True Crime Books

This was written long before the Sopranos series made its HBO debut, but it could have been a blueprint for their series. The book, like the series, is filled with the appropriate mixture of sex, violence, and the more humdrum aspects of the lives of mafia boss Castellano and his associates.

The writing is so-so, filled with opinions and dramatizations that wouldn't feel quite right in a more scholarly work. But the color keeps the book moving at a reasonable pace, and the recorded dialogue of the mob members is, by turns, horrifying and funny.

Other reviewers have suggested that a little too much sympathy is extended towards the portrayal of Castellano, who is, after all, a cold-blooded murderer and therefore deserving of our scorn.

I disagree, and I really thought that this was the book's greatest strength. The very men who have dedicated their lives to taking murderers like Castellano out of circulation have, through years of familiarity, developed an understanding of Castellano as a human being.

This familiarity lends a terrific layer of moral grayness to the book that is missing from more sensationalistic writings, which either harshly condemn the crooks or laud them for their nasty achievements.

Agents O'Brien and Kurins see Castellano as he is-- a murderer, someone who deserves to be punished, but also a human being who wraps his wrongdoing in justifications, some of which are actually valid points.

We all have the capacity to do wrong, and Castellano is someone who was born into unfortunate circumstances and then proceeded to make a raft of very bad decisions. If he was a truly great man, he would have risen above his roots. If he was weak-willed and incompetent, he would have never gotten to his position of prominence. Instead, he was somewhere in the middle, and this gives him a level of humanity to which we can all relate.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime stories-- this book is at the top of that genre, even as it fails to completely transcend it.

From the start the 2 FBI agents,both of whom authored this book,seem to be apologetic towards Castellano about having to bug this criminal's house.When I read this I knew there was going to be some really gushy stuff and was I right (for once).The book has alot of info on Castellano's personal life.No body's in suitcases,nothing like that but more on the level of Hannah Arendt's "Banality of Evil".
His life as the "top dog" of the Mafia pyramid,revolves around confusion over how to properly slice some loins of roast beef.As if this isn't crisis enough,then having to inflate himself while chasing a "golddigging" hispanic maid around his mansion,"Oh No Meester Paul".There is little in this book about Mafia goings on because Meester Paul is a few layers beyond where the bodies (and drug money) are flying.Castellano is enjoying his icing at the top with deep layers of deniability.If you're looking for a "Big Eddie sleeps with the fishes" you're in for a big dissappointment.More like a "Hey this damn#!&$# implant isn't working right".The FBI did a good job of making Castellano seem ridiculous,I can understand why they were so tongue in cheek apologetic.

This book covers the story of Paul Castellano, a weak boss of a very strong family. It shows a guy who shouldn't have been a boss, leading a group of killers who wanted to be boss. Also, it is a prime example of the cops abusing their eavesdropping privilages. I know the guy was a mob boss but they got all up in the man's business. I could have done without knowing so much about the live-in mistress. But this guy made a lot of bad moves toward the end of his reign.

This book purports to be the story behind the FBI's take down of big-time Gambino crime boss Paul Castellano. The authors, two ex-agents set themselves up as the heroes in this cops-and-robbers tale.

It's too bad that the story ends up being an almost complete fabrication, because there's some truly entertaining "tales" told in this book. Forced to resign from the FBI, O'Brien and Kurins probably made more money from this sham of a book then they did in their crime fighting careers.

Maybe they learned from the criminals they watched for so many years, eh?

I would've liked more behind the scenes mob information. The book focused too much from an FBI perspective. Also, I got a little tired of the agents giving the mob boss, Paul Castellano, so much respect and sympathy! At times it was like they felt sorry for the guy because they have to do their job and arrest him. Hello! The guy is a leader of the mob! These people lie, cheat, steal and kill for a living!!!

This IS A TRUE STORY!!! This is the story of ONE honest cop/detective that actually tried to clean up crime in the "Big Apple" and got a bullet in his head thanks to his fellow officers due to his bringing in the FBI to clean up the NYPD itself....full of corruption!!!!!

This man deserves to be awarded the MEDAL OF HONOR.......strong words, yet few people in the history of our country have sacrificed as much as him and very unfortnately, only lip service is given in support by the Congress of the United States.

Frank Serpico is a modern AMERICAN HERO of the HIGHEST ORDER!!!!!!!

By the way, Mr. Serpico has to live in a foreign country to protect himself from taking a finalizing "hit" from friends of the corrupt officers of the NYPD.....I'm not saying ALL the officers are corrupt but far too many are!

Co-workers, supervisors - and even the people he served - mobbed and bullied Frank Serpico so severely, he never
got over it. Even though mobbing has been around since the beginning of time, it is frightening
to know that - in America - mobbing is encouraged - even though it can be avoided (thus saving someone's life).

Bottom line: mobbing is a management pathology and a management failure. And worse, in all cases, it can be
partially 'cured' through prevention policies. Back in Serpico's day, corruption was the rule and the mob was
to be feared. Even though this may be partially true today, what employees need to fear the most is management
participation in bullying and mobbing. Worse still, human resources takes the bullying and mobbing to
a new level. In some cases, they become goons on behalf of an organization. But this should never happen.

To understand mobbing fully, a researcher should read this book and highlight scenes that correspond with
the points Dr. Heinz Leymann made about mobbing: i.e. attacks on social relations, isolation, etc...

Only then, when we fully understand the magnitude of mobbing, can we work on solutions. Solutions we discover
today will save someone's life tomorrow.

Peter Maas (who sadly died in 2001) was best known for his career as the historian of the Mafia, corruption, and whistleblowing. His first book, The Valachi Papers, was an instant best-seller and kicked off the craze for all things Mafia that swept the seventies after its publication.

Serpico tells the story of Frank Serpico, the whistleblower cop who was determined to clean up corruption in the police force that he loved so much. It is as much about the policeman code of silence in the face of wrongdoing in the department as it is about Serpico himself. The book was also an instant best-seller at the time of publication and was the seed for an award-winning film by Stanley Lumet and a television series.

As a book, Serpico is a fascinating look at the issue of police corruption during the 1970s. Frank Serpico is really a hero of his time, embodying much of the confusion and changing priorities of the era. The prose is quite readable, but suffers a bit from hyperbole and some poor editing which meant that sections were occasionally repeated as the story progresses.

Recommended for true crime fans who would rather read about corruption than serial killers. It should also appeal to readers interested in the attitude towards police in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Three and a half stars.

The truth is often unpleasant. This verity is the highlight of the society surrounding Frank Serpico.
It's remarkable how anyone could sustain the mental pressure that was brought upon this person. We're just reading about it. Serpico was living through this very real tension.
Maas does a good job of setting up Serpico as the oddball in the group from his unconventional dress sense to his unwillingness to comrpomise his integrity and partake of the pervadiong corruption.
His journalistic streak does creep in from time to time and the narrative can occasionaly drag while he is setting up some sequences. This would put it at 4 stars
The purpose of the protagonist is an example that is well brought out by the book and that's why I think most people interested in some civic or public office should read it as a source of inspiring personal integrity - this gets it 5 stars.

The late Peter Maas was a master of investigative reporting. Nowhere are his skills more evident than in this story about Frank Serpico, a police officer who tried to rid the New York City Police Department of the corruption that was rampant amongst its rank and file. Eventually, Serpico's efforts led to the establishment of the Knapp Commission, which would do a large scale investigation of police corruption and the policies and procedures within the Police Department itself that would allow such to flourish. Unfortunately, his efforts initially fell, for the most part, upon deaf ears. Nothing of any real import was really done until Serpico was grievously wounded in a gun battle with a drug dealer in 1971 that left all of New York, including Serpico, wondering as to what really happened?

Serpico was a Brooklyn boy who had always looked up to law enforcement and grew up wanting to preserve and protect. Little did he know, until he actually joined the police department, that preserve and protect seemed to pertain to the bribery, graft, and extortion in which many police officers, at the time, engaged. Serpico's initial shock gave way to disillusionment, and he refused to accept the money that other officers took as part of their due. His naiveté was soon replaced by disgust at finding out how rife was the corruption within the New York City Police Department. That soon turned to anger, however, as no one seemed interested in cleaning up the cesspool of corruption in which he worked. Although he tried, all he got was the runaround, until his near fatal shooting.

This is a riveting account of Serpico's travails, and time has not diminished the author's riveting account of how Serpico took the system on. The author paints an interesting portrait of a man who was truly one of New York's finest cops. Although somewhat of a maverick and a loner, Serpico was a dedicated police officer, who only desired that his fellow officers follow the very same laws that they were to enforce. Serpico defied the system, and the system nearly defeated him. This book is simply a page-turner, and one that those who like the true crime genre will really enjoy.

I stumbled across an inaccuracy within the first few pages. Though licensure is through the Coast Guard, you either sail through a maritime union or with a private company. You do not get discharged for going AWOL. You are either blackballed with your union or fired by the company you're sailing for. The above holds true, even if you're sailing on a government contract vessel.

After reading this, I closed the book and returned it to my local library. Got to say, I'm glad I didn't pay good money for this.

Not only is this a great true crime story, it's also extremely well written, not your typical dry rehashing of facts. I hope Burke writes more, I'll be waiting for his next!! I read this in one sitting.

Sounding like a non-fiction Mystic River, this is an excellent book about the darker side of the human psyche and one assistant DA's effort to protect society from it. Despite a previous reviewers' contention to the contrary, the author's case against a human predator is carefully laid out, citing corroborating testimony and evidence in a tightly constructed presentation. I found the writer's style refreshing and innovative. Facts from the author's experience and testimony are interspersed with minimalist best estimations of events and there's an interestingly variable boundary between a third and first person point of view. Its a real-life detective story that's difficult to put down.

This book is a chilling story and makes one think about who we let into our lives and why. My husband knew this guy and is mentioned in this book and still has a hard time believing the WHOLE thing, but does say that he did find some of The Quohogs comments over the years to be strange to say the least. Very well written and enjoyed reading what was found. Good Job.Looking forward to more information on this intriguing life of Lenny Paradiso.

I could not put this book down. A fluid read of Massachusetts crime history, this portal into the Law & Order/CSI type relationship between a motivated DA and "biker" trooper was gripping. Only the love of family member could blind a reader from seeing Paradiso for the monster that he was in life. The always playing radio anchored the chapters to the events and offered a moment of reflection for the reader. This is a must read.

This book was moving and genuine -- as a reader, I felt like part of the story, which is captivating and honest. This book was hard to put down --I truly felt for Harold and his family, and found myself cheering for them during times of joy, and agonizing with them during times of sorrow. I highly recommend this book to fans of every type of novel, as it expertly weaves suspense, romance, drama, and a few good laughs, as well!

David Hanks would make his mother, Hellen Griffin Hanks, so very, very proud of her only son. "The Disappearance" tells, in excellent detail, the horrid experience the Hanks family was involved in when their beloved mother disappeared, and eventually, years later, the solving of her disappearance by finding her killer and sending him to prison. Hopefully the proven killer will remain in prison for the remainder of his days.

I liked the book very much, reading about Harold from boy to young man to man. All the waggery and pain, plus the impact losing his mother has. The mother is the most important person in the family, and when she's not there annymore, you can say a family falls apart. I liked the timeline in it and the true facts. And for me, from The Netherlands I also get a good impression about life on the other side of the world in hot Georgia.

For full disclosure, David Hanks is my brother-in-law, and I read his book in two sittings. As a person intimately familiar with the environment described in David's book, I can say without reservation that he has captured the essence of the small Southern Georgia community in which we grew up. This fictional accounting of authentic life experiences juxtaposed with the macabre events of his mother's murder, makes for extraordinary reading. "Harold's" emotional journey through teenage years and young adulthood is methodically presented through the series of life events that unfold throughout this book. These events are skillfully paralleled with the eventual discovery and investigation of Harold's mother's body and the prosecution of her killer. This is a must read for all sorts of readers-- it's a thriller, a who-done-it, a tender story of a family's loss, and an expose of the system that eventually brought a murderer to justice.

The author has done an excellent job in this novel of relating, through fiction, the events covering his mother's disappearance and the subsequent discovery of her remains several years later, as well as covering the effects on his own life and feelings.

John "Red" Shea spends his life making sure he is a "man." To him, this means beating up anyone who doesn't conform to his macho teenage code learned on the mean streets of Southie. One would think Shea would have learned a few lessons about maturity after 12 years in federal prison. You don't get that impression after reading his memoir, which is one of several by members of Whitey Bulger's former gang. Shea takes pride in being the only one not to 'rat,' an act akin to him of the lowest human order. His tale will be glorified by Mark Wahlberg in an upcoming film, evidently. It will make a good movie. But as real life, it's just a waste. The book is a decent read, not as good as some of the others in this genre. It doesn't really take off until the middle when he finally reaches the stage where he becomes Whitey's "protege," as a drug dealer. The prison section is interesting, too. If you like tales of human depravity and bleakness, you'll eat this one up.

I saw this book and was interested because of the movie The Departed. I saw it in the theatre, and then got the DVD when it came out. Because I am from the area, I knew The Departed was about Whitey Bulger, more than some movie remake of Internal Affairs.

Up until now I had resisted the other books about Whitey and the Irish mob in Southie. This one just looked more interesting, and hit me at the right time.

I have read the other reviews for the hardcover, especially those who are from Southie. It seems people either love it or hate it, and him. I am more lukewarm about the book. I don't have any inside knowledge to tell if he was telling it straight, or making it up.

I thought the writing was ok, not great, but not awful. I imagine his writer was trying to keep the tone and structure true to how Shea speaks. It was a quick read, and a bit engaging, though not a real page turner to me.

I thought that there was a real lack of self-reflection from Shea for the most part. He was just as brash in his story as he was in life. He says this is what I did, this is the surface reason why, deal with it. Very rarely does he dig beneath that.

Other than the prison stories he is very vague about what he did, or what his activities were for Whitey. As he says he followed Whitey's advice about never letting someone else have anything to hold over you. But even without that you shouldn't expect anything specific from him in the book because: 1.) Anything that didn't come out in his trial, he could probably still be prosecuted for; 2.) He says he is not a rat, and so he won't tell anything about anyone else, that isn't already known; 3.) he doesn't want to get those who are guilty in trouble with the law, or make them feel a need to come after him.

What you do get is the sense that he never really grew up. He does want to prove continually how tough he is, and after all the others ratted out, that he is not a rat, but better than the others. He comes from that odd group of males who think that they still should act like teenage jerks, even when fully grown. By choosing to be a perpetual child he also throws away any chance for a real happy life, when he won't commit to Penelope. He gives up a wife, a family, and a home. He is probably too scared of that type of work, and risk. Rather he wants to follow the movie image of the tough-guy gangster, and take the easy way out. Its an empty image that he has opted for, rather than a real life. Its actually sad.

Yes what he did in terms of selling drugs, and being a criminal is bad. He doesn't really care, and he never says he is sorry. He feels bad for the accidental innocent people he hurt, but he never considers the families of his marks/victims/customers, as innocents whom he hurt all the time.

I think the book says just as much about him indirectly as it does with his input. It was a quick, interesting read. I wouldn't buy it in hardcover, but think paper is ok, and maybe borrowing from the Library is the best.

This book has helped me allot in regards to a project I am working on. When one recognizes the significance between Jack the Ripper and the media, and it's part in ascending him from serial killer to Victorian icon, it is impossible to ignore this book. I highly recommend it.

The book really is more about the context than the case itself, but Begg present solid research and writes very well. In terms of presenting the conditions of 1888 Whitechapel, it is probably the best book out there. For a history strictly of the JtR case, Sugden would be the way to go. However, Begg's new book, "Jack the Ripper: The Facts" (only available at amazon.co.uk now), which contains much of the research done in the past ten years, would be definitely worth getting from there. Still, this book is worth it for the Ripperologist.

I had to read this took for a Collage Class and have never enjoyed reading a "textbook" more.

Paul Begg is a very entertaining author and gave alot of details concerning the Jack the Ripper Murders.

At first he tells about the area of London called Whitechappel where it happened and then he talks about the Ripper Murders themselves.

Not only does he give much detail about the Ripper Murders he talks about the Police investigation about it, as well as goes into detail about some of the people that historians and investigaters have claimed were Jack the Ripper.

All in all a very comprehensive acount of the Jack the Ripper Murder case.

Roy appears to have a story to tell but it is very hard to find given the multitude of problems here. Apparently this book was written, edited, and published without the benefit of professionals. I can only hope that Roy doesn't truly have the literacy of a second grader as this book seems to indicate. I would lose a lot of respect for pilots if this is the case. I suspect a mental defective would have better luck publishing a book without having paragraphs end in mid-sentence and then begin a new paragraph like nothing happened and without the benefit of punctuation. All the while butchering the grammar and spelling of words and sentences like: "See Spot run". I suspect it isn't easy to find new ways to misspell words every sentence.

There's a great story to be told here, but it isn't. Rex Cauble, a wealthy, larger-than-life Texan is, according to this book, an innocent bystander while a group of his employees and their friends use his resources to smuggle huge amounts of dope. The author believes Cauble to be completely innocent, as we are told many, many times. The entire Cauble saga might have been the subject of great true-crime reporting, but this book reads like four or five drafts of the same magazine article stacked end on end in the hope of proving Cauble's innocence by shear force of repitition.

To begin, an admission. I don't own the book but did read parts of it while browsing selections at a brick and mortar bookstore.

Like many readers, I am of the opinion that this is a good story that got lost in bad writing. The story is real--I remember when it made major headlines here in Texas.

I wrote a similar book about my own experience in the dope-smuggling trade and got favorable reviews, aside from one, a one-star review from Genny Kirckpatrick. Out of curiousity I read the rest of Genny's reviews to get an idea of where she was coming from and discovered that Cowboy Mafia is the only book she (he) had reviewed. Then, by chance, I scrolled through the rest of the reviews on Cowboy Mafia.

Nearly all the five-star reviews of this book appear to have been written by the same author, Genny Kirckpatrick, aka Glen Baker, Dan Thompson, Brad Jeffery x 5, A customer x 3, Steve Young, and John Steadham x 6.

Notice the simlarities in writing style and the puctuation.

Even the editorial reviews by the LA Times and the Coleman Gazette display similar characteristics.

Just so you know.

If you have any aspirations about being a published writer, but are hesitant because you don't think you have enough talent, this is the book for you. In it's pages you will find sufficient courage to compile whatever type of manuscript you can muster, and shuttle it off to a publisher. Don't even worry about proof-reading it yourself.

This is apparently what "Roy Graham" did, and somehow it was published, and even received positive reviews from several national publications--no less than the Washington Post, LA Times, and People Magazine! I'm absolutely dumbfounded. I can't even get close friends to read my blog.

I found this under a pile of dust in the local library, and it looked interesting, so I took it with me. What could have been an entertaining tale in the hands of a gifted story-teller with intricate plot turns and twists, and well-ordered revelation on details becomes an incoherent mess, where events don't even seem to follow a chronological (or even a logical) path and conform more to the order in which the author recalls them via free association.

This book is the anti-Shakespeare. It is an example of how to do many, many things wrong when writing a book. It's for this reason that I admittedly enjoyed the book in some dark, demented way. I kept turning the page, holding out hope that the narrator would quit misspelling words, or inserting random, unnecessary carriage returns in the middle of a sentence, or at least to stop repeating details for the sixth time as if they were new. I don't want to ruin the ending for you, but my hope died unfulfilled as I turned the final page.

As for the climactic ending to the story itself, the author gives that away only a few chapters in.

Read it. You know you want to.

What a story - I've lived in Texas most of my life and very close to some of the ranches mentioned in this book. I was at a university in East Texas at the time of these events and remember the headlines, but never had the whole story. It is pretty amazing. The text may not be up to a true writers standards, but that's probably because it was written not by a writer but an actual participant in the story as it unfolded. I think this story would make an outstanding film. All the elements are there. By the way, you can read this thing in a couple of hours...it's hard to put down.