Mafia Cop (Mass Market Paperback)

by Eppolito (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Eppolito grew up with the mob. His father, a brother and cousins were made men. He learned Mafia values of honor and respect. Yet after his father's death Eppolito joined the New York City police. He and Drury (coauthor of Fatso ) here record the explosive process of Eppolito's "betrayal" by the NYPD. Eppolito, who retired from the force in 1989, never stopped being a street kid, as fast with his mouth as with his fists. The 11th most decorated cop in the city's history, he is seen as a hot-headed policeman beating up junkies and other "perps," a cop who nevertheless was a hero to the many he helped. Still, the Internal Affairs Division charged him with giving a Mafia "pal" confidential police reports. Eppolito was exonerated but here concludes that the Mafia knows more than the NYPD about honor and respect. His father used to instruct him, "Never make . . . una brutta figura , a bad showing." As this account suggests, it's a lesson Eppolito learned well. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Eppolito grew up in a mob family in Brooklyn, where his father taught him to be tough, to show respect, and to hate cops. When Lou matured, his natural love of adventure and his distaste for the Mafia led him to join the New York Police Department. He soon became a legend, often decorated, and known for his free-wheeling approach to law enforcement. He maintained distant relations with his extended family, shying away from close ties that could taint his reputation. Yet he finally found himself facing suspension and possible arrest on (trumped-up, he claimed) charges that tied him to the mob. This as-told-to story relates Eppolito's childhood, early years in the department, efforts to clear his name, and post-cop life, including his fledgling career as an actor. This book bristles with street language and conveys a colorful and convincing personality. Eppolito can sound self-serving at times (he paints himself as something of a Robin Hood), but on the whole this is a successful and unique blend of cop and organized crime literature. For general collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/92.
- Ben Harrison, East Orange P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (February 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671742221
• ISBN-13: 978-0671742225
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,829,381 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hey Robert C. Preston, March 11, 2005

By	Bert "Bert" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob (Hardcover)

You friend ended up being a hitman for the mob all along. Which means the book is complete bs and you've been duped.

Watdayasaybout dat?

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars "Honest" Cop arrested 3/10/05 for string of murders..., March 10, 2005

By	Time Will Tell... (The Great State of Washington DC!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob (Hardcover)

Lou Eppolito was arrested in Las Vegas, along with his NYPD partner, on March 10, 2005 for carrying out a series of mob murders in the 1980s and 1990s while he was a self-proclaimed "honest" cop.

It turns out he was part of the mob all along, which makes this book quite interesting in that Eppolito had the nerve to write an autobiography that was a complete LIE and sell it to the public anyway!

One can fault Eppolito for his life of crime, but one can never say that the man didn't have nerve!

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mafia 1st, cop 2nd? Or innocent 1st, proven guilty 2nd?, March 11, 2005

By	M. G Watson "Miles Watson" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob (Hardcover)

I see several people beat me to the punch in posting that Det. Lou Eppolito (Ret.) and Det. Stephen Caracella (Ret.) were arrested by the Feds yesterday on eight counts each of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and sundry countys of obstruction, drug distribution and money laundering (CNN).

Eppilito's book "Mafia Cop" made him semi-famous for awhile. He got hired as consultants to various mob movies and appears in "Goodfellas" in the scene where you also meet the notorious Jimmy Two Times ("I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers"), and in "State of Grace" he is murdered by Gary Oldman. He also did "Oprah" (yes, "Oprah") to promote the book.

At the time the book was released Eppilito was "Eleven" (the 11th most decorated cop in the history of the NYPD, with two Medals of Valor) but had retired under a cloud of suspicion for having ties with the mob. Though he was cleared by the interdepartmental Trials Commissioner, Hugh Mo (a legendary hanging judge who once stated "I have taken down hundreds of cops and feel little, if any, remorse") the FBI always believed he was dirty as did many inside the NYPD.

"Mafia Cop" is a very entertaining read about a man with huge muscles, big cojones, a bad temper, and a gigantic ego. No doubt he was a hero and had the bucketfull of medals to prove it, but he a;sp comes across as a braggart, a bully and a misogynist (and I don't mean that he chased a lot of women, I mean he was using battered women for sex, sleeping with other men's wives, etc. which he states in the book he isn't "proud of" now but also that it meant "nothing to him then") and flaunted his Mafia connections at every turn, which can get you in very hot water if you carry a badge. The truth is, Eppolito emerges from the book looking like a pretty dangerous dude, not one you'd want on your bad side, but also not one you'd want investigating a mob murder. It was not so much a case of conflicting loyalty as the fact that Eppolito clearly idolized mobsters and their lifestyle. In my own law enforcement career I met more than a few people who fell into that pattern, but in Eppolito's case it was literally a family tradition (some have disputed the high ranks he says his father and uncle held in the Gambino family, saying they were only minor players, but there is no dispute about their mob status).

Having said all this, I want to remind everybody that Eppolito and Caracappa are INNOCENT until (if!) the G. proves them guilty. Eppolito's ego and big mouth make him an easy target for schadenfreude (known today as "player hate") but there are also people walking around breathing today who would have been dead if he hadn't been there to put his butt on the line for them. Let the justice system have its say before you start gloating. Sometimes it even works.