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The Valachi Papers (Paperback)

by Peter Maas (Author) "At approximately 7:30 A.M. on June 22, 1962, at the U.S. Peniten in Atlanta, Georgia, prisoner number 82811, a convicted traf in heroin named Joseph..." (more)
Key Phrases: junk agents, organized underworld, narcotics conviction, Cosa Nostra, New York, Tony Bender (more...)
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Product Description
The First Inside Account of the Mafia

In the 1960s a disgruntled soldier in New York's Genovese Crime Family decided to spill his guts. His name was Joseph Valachi. Daring to break the Mob's code of silence for the first time, Valachi detailed the organization of organized crimefrom the capos, or bosses, of every Family, to the hit men who "clipped" rivals and turncoats. With a phenomenal memory for names, dates, addresses, phone numbers -- and where the bodies were buried -- Joe Valachi provided the chilling facts that led to the arrest and conviction of America's major crime figures.

The rest is history.

Never again would the Mob be protected by secrecy. For the Mafia, Valachi's name would become synonymous with betrayal. But his stunning exposÉ. broke the back of America's Cosa Nostra and stands I today as the classic about America's Mob, a fascinat ing tale of power and terror, big money, crime ... and murder.



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.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (March 18, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 006050742X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060507428
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #362,096 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
"At approximately 7:30 A.M. on June 22, 1962, at the U.S. Peniten in Atlanta, Georgia, prisoner number 82811, a convicted traf in heroin named Joseph Michael Valachi, seized a two-foot length of iron pipe lying on the ground near some construction work and," Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
junk agents, organized underworld, narcotics conviction, dress factory, policy game
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Cosa Nostra, New York, Tony Bender, The Gap, Vito Genovese, Charley Lucky, Bobby Doyle, Bureau of Narcotics, Knight's Duchess, Sing Sing, New Jersey, Frank Costello, Ciro Terranova, Albert Anastasia, East Harlem, High Caste, Joe the Boss, United States, Dutch Schultz, Narcotics Bureau, Frank Livorsi, Johnny Roberts, Willie Moretti, Carlo Gambino, Tom Gagliano
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20 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars First Inside Look at the Mafia, September 26, 2003
Many have denigrated Joe Valachi's testimony as being only the limited view of a street-level Mafia soldier, largely hearsay and often possibly erroneous. There is a certain amount of truth in these judgements. It is also true that, unlike earlier stool pigeon Abe Reles twenty years earlier, Valachi's testimony didn't directly send anyone to prison and some of what he told was old news anyway. On the other hand, Valachi was a "made member" of what he called Cosa Nostra for over thirty years and his criminal career dated to the 1920's. He may not have always been a major participant but he was there and saw the formation of the modern Mob as we know it. The Castellammarese War, Lucky Luciano, Dutch Schultz and Tom Dewey, Murder Inc., the Costello years, the intrigues of Vito Genovese, Valachi was on hand and his is the first detailed inside account of the formative years of the American Mafia. Compare The Valachi Papers to the nonsense written about the Mafia in the '50's. His expertise may have been limited to New York but before he turned no one outside the organization really knew anything about the Mafia, its bosses or its family structure. No one outside the organization had any idea that five crime "families" existed in New York or that the organization was divided into "families" until Valachi came along. Or that there was a national commission. Say what you will, Valachi exposed the Mob and put it in the spotlight for all to see. It's been there ever since and we have Joe to thank for this. And Peter Maas for turning his memoirs into a wonderful book.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for all organized crime readers, September 13, 2006
By Brian Hawkinson (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
If you are at all interested in reading about the mafia this is certainly the place to begin. Valachi was there from the beginning, he was in fact a made man in order to swell the ranks in preparation for the war that essentially created the cosa nostra as we know it. Once in he adopted the Cosa Nostra as his true family and lived the life of those violent brethren.

This is in fact, essentially, a history and a biography all in one, so it is a bit hard to inject emotion into it as the previous reader complained about. Read it as a history, not as a book of fiction, and you will go into it with the right mindframe. That being said I thoroughly enjoyed reading this as I didn't have much of a background knowledge of the mafia other than names. Without knowing it much of what I knew from watching fictionalized movies all stemmed from this book and what was revealed.

At times you wonder if Valachi was just some crazy man that made everything up and was an avid reader of crimes (a la the Benet confessor, John Mark Karr), but the detail is way too in depth. All one can do is believe it as true, which makes this book all the more interesting. I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone curious about the Cosa Nostra as this is certainly the place to begin.

5 stars.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Opening up the mafia to regular people, September 22, 2003
There are books that without them you would never have a basis for any other to follow. The Valachi Papers is the book that set the Mafia on its heels and allowed the world to see and finally get a look into the "real" underworld.

By far one the best reads I have had this year and certainly a must read for anyone weho thinks they know what the mafia is all about. This is the book that started it all and gave me my start into a whole world.

What this book does is tear down the walls of mystery and open your mind to new ideas about the mob. The book shows how it happened and what took place. Due to some of testimony being somewhat graphic younger reader may want to take caution before they begin the book.

The book is far better than the movie and knowing that this was told by someone on the inside makes it all that more exciting to read. Overall if you want to know where it all began, than look no further that this book.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars True Gangster, fascinating story.
A believable and entertaining account of the Mafia/Mob. If you are into this type story line, you will really like the book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by DB

4.0 out of 5 stars Small time Joe tells a big time story.
Valachi was a small time street mobster but his story was big. He opened everyones eyes to the family structure of the New York underworld. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mark Easter

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading, Mafia Buff!!
This is the second time I read this title. And, like the first time, it was great! Valachi gives the Mafia buff a gem of an expose with this title's author, Peter Maas. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Frank Beckendorf

5.0 out of 5 stars BADABING...BADABOOM...
This book provides a wonderful birds-eye view into the early Cosa Nostra. Well- written and well-researched by the author, he skillfully organizes the thoughts of Joe Valachi, a... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Lawyeraau

5.0 out of 5 stars History at its best
The Valachi Papers is a masterfully, in-depth look at the more seedy side of American history. Whether we are willing to admit it or not, the Cosa Nostra was a powerful force in... Read more
Published 15 months ago by R.L. Jenkins

5.0 out of 5 stars THE CURTAIN RISES
I could not stop reading this one!!! Joe Valachi was the first Gravano, in other words the first to flip and start talking. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Jason Jackson

5.0 out of 5 stars Organized Crime by a Harlem Hoodlum
Joe Valachi, aka "Joe Cago" was a racketeer from East Harlem where trouble would breed daily on the streets of 1st Ave. Read more
Published on February 26, 2007 by Jim Martin

5.0 out of 5 stars Shopping experience report
Although I have not yet read the book I was completely satisfied with the Amazon experience with respect to the purchase. Read more
Published on January 9, 2007 by William Hamlin

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring, unnecessary
This book may have broken ground when it was written in the mid-60's, but now it reads like a who's who of the old mob. Read more
Published on August 17, 2006 by Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
This is a good book for anyone interested in the mob or mafia. It's not alot of flair and doesn't feel trumpt up,it's just the story of one gangsters life.
Published on March 24, 2006 by Teddy Freeman

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