The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy [Paperback]

Robin Moore (Author), Sonny Grosso (Afterword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003 | ISBN-10: 1592280447 | ISBN-13: 978-1592280445

With a new introduction by the author.

The true, absorbing and sometimes frightening documentary of the world's most successful narcotics investigation, The French Connection is one of the most fascinating crime accounts of our time. When New York City detectives Eddie "Popeye" Egan and his partner Sonny Grosso routinely tail Pasquale "Patsy" Fuca, after observing some wild spending at the Copacabana, they quickly realize that they are on to something really big. Patsy is not only the nephew of a mob boss on the lam but also a key negotiator in an impending delivery of narcotics from abroad. His incongruous connections are with several distinguished Frenchmen, including Jean Jehan, the director of the world's largest heroin network, and Jacques Angelvin, a star of French television.
For many suspense-filled months, through opulent Manhattan nightclubs, dark tenements in Brooklyn and the Bronx, tree-lined streets of the genteel Upper East Side, and in Paris, Marseilles, and Palermo, the duel is on -- the prize 112 pounds of pure heroin, worth ninety million on the streets. Over three hundred investigators from local, state, federal, and international agencies are ultimately involved in the hours of weary surveillance, the skilled intuition, the luck -- both good and bad -- and the danger.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the author of The Green Berets, another engrossing book-this time a "documentary" of some true-life detective work that reads like superior suspense fiction. Detectives First Grade Edward Egan and Salvatore Grosso of New York City caught a late show at a nightclub (Egan's girl friend was hat-check girl there) and while at their table happened to spot some known hoods paying court to the host of a large party. The host was one Patsy Fuca, obviously a somebody. More out of instinct than anything else, the two detectives followed Fuca when he left. Thus began one of the most amazing narcotic investigations in police annals, an investigation which involved grueling months of shadowing underworld characters, piecing together clues, and finally closing in for the payoff: the seizure of the largest cache of heroin ever picked up in New York. Crime syndicate heads in Canada and France were found involved in the international affair. Moore's characterizations of the two detectives are excellent, and his minute-by-minute descriptions of their amazing work lift right off the page.
--Publishers Weekly, February 17, 1969

"One of the most interesting true crime books ever written, comparable only to The Boston Strangler. We learn everything from the most intimate details of the detectives' personal lives to the methods employed in wiretapping, stakeout, and the use of informers "Robin Moore's book is a superb piece of journalism."
--Los Angeles Times

Review

From the author of The Green Berets, another engrossing book-this time a "documentary" of some true-life detective work that reads like superior suspense fiction. Detectives First Grade Edward Egan and Salvatore Grosso of New York City caught a late show at a nightclub (Egan's girl friend was hat-check girl there) and while at their table happened to spot some known hoods paying court to the host of a large party. The host was one Patsy Fuca, obviously a somebody. More out of instinct than anything else, the two detectives followed Fuca when he left. Thus began one of the most amazing narcotic investigations in police annals, an investigation which involved grueling months of shadowing underworld characters, piecing together clues, and finally closing in for the payoff: the seizure of the largest cache of heroin ever picked up in New York. Crime syndicate heads in Canada and France were found involved in the international affair. Moore's characterizations of the two detectives are excellent, and his minute-by-minute descriptions of their amazing work lift right off the page.
--Publishers Weekly, February 17, 1969

"One of the most interesting true crime books ever written, comparable only to The Boston Strangler. We learn everything from the most intimate details of the detectives' personal lives to the methods employed in wiretapping, stakeout, and the use of informers "Robin Moore's book is a superb piece of journalism."
--Los Angeles Times

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592280447
• ISBN-13: 978-1592280445
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #862,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you liked the movie..., October 20, 2009

By 

Jon7190 (phoenix, az) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy (Paperback)

Though I am not in law enforcement, I am cetain that this must be a very accurate portayal of the work of a police detective (or DEA or FBI agent, etc). I found it to be fascinating and a page turner. I could see how some might find it boring through the middle half of the book because it involes many episodes of sitting and watching suspects and tailing the same suspects endlessly on foot or in cars. I think young CSI fans considering a career in LE should read this and see if the greuling work needed to catch serious criminals sounds appealing. I'm not sure I would be motivated enough to stand in place outside in 0 degree weather for hours waiting for a suspect to make a move. Not to mention the 120 hr weeks, 36 hr days and apparently unpaid overtime. I've seen the movie several times, which is why I got this when I happened upon it. Similar story, with some differences and the typical book/movie contrast of much more detail and better coloring of the characters. And it seems that big car/train chase in the movie didn't happen. Really good book!

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Elaborate + Dry + It reveals how hard it is to be police detectives, June 13, 2009

By 

Cestmoi - See all my reviews

This review is from: The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy (Paperback)

Eighty percent of the 260 pages of this book describe the daily surveillance police made on the drug importers. It includes watching what they were doing in their business locations, the restaurants and bars they visited, etc. Tailing their cars everyday is also part of the job. The book is full of details like how the detectives felt while sitting in their cars for hours, what they talked to each other, etc.

It reveals how hard it is to be police detectives. It's so hard that it destroyed the love life of one of them. Their gratuitous devotion and sacrifice moves me.

After finishing half of the book, it became dry and boring.

I give it 5 stars for details, painstakingly and vividly depicting the hard work and hard life of the detectives. I give it 3 stars for entertaining value. So, on average, it deserves 4 stars.

P.S.

This book makes me wonder if North American governments are losing the Drug war. The amount of drug confiscated these days is at least hundred of times larger than the one in this book. However, drug is still flooding our streets. Why? Below are some of the reasons I've found. If any readers found different ones, please list them in your comment so that they can be beneficial to all of us.

1. Money, money.

Making, and selling drug are ways to get rich quickly. As a result, more people are selling them than in the 70s when this book was first printed. You can see on the news these days, the drug trade is taking over border cities in Mexico. Thousands of people were killed each year! Moreover, it has spilled out on to U.S big cities. For example, in Phoenix, Arizona, more than one hundered of people were kidnapped a year. Most of them are drug related according to CNN.

2. Easier ways to make drugs.

These days a lot of people are making meth or growing marijuana in their homes. It's more difficult to detect them.

3. Drugs are more potent.

They say drugs are more potent now. For example, if a person tries Meth once, he'll get hooked. The potency also makes it's much harder to get rid of the addiction.

4. More addicts.

There are more people doing drugs now than in the 70s when this book was first printed. That makes a huge demand. That explains why the drug trade is flourishing. Why is it so?

The amazing thing is the majority of addicts are not rich. So, I can not say people have got it all and they try drugs because they're bored with their lives. Does that means Drug Education has failed? I don't know. I have no answer for this.

One simple logic is if nobody is buying drug then nobody is selling it. Yes, I believe the best solution is reducing the number of users to minimum. Other solutions just complement this. We can never make it so that nobody is buying it. There are always a few people doing drugs to get new excitement. The question is how can we effectively reduce the numbers of user?

5. Problems with Drug-Fighting Agencies.

A lot of books have proved bureaucracy, in-fighting, and lack of co-operation, as the reasons why these agencies are not efficient in the war against drug. Right now, I forget their titles. I'll update this information later.

6. Corruption in law-enforcement agency

Also corruption of some policemen is another reason. You can find this in The Brotherhoods, ISBN 1-4165-2338-3 and Serpico, ISBN 0060738189

1 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, April 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy (Paperback)

Well, I read this book at the age of 15, when it was first published in 1969. I loved it. Tho frankly I'd have to read it again to do any kind of real review.

So I'm going to copy an outside blurp.

"As a result of his second tour in Vietnam Robin Moore became concerned about the wide spread use among soldiers of narcotics, particularly opium and its derivative, heroin. He contacted friends in the New York Police Department and discovered what he would later call 'The French Connection Case', a French syndicate smuggling heroin into New York. In 1969 his nonfiction account of the case, The French Connection, was published and in 1973 the movie won 5 Academy Awards."

Hope that helps