Edward Conlon

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Edward Michael Conlon (born 1965) is a New York police officer who wrote Blue Blood, a set of biographical notes about his eight years in the NYPD. Conlon wrote a Cop's Diary column for the New Yorker under the pen name Marcus Laffey. Conlon's book achieved recognition prior to its publication due to the one million dollar advance he received for it, which was unprecedented for a first-time book writer working in the field of law enforcement. Upon its publication, the book received a favorable review on the cover of the New York Times Book Review, and Conlon was featured as a guest on National Public Radio's "Fresh Air." The book debuted at number nine on the NYT bestseller list, appeared at seven the following week, then fell off the list.

Born in the Bronx, Conlon spent most of his childhood in nearby Yonkers. He attended Regis High School and graduated from Harvard before joining the police in 1995. Conlon's police experience was chiefly focused on patrolling buildings owned by the city and maintained as public housing developments, as well as arresting street-level drug dealers after observing their sales from a distance. In 2002, he was promoted to the rank of detective.

After college Conlon wrote a novel which remains unsubmitted and unpublished. His first published article for The New Yorker was To the Potter's Field, a bleak piece about Hart Island, New York. Critics cite his keen eye and narrative power as unique among police officers, but have also expressed that his police career, while excellently rendered in his book, made for a somewhat myopic view of the nation's largest municipal police force. His novel Blue Blood is being adapted into a television show.

Conlon is said to be presently working on a book of police fiction, and continues his service as a detective in the Bronx's 44th Precinct.