What a wonderful life as a Chinatown cop. I loved the point of view from an immigrant who knows this neighborhood that is fast disappearing in New York’s Chinatown. Loved his knowledge of the inner world of the Chinatown gangs. Colorful and exciting. Part of his story I was charmed by, such as his grandmother’s stories of surviving China’s civil war. I enjoyed this, but can see that it might be boring for readers expecting to read an NYPD cop memoir.

Disturbing and Incredible Story of a Gangster-Cop
Mike Moy, Bad to Blue: The True Story of a Chinatown Gangster Turned NYPD Detective (Ashland: Blackstone Publishing, July 1, 2025). Hardcover: $27.99. 350pp.
**
“A former Chinese gang member tells the story of how he went from ‘bad to blue’ by leaving the gang behind and becoming a New York City police detective. Nestled in the warm embrace of his immigrant grandmother, Mike Moy was raised hearing bloodcurdling tales of the brutal life she escaped in China. But growing up on the mean streets of Manhattan’s Chinatown, Mike also faced shocking violence coupled with destructive racism. In a tightknit community besieged with fear and alienation, teenage Mike took refuge in one of Chinatown’s notorious gangs, tattooing his membership in Fuk Ching on his body. The gangs’ fearsome reputations are warranted. Frequenting gambling dens and poolhalls, Mike and a boisterous band of gangmates run amok: selling and shooting guns, stealing, and running protection schemes. But the fast pace takes a terrible toll, with friends being killed or sent to prison. But vexing questions are raised for young Mike after he learns the extraordinary story of a cop who forgave the young shooter who made him a paraplegic. NYPD Officer Steven MacDonald’s morality and compassion arouse a longing deep within Mike to be one of the ‘good guys.’ In a world-changing turnaround expected by no one, Mike joins the NYPD. By donning that blue uniform, he gets the adrenaline-driven lifestyle he craves while staying on the right side of the law. But coming clean is not so easy. Patrolling the streets he once terrorized, he fears the exposure of his secret past. Anyone identifying him as a former gang member could lead to investigations, expulsion from the NYPD, media scandal, and legal charges for past crimes. Packed with violence, heartbreak, and love, Mike tells the triumphant story of one man’s transformation—even as bullets fly just above his head.”
I figured out this was non-fiction in the middle of this blurb. I could not figure out how a gang-member with visible gang-affiliation-confessing tattoos was hired in the same precinct where he is doing extortion now as a cop. By the end of the blurb, I knew this was supposed to be non-fiction, but I just don’t believe this story. Cops have public changing-rooms. Everybody would see his affiliation-confessing tattoos. There’s no way anybody working with him did not know he was a gang member. And wouldn’t he have been a plant in the police by the gang, sent there to gather intelligence to help fellow gang members escape arrest? The usual story-arch for such cases is that the gang-member would submit info on looming arrests, and the like to help his own gang, while busting rival gangs, and stealing money and drugs from busts to benefit fellow gang members. But this is seriously sold as a redemption story where a gangster who has killed innocent people before joins cops who have also killed innocent people before because he has noticed that too many of his gang friends are being arrested and killed without help by being inside the police? He must have been discovered to now be publicizing his past crimes in print.
The “Introduction: Good Cop/Bad Cop” stresses that the author was indeed guilty of at least one past “homicide” because when he is told about a case, he worries a “cold case” will reveal his “dark secret”. He must have killed a few people for there to be enough potential cold cases to implicate him. And the latest case this dude seems to be confessing to be guilty of is the murder of his “former business partner, Keith”. But then he claims to be surprised by this news. Since this Keith died after this cop joined the force, this would not be a “cold” case. He goes on to deny being responsible. This is a shocking way to start a book: it certainly grabs attention. But if the reader does not believe in the narrator’s innocence; this is a horrifying confession of extreme brutality that is being puffed as a heroic tale…
He then explains that his “police uniform” covered his “dragon tattoo” (3). And how would he keep it secret from his gang that he joined the police, if he is patrolling his home-turn in a uniform? And he later adds that he has more than one “dragon tattoo” (76). Again, there’s no chance such tattoos would not have been noticed during training or during the screening process. And he explains that “no Chinese person would have a tattoo unless they were a gang member.” So, cops who spotted his tattoos would not even have to decipher if they were official gang markings; their mere presence proved he was gang-affiliated. He stresses that he deliberately exposes his “tattoo on my upper arm” when he is “strolling down East Broadway”, and just before a fellow Chinese police officer confronts him despite knowing he was “a cop”. This guy lets him go after the author confronts him with his status as a cop. This is exactly how a criminal would get away with crime, as he is caught doing shady things (201).
Meanwhile, the 3rd note in this book appears on page 200. There are only 3 notes that offer a bit of evidence regarding the claims made throughout. The rest can be pure fiction. There are 7 notes all together, as the note on page 321 is numbered 7. He explains that he is confessing because after 26 years as an NYPD officer, he “retired in July 2021”, and is now apparently trying to make a bit of extra money from (non)-fiction.
I cannot read further into this book because I do not believe most of what is being stated. And what is stated is disturbing me. If you have read this far, and would like to learn more about how gang-members can become police officers, and the like; then, you would benefit from reading further. Just, please, do not suspend your disbelief simply because the author seems trustworthy because he used to be a cop.
Pennsylvania Literary Journal: Spring 2025 issue: https://anaphoraliterary.com/journals/plj/plj-excerpts/book-reviews-spring-2025

Michael Moy's memoir, telling his story from being in an Asian gang to being a member of the NYPD, was an interesting read. I was very interested to hear his story and much of the story was told very well. That said, there were times that the book jumped from topic to topic, within the same chapter, with no transitions. Also, like with many memoirs, there are obviously a lot of important people to mention. Unfortunately, it was hard to keep track of everyone and there were times that I had to flip back to refresh my memory.
Overall, the book is well written. I never want to judge a memoir harshly; I don't feel it's my place to tell someone how to tell their story. I simply felt, at times, that the book dragged and at times, that the book was busy.
This book is a Reader's Choice. If you're interested in the history of Asian gangs and stories of someone turning their life around, it's worth a read. If you don't have an interest in police-work or gang life, you can probably give this one a pass.

Note: I received an ARC of this book, at no cost to myself, from NetGalley. This review was left voluntarily.