Serpico [Paperback]

Peter Maas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1974

The novelisation of a film set in the 1970s, which tells of how Patrolman Frank Serpico spent five lonely years, despite threats from his fellow officers, fighting a fruitless battle against police corruption, until finally, in despair and frustration, he decided to take the final step. Reissued for the BLOOMSBURY FILM CLASSICS series.

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

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Excellent.” (Newsweek )

“[A] raw and moving portrait.” (Chicago Sun-Times )

“Maas’s reportage is detailed and of high narrative quality ...[Full of] tension and drama.” (Rolling Stone )

“An absorbing story of what one angry, honest man can do … told by a master of factual reporting.” (Detroit News ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Peter Maas's is the author of the number one New York Times bestseller Underboss. His other notable bestsellers include The Valachi Papers, Serpico, Manhunt, and In a Child's Name. He lives in New York City. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 313 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books (Mm) (October 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553202189
• ISBN-13: 978-0553202182
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,861,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Man, But a Very Biased Story, December 25, 1999

By 

Daniel Harris - See all my reviews

This review is from: Serpico (Mass Market Paperback)

I'd like to begin by saying that Serpico is a very great man. Without question he is one of my heroes. I respect his complete integrity. I think this book should be required reading. It shows the importance of integrity. However, I have one major criticism of the book. When Peter Maas wrote it, he had his own agenda. He wrote the book after he wrote The Valachi Papers. Valachi placed Italian-Americans in a negative light. So Maas wanted to focus on an extremely positive American of Italian descent. The only problem is that he did so at the cost of giving fair credit to other people who were involved. In the book and film, Serpico's former friend, David Durk, is reduced to a very secondary role. In fact, the book suggests that Durk's reasons for fighting corruption alongside Serpico are politically motivated. I've read other books about Serpico and Durk. Serpico was certainly incorruptible and a paragon of virtue. However, he would not have gone to the Knapp Commission if Durk had not persuaded him to do so. The two fought corruption together. A proper book would have been entitled SERPICO AND DURK. Maas story is quite exciting. Serpico was very much a street cop. Durk, on the other hand, although equally incorruptible, was a desk cop. They are both men of the highest caliber, and both deserve equal praise. Although I'm disappointed about the treatment of Durk, I still think Serpico is must reading. (P.S. Amazon, you should refer readers to Durk's biography, which is entitled CRUSADER. It's certainly not nearly as exciting as SERPICO, but Serpico does play a large part in the book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It puts you in the heart pounding chest of Frank Serpico, December 30, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Serpico (Mass Market Paperback)

So you want to be a New York City cop? Read this book and make your decision. Even if your aspirations are not towards law enforcement in the big city, read it anyway. This true story takes the reader from the idealistic beginings to the hopeless conclusion of Frank Serpico's police career that spanned eleven years. From the fitting of his first police uniform, heart pounding rides in Brooklyn radio cars, plainclothes assignments, repeatedly explaining to fellow cops that he is not on the take, feeling his frustration and sometimes elation at every small battle he encounters and one brick wall after another in the way of trying to make things right in a city that sometimes doesn't know it's left, from it's right. Anyone who has taken on a unpopular cause will relate to the desparity and loneliness that was felt by Frank Serpico during a great deal of his career. This book was well researched and well written and is still fresh twenty five years after it was first published. It is very detailed and a true depictation of the everyday life of a cop in New York City.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book that made Pacino Great!!!, March 27, 2001

By 

J. GENIO (Earth) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Serpico (Mass Market Paperback)

Peter Maas artistically tells a story of a man who always wanted to be a "good cop." Unfortunately, the dream is shattered when Frank Serpico confronts wide-spread corruption in the NYC Police Department. The famous Knapp Commission is a result of Serpico's complaints about corruption on the force.

Unfortunately, Peter Maas's story could be told about many large urban police departments. Make no mistake about it, corruption, bigotry, and racism are all a part of law enforcement. It was the case back in the 60's - 70's, and it is still the case today. Consequently, Peter Maas's story about "one good cop" fighting a sea of corruption is still relevant today.

The story drags at times. But, otherwise, it is quick reading. It is definitely a story that needs to be read. Hence, I recommend this book. Police corruption is still a current topic. But, more importantly, Serpico's story is one of hope. At least there is "one good cop" out there trying to make a difference. And, knowing this, has made a difference in the way I view law enforcement professionals. That is, they are not all bad.