1949 to 1953. After working for an insurance company in New Jersey as a map clerk;[3] in 1955 he joined the NYPD in his twenties. He first worked as a patrolman, and eventually rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant, followed by an assignment as a detective squad commander.[1] He graduated from City College with a bachelor's degree, and in 1972, he earned a master's degree in history from Hofstra University.[1]
After retiring, he planned on becoming a teacher, but after a chance encounter in 1974 at a party with then Harcourt Brace editor Tony Godwin; who inspired him to put his "war stories" on paper, he followed that advice and pursued a career as an author.[3] Caunitz wrote with great authenticity when describing precinct day-to-day life in his novels. The New York Times has compared him to Joseph Wambaugh.[4]
After many rewrites, his first novel One Police Plaza came out in 1984.[5] The curtain-rod murder that opens his debut novel is based on two actual homicide cases Caunitz worked on.[2] It was made into a television film starring Robert Conrad in 1986. In 1988 the film got a sequel, The Red Spider. His second book Suspects, was adapted into the feature film Homicide, directed by David Mamet.[6] His fourth novel Exceptional Clearance was also released as an audiobook on two cassette tapes, and was narrated by Kevin Spacey.[7]
His novels usually center around one or two police officers that follow detailed police procedures to solve a crime, and he also used some sensational elements of thrillers. He did not write with an outline, preferring to let the plot evolve unpredictably as he was writing.[8]
Caunitz died in 1996 from pulmonary fibrosis[1] His last novel, Chains of Command, was half-completed at the time of his death and finished by Christopher Newman.[9]
Bibliography
[edit]- One Police Plaza (1984)
- Suspects (1986)
- Black Sand (1989)
- Exceptional Clearance (1991)
- Cleopatra Gold (1993)
- Pigtown (1995)
- Chains of Command (1999)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Grimes, William (July 23, 1996). "William Caunitz, 63' Wrote Thrillers Inspired by His Police Career". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- ^ a b Dougherty, Steve (November 10, 1986). "It's Almost Criminal The Way Ex-Cop Bill Caunitz Write Novels No One Can Put Down". People Magazine. Vol. 26, no. 19. p. 7. ISSN 0093-7673.
- ^ a b Nixon, Wukk (September 13, 1991). "William Caunitz: the former New York City cop has parlayed his experiences into bestselling thrillers". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 238, no. 41. p. 59. Gale A11262596.
- ^ Bernstein, Richard (August 9, 1995). "Books of the Times – Bad Cops, Bureaucrats and a Natural Schlemiel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- ^ Dahlin, Robert (April 6, 1984). "One of New York's Finest". Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- ^ Brunette, Peter (February 10, 1991). "Mamet Views Cops Through a New Lens". The New York Times. p. A13. Gale A175136546.
- ^ Vignovich, Ray (November 1, 1991). "Audio Reviews". Library Journal. 116 (18): 146.
- ^ Swaim, Sam (1991). "Audio Interview with William Caunitz". William Caunitz. Wired for Books. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012.
- ^ Panek, LeRoy L. (2003). Priestman, Martin (ed.). "Post-war American police fiction". The Cambridge Companion to Crime Fiction: 155–172.
External links
[edit]- William Caunitz at IMDb
- 1991 audio interview with William Caunitz at Wired for Books.org by Don Swaim
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