Day One

The electrifying prequel to VACATION by Matthew Costello, debuting this fall from St. Martin's Press.

76th Precinct, Union Street, Brooklyn - 8 a.m.

NYPD cop and family man Jack Murphy starts his first day of work at the 76th Precinct in Red Hook. Back at the academy, they had heard stories about these first few days, about being paired up with an old timer and getting "mentored." It was more like hazing.

The salary wasn't bad. You could still retire after twenty years. Benefits were good. And you always had the brotherhood of blue. It didn't sound bad to Jack.

But those days were over.

With the onset of a food shortage, society is crumbling. Grocery store shelves are emptier by the week, and the city has gone from bad to worse. People are getting desperate. And hungry.

Jack and his new partner, Schiller, take to the streets on a blistering hot summer day, cruising around for hours until they can grab lunch. But when they get a routine noise complaint call, they get more than they bargained for, and must do all they can to avoid becoming lunch themselves…