Customer Reviews

The Brass Wall: The Betrayal of Undercover Detective #4126

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On its surface, this book is simply one hell of a read. It's a gripping real-life thriller about Vincent Armanti, a star undercover detective who gets sold out by his own department. It's full of fascinating characters, death-defying plot twists and the writing is so vivid that it hooks you from the first page...the first sentence!... and won't let go.

But I worked in the NYPD's disciplinary system when this case was being (mis)handled by the bosses, so I know firsthand that it is much more. The Brass Wall is also an expose that reveals more about the secret dealings of the Department and City politics than anything I've ever read. Despite the thousands of heroic cops who risk their lives every day, the upper ranks of the NYPD are full of small-minded political yes-men whose main concerns are advancing their careers and covering up for their friends' screw-ups. It's the same "CYA" attitude you find in corporate America or any bureacracy, but with one big difference: when bad cops are left on the force, honest people are endangered.

That's what happened in this case. Police commanders closed ranks to cover up for a dirty cop who had leaked information to the mob. But as it was happening, those of us in the Department's Special Prosecutor's Office figured that even the bosses couldn't actually get away with this one. The dirty cop risked the life of all these honest officers, so surely the Police Commissioner and the union would demand that he be fired before he could endanger anyone else. The dirty cop's leaks also led to the apparent murder of a confidential informant, so certainly Mayor Giuliani and the United States Attorney would demand that he face criminal charges. Wouldn't they?

But the Good Ol' Boys of the NYPD protected the dirty cop because his father was a police department commander himself. In Internal Affairs, of all places! And it wasn't until I read this book that I learned what those of us in Police Headquarters had always suspected, that the reason for the cover-up was juicy and breathtakingly petty: the corrupt cop's father had dirt on one of the big chiefs.

It's unfortunate that this wasn't published until Giuliani and Police Commissioners William Bratton and Howard Safir had already left. They owe the police officers, and the city, an explanation. Still, it should be required reading for anyone interested in entering law enforcement, to warn young cops what they face out there. If you want to learn how the city really works -- and be inspired by the way a courageous undercover like Vincent Armanti stood up to all the politicos and cowards -- this book is stunning.

This is a well written, well documented and SPELLBINDING account of the life threatening betrayal of NYC undercover detective Vincent Armanti by a fellow police officer and his subsequent encounter with THE BRASS WALL thrown up by the NYPD hierarchy in order to protect a powerful commander and in an attempt to shield the department from unfavorable publicity and the ongoing political efforts to implement civilian oversight. Armanti, detective #4126, was a skilled operative who had successfully completed several undercover assignments due to his ability to adopt the personae of the targets of the operations in which he was involved - whether hit men , drug dealers, gunrunners or the Cosa Nostra. Thus, when he is recruited for an assignment involving the arson investigation of a Queens fire that had taken the life of Lieutenant Thomas Williams, a member of an elite rescue unit and a personal hero to many of his comrades, Armanti eventually finds the assignment irresistible despite his promise to his long time girlfriend Judy that he would not return to the streets after a recent brush with death and his transfer to the narcotics training unit.

He perfects the transition to Vinnie "Blue Eyes" Penisi, complete with the background of an ex-con and the attitude necessary to enter the closely knit world of the wiseguys of Throgs Neck, an insular neighborhood that unfortunately is not only the home of the small time mobsters suspected of the arson of a failed clothing store and the upstairs apartment from which Williams fell to his death, but also the neighborhood in which NYPD Inspector James Wyrnn lives and had raised his son, Detective John Wrynn.. Three months into the undercover investigation, an incident occurs which convinces Armanti that his cover has been blown and leads him to suspect a leak from within the department. He decides to continue despite being terrified that he may become the target of a mob hit and infuriated by the lack of cooperation (and in some instances outright obstruction) that he receives from officers high up the chain of command in Internal Affairs. Despite the lack of support (bordering on open hostility) towards the continuation of his investigation, in cooperation with a friends in the NYPD together with dedicated fire department investigators who still wanted to avenge their comrade's death, and the help of the FBI he manages to gradually develop a very strong web of circumstantial evidence against the suspected arsonist and the owners of the property that had been torched. More worrisomely, he also has assembled a trail of evidence that implicates Inspector Wyrnn of leaking information to his boyhood buddies about several investigations, and, even more seriously, that his father had used his powerful position and reciprocity due him from a favor of years ago to repeatedly interfere with the course of the investigation.

As indicated in the author's note, "this is a true story. It does not use composite characters, invented dialog, or other techniques of fictionalization." The only literary license was to change the names of the two undercover cops involved in order to protect their safety. Thus, in these pages you will find specific references to the roles in this drama of such well known individuals as Police Commissioners Kelly, Bratton, and Safir, Federal Judge Jack Weinstein and Mayors Dinkins and Guiliani. In fact, one of the really helpful literary touches given the complexity of the case is the extensive cast of characters at the beginning of the book which can be used for easy reference.

This is a cautionary tale that unfortunately illustrates exceedingly well the understandable but ultimately destructive tendency of all large organizations to close ranks and protect their own at any cost when faced with scandal or facts which may prove harmful to either the organization or one of its powerful members. Of course, when it the police who are involved, the power which the department wields often makes it almost impossible for the usual safeguards against such abuses of power to function. In this case, bureaucratic inertia and active contempt for the law are both at work. The book's author is a very talented writer who succeeds in making a gripping story come to life. He actually covered segments of the story after meeting Armanti while police bureau chief for the New York Times, and his intimate knowledge allows him to present a compelling story. (The footnotes at the back of the book provide context and list many of his sources. In addition, much of the dialog comes directly from taped conversations conducted by Armanti while undercover.)

I found this story riveting, and am thankful for the perseverance of true heroes such as Detective #4126. I am disappointed that the book did not get more widespread publicity when originally published, and hope that it gradually attains a wide readership. One final note: at the time of this review, there have been nine previous reviews written here, of which six have been five stars including one by a seemingly knowledgeable individual who claims to be able to vouch for the accuracy of the story based in his first hand knowledge. The remaining three reviews (one and two star) are all very brief and with anonymous authorship, and seem primarily intent on disparaging the credibility of the tale. Yet they offer no information to dispute any of the facts, and despite the depiction of several individuals in a very unflattering manner (incompetent, petty, and corrupt), to my knowledge no one has chosen to publicly dispute the charges or file suit against the publisher. (Given the voluminous evidence, including internal police documents and the trial transcripts of the defendants, it is not surprising that the only challenges are from a few anonymous individuals whose reputations have probably been damaged by this book.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !

Tucker Andersen

The is a book for those of us who love the city street. The writer tells a great story and his attention to detail puts you into each setting perfectly. If you like true stories involving organized crime, this is a super good.

As an mos I received great solace in reading the Brass Wall. Having personally known both Detectives, (OCCB training, & 102)I can say that the book is right on the money with accuracy about every event. It's ashame this book is not on the NY Times Best Sellers List. Previous PC's Brown, Safir, and R.Kelly should read and learn from their mistakes.

This is not the exaggerated, self serving reflections of some retired "big shot", such as a police chief or deputy chief. This is the tale of a cop at the bottom of the food chain. He didn't make a lot of money. He didn't get a lot of glory, because he operated undercover and kept his identity hidden from the public. He went into terribly dangerous corners of New York City because he was dedicated and he loved being a policeman. One of those big shots had been big too long. He had become arrogant and morally corrupt. He had reached such a point of
self importance that he no longer had any respect for the real cops out on the streets. He engaged in a terrible battle of wits, will, and nerve with the hero of this true story. The good cop does not exactly win in the end, but he comes pretty darn close and he sure as hell does not lose. The drama and tension of this real life police story is fantastic. The story's pace is fast. The characters are vividly portrayed. You either want to salute them or spit on them. This isn't just a good cop book. It is, simply, a very good book about people.

I bought this book and got a page or two into it when I start recognizing names! I grew up in the neighborhood in which this saga takes place, Throgg's Neck in the Bronx, NYC. Needless to say, I was paying attention from the third page onward.

The depictions of the characters is handled with some authenticity and the narration is not overly dramatic. The history of the area is given in bits and pieces so as to keep the telling of the story interesting.

It's maddening to think of the corruption that was rampant at the highest levels of the NYPD/IAB.

I'd recommend this book highly.

torpedo@garlic.com (email shown on header is incorrect)

I don't read cop books, mostly because I've never been particularly interested in the behind the scenes grit and grime of PD subcultures. Up until reading The Brass Wall, my experience with this genre was limited to late night re-runs of NYPD Blue, with story lines that, to me, lack a certain authenticity and characters who always seem unconvincing and cartoonish. I must confess that I probably wouldn't have found The Brass Wall if it were not for my boyfriend, who gave it to me as required reading. Suffice it to say, I'm grateful for his recommendation. I must also confess that, while this story is undoubtedly a page-turner, it took me a while to finish this book. And while the narrative is clearly riveting enough to inspire readers to finish this book in one sitting, I preferred to savor the story scene by scene at an admitted snail's pace ( which confused and irritated my beau, a rapacious reader who was eager to discuss the book in detail!). In any case, my slow and deliberate reading of this book leads me to dispel the myth that cop books don't usually appeal to the ladies. Au contraire: There is a certain machismo and pronounced bravado associated with Armanti's world and psyche that is particularly engaging for the female reader. But, on a deeper and perhaps even universal level, there is an honest --- and true !--- story about man's fierce and courageous battle for justice and survival. Moreover, the author has an astounding ability to weave such an intricate and animated web of character's that I marveled at the sheer magnitude of investigative work required to tell Armanti's story.I was doubly impressed that a guy with the name Kocieniewski could so accurately depict the often unspoken social subtitles of Italian-American culture. Maybe Mr. Kocieniewski has an Italian mother. Five stars. Read it, girls. You'll be waiting for the sequel.

This account of how hero cops defied their superiors and brought to justice mafia slumlord Jack Ferrante is a rivetting tale. My only criticism is that the author didn't look more closely at the murder, decapitation and dismemberment of tenant leader (and vehement anti-Semite) Bruce Bailey. Bailey had been on the take from Ferrante for years and then doublecrossed him. Bailey was also involved with the mafia's favorite Nazi, Lyndon LaRouche; had worked with political fixer Roy Cohn in an unsuccessful scheme to wrest control of the Democratic party judicial convention (which picks the city's judges) away from Democratic reformers; had boasted of his ties to the man who ran the rackets on Morningside Heights; once tried to take out a contract on a labor organizer who crossed him; and almost killed an elderly Holocaust survivor by tossing him down a flight of stairs. As of the early 1980s, Bailey controlled scores of slum properties throughout Upper Manhattan via the city's corrupt 7A program (he would arrange for frontmen under his thumb to be appointed as the 7A administrators by housing court judges) and was probably using dummy apartment rolls to launder drug money (the cash would come in as supposed rent payments, then would go back out sparkling clean as payments to phony building contractors). An assistant state attorney general who began looking into the administrators and contractors on Bailey's buildings in the early 1980s was yanked off the case and replaced by a weasel who buried the probe. By the time of his death in 1989, Bailey had developed close ties with the office of the Democratic Party's New York County chairman. The network of connivance, however, had developed several years earlier--in the days when Roy Cohn (who later was disbarred and died of AIDS) and Stanley Friedman (who later went to prison) were the main fixers in New York politics (this was before Queens political boss Donny Mannes swallowed a bullet in a parked car on a lonely street, setting in motion the unravelling of Cohn and Friedman's web). It was a wild and wooly time and the corrupt cops portrayed in this book were part of a larger pattern of corruption that had developed under Mayor Ed Koch, a personally honest man who chose to tolerate the dishonesty of others. It's too bad the author of The Brass Wall didn't examine this larger picture as well as the money laundering angle (which may have been the real reason for Bailey's slaying). It's also too bad he didn't deal with the issue of how Bailey -- a large man and former college athlete who kept in shape -- was yanked off the street and delivered to his executioners. Many people on Morningside Heights who knew Bailey believe he was too streetwise to voluntarily get into a car with dangerous people he was on the outs with. One theory is that cops on the take from the Lucchese crime family picked him up and delivered him to his death. In fact, Upper Manhattan cops were caught doing pretty much the same thing several years later--picking up victims and delivering them to drug dealers in other boroughs for subsequent execution.

This was well worth the shipping cost. Book was in very good cond. Just one small sticker on the front. Good Deal..

Frank

This was a fantastic book! I couldn't put it down. David Kocieniewski is a very skilled writer, who really made this story and all of the characters in it come alive. He really captures the feel of the New York streets and the players. His warm, ironic, and humorous style make the book a thriller to read. It's obvious how much he cares about this story and its' star character, and how much he put into this book to to get it just right. Most importantly, he really makes you care about the true hero of this story, "Vincent Armanti", Undercover Detective #4126, who risked his life every day to protect his fellow citizens and make this city a better and safer place. You'll find yourself shocked and amazed at the betrayal of this fine, heroic man by some of his "superiors" at the NYPD, and will find yourself pulling for him to stay safe, stay alive, and find justice. A great read for anyone who cares about the majority of the hard-working, honest cops out there who risks their lives for us every day, for anyone who cares about our safety and the safety of our children, who cares about New York, and who cares about justice. Also a must-read for those who love true-crime stories, police stories, or organized crime stories. You'll love this book!