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The untouchables,

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I loved this book so much, I couldn't put it down and finished it in one afternoon. It's an exciting walk through the events and police actions during the Prohibition. The elect group of men, given the title and later widely known as the "Untouchables" wouldn't be bribed, bought, or stopped until Al Capone went down. Although many dangers surrounded them, they were persistent in their fight to see Chicago clean of illegal alcohol and Al Capone behind bars. I wish that everyone could read this book. This remarkable piece of history isn't appreciated nearly as much as it should be. Don't expect what you watched in the movie - it isn't cheesy at all. The movie, in a word, sucked. I expected the book to be just as hokey, and was definitely surprised to find it was way better! It's an awesome novel that is unfortunately hard to find now. The legend of Eliot Ness and his men and their incredible bravery is something that, I hope, will never be forgotten. Give this book a shot. I promise you will enjoy it much more than the movie.

CHICAGO, 1929: A multi-million-dollar ring of vice, gambling and liquor, ruled by a scar-faced Mafia overlord named AI Capone. Pay-offs, mass murder, and the "kiss of death" were the daily routine-despite 3,000 police and 300 Federal agents. Then a 26-year-old agent, Eliot Ness, began a private war against the most notorious criminal genius who ever lived. This is the thrilling true story of how he did it, with a small group of hand-picked men who proved themselves beyond bribery or bullets-the story that inspired a landmark television series and now a major motion picture. But no one tells it with the stark, brutal details, the authentic, spellbinding force of the man who won his awesome battle against the Mob-the legendary Eliot Ness.

Some have complained that this book is fiction. I am ashamed of the people who said that Eliot Ness was an old drunk who captured a few beer stills. They obviously didn't read the book. Eliot Ness told sportswriter Oscar Fraley that he didn't want any fiction but Fraley convinced Ness that fiction was needed. This describes the life of Eliot Ness in Chicago. One must look at this through an eye of skeptiscm. But this is truly excellent reading. Most of it is true but the estimates that Ness and Fraley made are somewhat exagerrated. But otherwise this is a story which will entice your senses and will make you so thankful you weren't a mobster in the 30's

This book is one of the few accounts we have of the '20s gangster era. The book recounts Eliot Ness's experiences as the leader of a team of nine men who were assigned the job of cutting off Al Capone's main sourse of income-illgeal booze. Ness and his team were part of a two pronged attact to get Capone. While agent Frank Wilson gathered evidence to convict Capone of tax evaison, Ness and his team raided stills and breweries that provided Capone with income to bribe police and newsmen. The book recounts the selection of the team and their early failures and successes. When Ness made a raid he often informed the media to show that some lawmen were honest and as a result he has been called a glory hound. The book tells of their many raids and some insight on the Chicago mob. The book has been accused of exaggerating but much in the book has be varified and Ness WAS celebrated as a hero in the New York Times when Capone was convicted. Ness died before this book was published and is not responsible for the Eliot Ness legend. When we needed lawmen to set the example Ness did the job he was called to do, and moved on.

"One thing was certain: someone had declared open season on Elliot Ness, and it was a damned uncomfortable feeling."-Elliot Ness

The sale or consumption of alcohol was not really the problem. The Sicilian mafia landed on American shores sometime around 1899. One of their most notorious progeny was "Scarface" Al Capone with whom Elliot Ness did battle from 1929-1931. Elliot Ness had nearly finished this true story before he died of a heart attack at age 54 in 1957. This book is not a biography of Ness's life, just an account of the two and one half years during which time he and his ten or so hand-picked federal men finally succeeded in stopping Capone in his murderous tracks. The story is mostly about raid after countless raid of breweries by Ness's "untouchables" in the Chicago area during Prohibition and the Depression years. While millions of Americans were starving, shoeless and jobless, Capone and Co. were living the high life and living it as if they were above the law itself. Or so they thought...

Ness chose his men carefully like Gideon in Judges 7; they had to be beyond reproach, content to live on a $2800/year salary and strong enough to resist the temptation of Capone's thugs constantly flaunting thousand dollar bills and diamond-studded fat, fleshy fingers under their noses. Money is powerful in its effects, yet more powerful were those like Ness and co. who, under the law were content to live by it, and who with the law put a lot of rotten, murderous apples behind federal bars. The chief problem with Capone was not just flat out lawlessness or the profligacy his rackets engendered, but corruption which had seeped into all areas of the judicial system, police force, federal agents, judges, lawyers, and other court officials; Capone had lots of money to throw around from the profits of his liquor selling illegal enterprise, and because he never somehow had to pay income taxes. That was the reason why Ness was so careful in selecting his men and also the main reason for their success in finally undoing Capone's vast network of criminals. Once, one of his men working undercover took money from one of Capone's gang, and admitted it to Ness. Ness told him to find the same man and give him back the exact dollar amount he had been given.

Elliot Ness was the coolest fed that ever lived (in my opinion). One had to be tough dealing with the mafia; they stopped at nothing to preserve their domineering hold in their cities. I think that just because Ness did not suffer physical harm from Capone and co. may lead some to think that Capone was not so bad, Ness's life was not so threatened. However, I think it just proves that he really had his wits about him and was sober to every aspect of the circumstances surrounding himself and his men; the threat and evidences of the mafia's revenge such as bullets in their enemies' heads and body parts mutilated is evidence enough to me that Elliot Ness and his "untouchables" were in a deadly battle dealing with the Mafia. Capone had hired Tony Napoli to kill him, read the book and you'll find out how Ness survived.

Exodus 23:8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.

How much closer can you get to the destruction of the Capone empire than through the eyes of the man that shut him down. Eliot Ness, and his team of 9 men taking down the king of Gangsters. That is the storyline of this book in one sentence. Told through the eyes of the man who lived it, this book adds an extra sense of realism to the mob era. Not many people can say that they remember that time in which gangs ruled the major towns of the US, and no other town was more famous than Chicago. I strongly recommend this book if you are interested in learning the truth about the mob era of prohibition Chicago.

I grew up with THE UNTOUCHABLES in my very early childhood -- the TV series starring Robert Stack. Later, when I discovered the book, I loved it too. I've read it several times find it enjoyable every time I open it.

This is the book that brought "The Untouchables" to the great number of people who had either forgotten about them;or were too young to have heard about them.
Eliot Ness was only 26 when he was given the go ahead to form a small group of dedicated,honest and fearless G-Men in 1929 to put an end to Al Capone and his huge powerful, illegal empire.In 1930 Capone was worth about $50 Million gained from Booze,Prostitution,Speakeasies,Drugs,Extortion and just about anything else iilegal in the Chicago area.This was at the height of the Depression ,when the most popular expression was ,"Brother can you spare a dime?" Eliot Ness and his assistants were paid the princely salary of $2800 per year.It wasn't until 1930 when Ness's group got named "The Untouchables" by the press.
This book covers the period in Ness's life from the time he was given charge of this group of gangbusters in 1929 until approximately 2 1/2 years later when Ness had the satisfaction of seeing Capone convicted and sent off to serve 11 years in the prison and Camone's empire was essentially smashed and in disarray.
The book was really written by a long time friend, a journalist,who worked with Ness in producing it.Ness was involved with the book for 2 years but did not see the finished product,dying suddenly from a heart attack,shortly after approving the final galleys,on May 16,1957 at the age of 53.Capone served his 11 years in Prison,was a broken man suffering from neurosyphilis at his Florida home in 1947 at the age of 48.It is an interesting fact of history that Al Capone was born in Brooklyn,NY in January1899,the same year that Ignazio Saietta,known as "Lupo,the Wolf",brought The Maffia,or Black Hand Society to America.
It was as as result of this book being published that the movies ,TV Series and other books popularized Ness and the Untouchables as well as
the Maffia or The Black Hand Society,Code of Omerta ,Capone and other underworld stories of Organized Crime in Chicago in the 20's and 30's.
What can well be described as one of the best Crime T V Series of all time, ran for a total of 124 Episodes in the early 60's.I remember when they were first aired,all in B&W naturally.They were all based on this book ,but a lot of liberty was taken with the stories;but entertainment was the real basis of the series. The photography,music,storylines,character development and everything about the series was so well done,that even such series as "The Naked City","Dragnet" and others that followed ,were never to exceed "The Untouchables" and the best performance of any actor portraying Eliot Ness,Robert Stack.Even the actors in the series were the best of the best.Episodes each had Special Guest Stars including the likes of Barbara Stanwick,Telly Savalas,Riccardo Montabaun,Ed Asner,Sheree North,Lee Marvin,Dorothy Malone,Rip Torn,Keenan Wynn,Joan Blondell,just to name a few.
While I read this book many years ago;I have just read it again,prompted by a wonderful surprise when I found that the "Book TV" Channel are now re-running the complete series of 124 Episodes,here in Canada.
This series was so well done that it can compete with anything produced today...nearly 50 years later.
I recently read that during the time that Ness ran "The Untouchables" that he fired his gone only once,and that was to bust the lock on an illegal brewery ...so what!
For great Crime reading or watching ,you won't find anything better than "the Untouchables",staring Robert Stack,and a host of excellent actors.

I have the tv series and had been looking for a copy of this book since I was in school and watching the tv show as a child.I found the book to be very interesting and after receiving it I had to make myself stop reading it so as to eat,sleep,and work.I read the intire book in three days,it was that interesting.I also have all of the Dragnet series and the Untouchable's series along with all the Adam-12 series that have been released that I know of.

"The Untouchables," will forever go down in history as the fabulous team of FBI field agents that would bring down gangsters in the prohabition Chicago. This book is an excellent read because it provides a detailed account of Elliot Ness and his team of Untouchables. I loved this book, I am a forensic psychology major so for me this was a link to the past and insight to the criminal minds of organized crime leading criminals and the men that brought them down!