Max Royster Mystery

I looked carefully at the dead boy, reminding myself that most murder victims looked very young and surprised when their bodies were found, as if life had suddenly rushed up and taken them unaware ...Misfit NYPD Officer Max Royster's hunt for a sadistic serial killer takes a startling turn when he realizes that not all predators are born alike.

The Upper East Side of Manhattan is one of the richest neighborhoods in the world. But Max Royster, a maverick, outspoken and erudite NYPD foot cop, who grew up working-class in this tony area, calls it "the Playpen." Money protects the bluebloods in this area like the bars on an infant's playpen. Late one night, patrolling wealthy brownstones, he sees a burglar attacking a rich actress. Max chases him. They fight but the burglar escapes. The burglar is a sexual predator, known in cop-speak as a "Horn Bug". For losing the suspect, Max's captain deems Max "a Funny Bunny," too unstable for police work. He strips Max of his gun and badge, then orders Max into Bellevue Hospital for observation and maybe for the rest of his life. Without any tools or support, Max has ten days to stop this Horn Bug.