The Night Police

In this gritty, true-crime-inspired collection of thematically linked short stories, you'll meet the dangerous men that are The Night Police, and listen as real-life urban policing is exposed from the inside. Written by two who have been there, The Night Police and its rogue trooper Max Golden take dark journeys from which no one emerges unscathed.

Rebel trooper Max Golden isn't content to spend his career as a humble, rule-following civil servant. Refusing to seek out danger isn't his style. And in the squalid, crime-ridden streets of Bristol City, he finds danger in spades. Undercover drug deals, murder and more keep him and the other members of The Night Police bonded tightly together in their self-made fraternity. Escape, when it's needed, is found in the dark and nondescript Solly's Tavern, where on a damp, cold evening in 1991, this down-at-the-heels saloon hosts four of The Night Police for a cathartic night of drinking. The plan is to let loose and forget for a few hours, but the swapping of ever more graphic tales leads to the unfolding of a stunning revelation.

In true ripped-from-the-headlines fashion, the stories related in The Night Police may seem improbable, but are all based on true events. The Night Police provides truth and insight into the demons behind the badge.

Author Bios:

Chris Berg

In 1977 Chris became the third generation of his family to sign on as a lawman. Serving as a patrol officer, evidence technician (long before CSI was a thing), and vice/intelligence detective it was his posting as an undercover narcotics agent that fit him best. He relished the life of hand to hand undercover drug “buys”, clandestine lab investigations and the requisite counterfeit persona. Chris still revels in the adventures and friendships that come with being part of the police fraternity.

After retiring due to injury, Chris had a successful second career in corporate America and… it bored him to death. The high point of that life was traveling the world; Malaysia, Dubai, Beijing, Moscow, Rio, Hong Kong and much more. Still, that world was never a fit, not for an ex-Night Policeman.

Chris and his wife Janet now call northern California and Boston home. Their daughter Kelsey, currently in grad school, is likely the fourth generation of law enforcement in the family. Chris keeps up with his passions: baseball, fishing, and all things cooking and BBQ, not necessarily in that order.

Paul James Smith

Paul served community and country in a variety of pursuits from age 19 to age 59. After completely flunking out at San Diego State, a Marine Corps recruiter handily outsmarted him, and he fell for the old “aviation guarantee”. This launched a long and checkered career of service as enlisted marine, a local lawman, Federal Agent, and reserve Coast Guard officer where his assignments included command of two expeditionary units, Commander, Maritime Security Force, Guantanamo Bay, and four wartime deployments to the Persian Gulf. 

Paul’s 31 years of cop experiences ran the gamut-Patrolman, Field Training Officer, SWAT, Detective, Federal Agent, Sniper and Sniper Instructor, and National Tactical Team Leader. The cases were varied too; seizing meth labs, busting outlaw motorcycle gangsters, and special operations at Ruby Ridge and Waco.

After retiring from active service, Paul and his wife Kay ran a gun shop in Alaska for a few years. He built custom rifles, and they collectively lost their minds to boredom. They now live at the edge of Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, he writes, she gardens, together they go Dungeness crabbing from their kayak. They are enjoying life to the fullest.