Customer Reviews

Takedown: The Fall of the Last Mafia Empire

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Takedown: The Fall of the Last Mafia Empire is by far the best Mob-related book I've read in years. For once we have the perspective of a true good-guy insider, not a bunch of turncoat felons or distant relationss to Mafiosi who heard some stories second and third hand. Detective Cowan's undercover journey was very suspenseful, and this book is definitely a page-turner. Here's an Irish-American cop who did it all, became a believable Italian -American business executive and got up close, wearing wires for YEARS as he met with made guys and capos in the Gambino and Genovese families. Definitely recommended, even if you are not a "Mob buff."

An interesting, suspensful and funny book about how one NY detective, almost unwittingly, found him self the central figure in bringing down the "garbage cartel" in New York. Having been a business owner in Manhattan, who had to pay the unbelievable fees to carters, I hughly recommend this book to anyone looking to get insight into how the "Mob" infiltrated both big and small business.
Kudos to Cowan and Sal Benedetto for following through to the end. Let's hope the politicans have as much back bone as Cowan and Benedetto in insuring that their work was not in vain. A great read. Hope they don't screw up the movie.

A great book. A nice crisp and fast read that will have you turning the pages in anticipation of what comes next. Detective Rick Cowan infiltrated the New York garbage mafia as a problem fixer for an independent garbage hauler. Five years later his investigation resulted in indictments across the board, which have put an end to mafia involvement in the New York garbage industry and has saved New York customers and businesses millions upon millions of dollars.

The book is more than an entertaining read. It provides you a real life glimpse into how the mafia infiltrates and consolidates and industry. Cowan and Century provide background history in the novel that tell the origins of the garbage empire. I don't know of any other book that gives you such a detailed nuts and bolts picture of day to day mob operations - mafia bosses meeting on a daily bases and hatching out deals and shakedowns over Italian pasteries. It is all done by word of mouth and handshakes. As they give orders to their brutal underlings they literally get fat off of the hog.

I doubt that this is the "Fall of the Last Mafia" empire as the book cover says. I'd like to know what other businesses the mafia have "owned" in New York and how they have adjusted to Cowan's Takedown.

After finishing the book I wondered if it was worth it to Detective Cowan - spending five years of his life immersed in an undercover operation that risked his life and disrupted his family life. I think he hints at an answer with his discussion with his father at the end of the book, but there is still some ambiguity. Like a lot of things in life there is probably no yes or no answer.

Buy this book and read it. Like another reviewer said it gives a much better picture of how the mafia operates than the "exposes" written by Mafia goons and second to third generation accounts that pack the "true crime" sections of the book stores.

He went by alias of Danny Bridges.

He was just on Connie Chung / CNN speaking about his new book Takedown. "Danny" was instrumental in 'taking down' the last mafia empire...that of garbage collection rings that charged extremely high rates and forced Mom and Pop businesses to use their services. Watch out! If any other garbage collection tried to get the business they were 'made a deal' they 'couldn't refuse' (if you know what I mean...).

This book is full of great detail of the inner workings and is very suspenseful!

Rick Cowan alone worked his way into the mob to 'get the goods' (evidence) on the inner workings of the Mafia. He risks his life and the life's of his family and their families. He found collusion that resulted in the imprisonment of high level "Don's". The Mafia made billions through use of their 'leverage'.

I highly recommend this book and hope that one day Rick will not end up in a garbage dump like Jimmy Hoffa. Buy this book today and read it! I couldn't put it down. Great book, great read. Will win the book Academy Awards in December.

Over the course of the past few years, my love of reading books about the mafia went dormant. When I arrived upon a copy of "Takedown" in a used book store, my interest was revitalized. The story in "Takedown" is unbelievable not because it is untrue, but because it is unbelievable how many times Rick Cowan avoided certain death. Though it is unbelievable at times, it is a true story.

By chance, Rick Cowan was in the right palce at the right time. This young detective made the mafia believe he was a cousin in a garbage hauling family. Through this false pretense, he was able to infiltrate the Gambino Fanily to its highest level. Such a task was thought to be out of reach to the NYPD. The stories Cowan tells of his interactions with the mafia have a level of authenticity to them. You can almost hear the stereotypical accents being spoken as you read. I question whether some of the stories were exaggerated to make the book a more exciting read. Surely any man faced with some of these circumstances would crack or slip.

Cowan even discusses the strain three years uncover put on his family. This is an aspect of the investigation that receives little attention in similar books. I also enjoyed the epilogue in which Cowan discusses whether he felt remorse for "ratting out" the friends he made in three years.

Reading a book about the real life mafia is much more exciting than any movie or TV show available. While there certainly must be some fabrications present in the book, none were so glaring to take away from the story. I would recommend this book to any person with an interest organized crime.

What a great read. I just cannot put this book down. It truly amazes me what this Rick Cowan guy has done!

"Takedown" is the riveting account of one detective's quest to dismantle New York City's long dominant garbage cartel. Detective Cowan truly exemplifies what being a big city cop is all about. He is brazen, brash, street savvy, and unconventional. How else could he, an Irish-American with blue collar pedigree, be able to immerse himself in the inner sanctums of the Mob as Danny Benedetto? That is what you, the reader, will find out as he takes you on a thrill-a-minute ride through the New York underbelly, his life always in danger as he manages to stay one step ahead of a gang of thugs who make many of "The Sopranos" characters seem like choirboys. You will not be able to put this book down.

Excellent account of what went down in NYC. Definitely worth reading to see the inner workings of the mob on a day to day basis. Cowan is to be more than commended for his bravery and quick thinking. He was also extremely lucky, but good luck comes to those who deserve it.
How much of this extortion and racketeering is still going on in American cities? We probably need more Rick Cowans to help us find out.

I have read many books about the Mafia and about undercover work inside the Mafia, and this is the best of them all. There are four reasons it is so good. In Takedown, the undercover agent gains access to the very top of the Mafia empire. Second, the tape recordings Cowan made are such high quality that many of the important conversations are reproduced verbatim. Third, the undercover cop is almost constantly in extreme danger. Fourth, Cowan and Century gives fascinating insight into the inner workings of a Mafia controlled legal industry (recycling) with a depth and breadth that no one else has ever achieved.

In contrast, the book that was turned into the movie Donny Brasco was excellent, but not as good as this one.

I just finished reading Takedown: The Fall of the Last Mafia Empire, and I agree with all who talk about how great this book is. I eagerly read it in two days, and could not wait to finish it. The story is interesting, exciting, nailbiting at times, and as ironic as real life. It is well told, which is often hard to find in the recount of an actual event. Most importantly, having grown up in the New York City area, I too know what the real wiseguys look and act like - and this book gets them down accurately. Great thanks to those brave enough to end this monopoly, and thank you to Cowan and Century for telling us how it was done.