Giving Katie Bartovich a black eye is not a good way to start a romance. Love has a few obstacles to overcome before the two can build a mutual admiration society. Pauly's shy around pretty women. When Kostovic rounds a corner, he runs over the body before he can swerve around it. The body gets a second smooshing by the paddy wagon.
Cop gallows humor stretches like a wide smile throughout the story.
Kostovic, a former Marine, figures someone has been using the gangbangers, and the signs point to someone ex-military. The more the cop investigates, the more the signs point to ex-Marine. Early on, the reader has already learned the bad guy's identity and knows that he's a former Marine. The author lets the reader in on the cat and mouse game, and effectively switches viewpoints between the good cop and the bad guy, On Cabrini Green definitely has an esprit de corps flavor. The special bonds between cops and Marines are evident.