William Caunitz

William J. Caunitz (1933–1996) was a New York City Police Department officer who used his own experiences to write best-selling thrillers.

After serving in the United States Marine Corps, and working for an insurance company, 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. Caunitz was praised for his "raw authenticity" when describing precinct day-to-day life in his novels, especially for "One Police Plaza", which was eventually made into a television movie. 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 was married to Arlene for 20 some years and had 2 children with her, Beth and Kathy. He had 5 grandchildren, Joshua, Matthew, Julia, Kaila and David. After divorcing arlene he later married his second wife partica. She died in 2005 of breast cancer.

Bibliography

*"One Police Plaza" (1984)
*"Suspects" (1986)
*"Black Sand" (1989)
*"Exceptional Clearance" (1991)
*"Cleopatra Gold" (1993)
*"Pigtown" (1995)
*"Chains of Command" (1999)

External links

* [http://wiredforbooks.org/williamcaunitz/ 1991 interview with William Caunitz] by Don Swaim at Wired for Books