Mafia Cop: The Two Families of Michael Palermo; Saints Only Live in Heaven

by Richard Cagan

Overview

Detective Michael Palermo built his career on his unique ability to inhabit two worlds at once: the world of law enforcement and the underworld of New York’s crime family organizations. Palermo participated in over two thousand arrests while maintaining close relationships with the kingpins of organized crime—ties that allowed him to stay one step ahead of the rest of the New York City Police Department. This true crime drama takes you inside the police force at its most corrupt and into the dark and dirty world of dons, consiglieres, underbosses, button men, soldiers, and cowboys.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620879559
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	01/28/2013
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	70,672
File size:	506 KB

About the Author

Richard Stanley Cagan is the author of two biographies, seven full-length novels, a collection of short stories, five plays, and one screenplay. He holds a BA degree from Fordham University and a doctorate and postdoctorate degree from Columbia University. He lives in Flagler County, Florida.

Editorial Reviews

“Punchy dialogue, visceral scenes of violence, and gruesome factoids.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A riveting page-turner. . . . Real and true.” —Joseph Calco, former enforcer for the Joseph Bonanno mafia family

“Masterful and compelling.” —Jerry E. Brewster, Sr., CEO, Criminal Justice International Associates

“Punchy dialogue, visceral scenes of violence, and gruesome factoids.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A riveting page-turner. . . . Real and true.” —Joseph Calco, former enforcer for the Joseph Bonanno mafia family

“Masterful and compelling.” —Jerry E. Brewster, Sr., CEO, Criminal Justice International Associates

From the Publisher

A riveting page-turner. . . .Real and true.

Joseph Calco

A unique voice. . . . I'll eagerly read more of Cagan's work.

Leslie Garcia

I loved what I saw in Mafia Cop. From the first chapter, I wanted more. I'll be passing this book along to my friends.

Jonathon Molenaar

The account of an Italian-American police officer whose friends included both law enforcement officials and "wise guys" in 1960s-era New York City. The NYPD was no stranger to corruption in the mid-20th century, but this book places a different spin on that infamous scenario. Growing up in Harlem, Michael Palermo befriended many neighborhood kids who went on to fill a who's-who list of prominent Mafiosi. Choosing the straight-and-narrow path for himself, he nonetheless retained relationships with his old pals even as he rose through the police ranks to become a narcotics detective. Cagan (The Chrysalis Connection, 2005) details this delicate balancing act by showing how Palermo navigated Mafia-run establishments as well as police hangouts, ultimately welcoming both elements to a christening party for his daughter (a thinly veiled Ray Charles, whom Palermo claims to have helped kick heroin, makes an appearance here to sing a few tunes). Punchy dialogue, visceral scenes of violence and gruesome factoids about the mob's propensity for burying victims in dumping grounds throughout the Tristate area initially keep the narrative moving. However, the book often reads more like a movie treatment than an examination of its subject, and the haphazard editing makes for some rocky patches, especially in the lengthy opening sections. The Synopsis, Preface, Introduction, Flash Forward and Introspectus (an overwrought account of the Rolling Stones' concert at Altamont, which has little to do with the rest of the story) ramble on for 36 pages before the first chapter even begins. Court transcripts further bog down the momentum, with verbatim trial jargon replacing action and sentiment often trumping the trickier ramifications of Palermo's decision to honor his "two families." Will interest Mafia aficionados, but too scattered and heavy-handed to find a wider audience.

Kirkus Reviews