Also, local cop Andre "The Giant," who was a father figure to Tyrone, beats Strike and threatens to kill him for ruining Tyrone's life unless he leaves Dempsy permanently. The novel ends with Rocco driving Strike into NYC, where, while at the Greyhound station, a drug mule tries to get Strike to buy him a bus ticket. After Strike is almost arrested by the police, he buys a See America pass and leaves the city. Writing style David Denby of New York magazine said that the novel was "filled with operational detail" related to the drug trade. It discusses mechanisms such as division of crack cocaine into "bottles" and cutting of drugs. Critical reception The New York Times wrote that the book "manages to come across as both clear-eyed and bighearted, able to illuminate and celebrate, in the midst of the most unpromising circumstances imaginable, a cop's heroism and a small-time drug dealer's stubborn resilience, without overly sentimentalizing either." Kirkus Reviews called Clockers "a vital and bold novel rich in unexpected pleasure, with Price generally avoiding melodrama, sentimentality, and stereotype to portray a harsh world with cleareyed compassion." In other media In 1995, director Spike Lee adapted the story for the film Clockers. David Denby of New York magazine said that the film adaptation was "more emotional" and "less factual" relative to the original novel. Lee co-wrote the screenplay with Price. The book served as an inspiration for the hit drama The Wire, where Price served as a writer, working closely with the show's creator, David Simon. References Denby, David. "Hard Time." ("Movies" section) New York (magazine). September 18, 1995. New York Media, LLC. Vol. 28, No. 37. ISSN 0028-7369. p. 72-73. Notes 1992 American novels American crime novels Novels by Richard Price (writer) American novels adapted into films Houghton Mifflin books Novels set in New Jersey Books about cocaine