‘Uncle Janice’: Book on female undercover narcotic agent not to be missed

Officer Janice Itwaru's day is not off to a good start. Smushed in a patrol car with four male officers, the radio is off so everyone can argue. 'Not about - are you kidding? -- the efficacy of the methadone clinic system, or rehabilitation vs. incarceration, or Clinton vs. Obama, but whether or not Puffy should be allowed to piss into a plastic bag.” He is. And just as he's about to throw the bag out the window it breaks all over Officer Itwaru.

A horrible set up for a day in the office, but it turns out being covered in urine is just right for an undercover narcotics agent (or uncle) looking to make a buy.

Meet Officer Janice Itwaru, our 24-year-old guide through the Queens Narcotics Division in Matt Burgess pleasurable new book, Uncle Janice (Doubleday, $25.95).

Janice needs to make four more buys in the next 27 days to be promoted to detective. In addition to this stress, a buy board has been installed in the precinct to put officers in competition with one another. This rivalry leads to rushed operations and a number of poor choices - one in particular that comes back to haunt Janice and her partner.

So while Burgess' novel is the story of Janice's final four buys, it's also the story of the sharp camaraderie of the precinct (known as the rumpus), where officers unmercifully razz one another and never miss an episode of the telenovela 'Rubi.” It's the story of Janice's struggle with the ghosts in her life, ones like her sister and father who have a hold on her, and others like her drinking that are threatening to take her down.

Like the best cop shows, Burgess' novel provides just enough back story to complicate Janice and not distract from the action. She makes plenty of mistakes, from turning on her partner to fleeing the scene of an accident. But these instances only serve to make her more realistic and, when coupled with Burgess' dialogue that comes as fast and hard as the 7 train to Flushing, Uncle Janice is a book - and an officer - not to be missed.