A retired New York-cop-turned-private-eye reveals the shady side of security, surveillance, and investigations as he tells of his own wild, hilarious experiences with blackmail, child custody, kidnapping, the Mob, and more. Reprint.

Jimmy the Wags: Street Stories of a Private Eye

Biographies & Memoirs

Wagner, James

Picciarelli, Patrick

True Crime

BERKLEY

In a fascinating look behind the badge of the NYPD, a veteran former street cop describes the drama of working in New York's toughest precinct, from the 1960s to the 1980s, offering anecdotes about his fellow cops, colorful and violent miscreants, celebrity misdeeds, and more. Original.

My Life in the NYPD:: Jimmy the Wags

Professionals & Academics

NAL.

One moment, New Jersey state trooper Mike Russell was working undercover, playing the role of an up-and-coming mobster hoping to infiltrate a Mafia family crew. The next, he was lying facedown in an alley after being ambushed and shot in the back of the head by a mobster over a dispute.
Russell miraculously healed, and rather than press charges, he maintained his cover. Soon he had a stroke of good luck when he saved a man from an attack by two street thugs. The man he saved turned out to be Andy Gerardo, one of the ranking captains of the Genovese crime family. Quickly earning the trust of his new friend, Russell would orchestrate one of the biggest Mafia takedowns of all time.
Urged by his police handlers, Russell used his cover story---an ex-cop fired for excessive force who now made his living from an oil-delivery business---and street skills to assimilate into the Genovese crime family in New Jersey, ultimately leading to more than fifty arrests of mobsters, corrupt prison officials, and even a state senator. Straddling the thin line between collecting evidence and participating in the very crimes he was leaking to the cops, Russell consistently placed himself at risk―especially when his police handlers disregarded his wishes and his well-being, conducting premature raids on the gangsters. With his marriage suffering and his family in danger, Russell took extraordinary steps to ensure his financial security and safety, demanding better terms from the police and allowing a film crew to document the final moments of the epic bust for a documentary that was later sold to HBO.
A real-life version of The Sopranos, Undercover Cop immerses readers in the colorful yet harrowing trials of a standout cop who faced the mob on his own terms, crippled organized crime in New Jersey, and forever redefined undercover law enforcement.

Undercover Cop: How I Brought Down the Real-Life Sopranos

Russell, Mike

Thomas Dunne Books

As Seen On Discovery Channel's "Street Justice: The Bronx" 
2,000 arrests. 100 off-duty arrests. 6,000 assists. 15 shootings. 8 shot. 4 kills. These are not the performance statistics of an entire NYPD unit. They are the record that makes Detective 2nd Grade Ralph Friedman a legend.
 Friedman was arguably the toughest cop ever to wear the shield and was the most decorated detective in the NYPD’s 170-year history. Stationed at the South Bronx’s notorious 41 Precinct, known by its nickname “Fort Apache,” Friedman served during one of the city’s most dire times: the 1970s and ‘80s, when fiscal crisis, political disillusionment, an out-of-control welfare system, and surging crime and drug use were just a few of its problems.
 Street Warrior tells an unvarnished story of harrowing vice and heroic grit, including Friedman’s reflections on racial profiling, confrontations with the citizens he swore to protect, and the use of deadly force.

Street Warrior: The True Story of the NYPD's Most Decorated Detective and the Era That Created Him

Friedman, Ralph

Historical

St.Martin's Press

Hollywood Godfather is Gianni Russo's over-the-top memoir of a real-life mobster-turned-actor who helped make The Godfather a reality, and his story of life on the edge between danger and glamour. 
Gianni Russo was a handsome 25-year-old mobster with no acting experience when he walked onto the set of The Godfather and entered Hollywood history. He played Carlo Rizzi, the husband of Connie Corleone, who set her brother Sonny―played by James Caan―up for a hit. Russo didn't have to act―he knew the mob inside and out: from his childhood in Little Italy, where Mafia legend Frank Costello took him under his wing, to acting as a messenger for New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello during the Kennedy assassination, to having to go on the lam after shooting and killing a member of the Colombian drug cartel in his Vegas club. 
 Along the way, Russo befriended Frank Sinatra, who became his son's godfather, and Marlon Brando, who mentored his career as an actor after trying to get Francis Ford Coppola to fire him from The Godfather. Russo had passionate affairs with Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minelli, and scores of other celebrities. He went on to become a producer and starred in The Godfather: Parts I and II, Seabiscuit, Any Given Sunday and Rush Hour 2, among many other films.
Hollywood Godfather is a no-holds-barred account of a life filled with violence, glamour, sex―and fun.

Hollywood Godfather: My Life in the Movies and the Mob

Russo, Gianni

Humor & Entertainment

St. Martin's: Griffin

"Gianni Russo walks the walk and talks the talk. What a life. Fascinating. A worthy read." ― Robert De NiroThis program is read by the author and includes a bonus conversation.The over-the-top memoir of a real-life mobster-turned-actor who helped make The Godfather a reality, and his story of life on the edge between danger and glamour. Gianni Russo was a handsome 25-year-old mobster with no acting experience when he walked onto the set of The Godfather and entered Hollywood history. He played Carlo Rizzi, the husband of Connie Corleone, who set her brother Sonny―played by James Caan―up for a hit. Russo didn't have to act―he knew the mob inside and out: from his childhood in Little Italy, where Mafia legend Frank Costello took him under his wing, to acting as a messenger for New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello during the Kennedy assassination, to having to go on the lam after shooting and killing a member of the Colombian drug cartel in his Vegas club. Along the way, Russo befriended Frank Sinatra, who became his son's godfather, and Marlon Brando, who mentored his career as an actor after trying to get Francis Ford Coppola to fire him from The Godfather. Russo had passionate affairs with Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minelli, and scores of other celebrities. He went on to star in The Godfather: Parts I and II, Seabiscuit, Any Given Sunday and Rush Hour 2, among many other films, and also acted as producer on several. Hollywood Godfather is his no-holds-barred account of a life lived on the edge. It is a story filled with violence, glamour, sex―and fun.

MacMillan Audio

This is an exciting and insightful look into organized crime in New York.

Mala Femina: A Woman's Life s the Daughter of a Don

Barricade Books

A ten-year-old double homicide leads private investigator Ray Yale to a psycho ex-policewoman, a megalomaniacal shock-jock with a Svengali complex, and an investigation so bizarre that it could bring down the NYPD. Teamed with a former detective who has seen better days, Yale must find the reason behind a series of brutal murders before he becomes the next victim. The first Ray Yale novel, Blood Shot Eyes mixes mystery and suspense in chronicling Yale's determined pursuit of justice. Yale's journey continues in the sequel, Pop Line."Patrick Picciarelli has been there and he writes like a man who knows--and one of the things he knows is how to put together a story that you can't put down, told to you by a real-life PI."-- S.J. Rozan, the Anthony Award-winning author of NO COLDER PLACE"Patrick Picciarelli writes with the authenticity few crime writers can match. His characters are complex and real, and the thickets they inhabit both tug at the heart and claw at the throat. Even without its rich and tangled plot, this novel could not fail to entertain, for there is an author with the bonafides. BLOOD SHOT EYES is the genuine article."--Randall Silvis, winner of the Drue Heinze Literature Prize and the author of MYSTICUS"BLOOD SHOT EYES crackles with authenticity. A powerful crime story by a New York PI who knows the game and tells it masterfully."--Dan Mahoney, author of BLACK & WHITE

Blood Shot Eyes

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

Independently published

When New York City detective Ray Yale crosses the "Pop Line" into Western Pennsylvania, he learns small towns can hide deadly secrets.Yale's journey starts as a mission of mercy, and he travels to Hastings, PA, to inform Carla Greer her brother Charlie, one of Yale's few friends, has died. Upon arriving, Yale learns Carla is the prime suspect in her police officer husband's murder. Yale feels he owes it to Charlie to prove Carla's innocence. Along the way, he gets involved with a child abduction case, uncovers police corruption, confronts a disgraced mob boss, and is forced to deal with his own emotions regarding his deceased wife and his undeniable feelings for his new client. But is the grieving widow as innocent as she seems?Praise for the author's work:Undercover Cop: How I Brought Down the Real-Life Sopranos"Billed as a true-crime version of The Sopranos, the story of Russell's violent life as an undercover cop cum trusted associate of the Genovese crime clan in Newark, N.J., has more plot twists than the acclaimed TV series. In fact, Russell predates Tony Soprano and company by a longshot--he was the subject of an HBO documentary that aired in the late '80s, and his is a thrill-a-minute tale. Within the first 20 pages, Russell's taken a bullet to the head, fended off a would-be corpse robber, and stumbled out of an alley to find help. Soon after, he returns to the tough work of weaseling his way back into the arms of the Mafia. Written in a street-savvy style reminiscent of Elmore Leonard and Mario Puzo, the nail-biting narrative moves from one crisis to another as Mikey Ga-Ga--his nom de guerre--infiltrates a profitable crew while rubbing shoulders with capos and bosses, all under intense mob scrutiny. Russell's bravery and professionalism--along with some crucial surveillance--eventually led to the busts of more than 50 "wiseguys" and public officials. This tell-all page-turner is all the better for being true."&#8213;Publishers WeeklyStreet Warrior: The True Story of the NYPD's Most Decorated Detective and the Era that Created Him"This book reads like a fast-paced novel that readers will find hard to put down. . . . The narrative provides insight into what is [sic] was like to be a cop [in the '70s]. Readers fascinated by police work will definitely want to read this book."&#8213;Library Journal

Pop Line

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Picciarelli, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Picciarelli, Patrick

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Picciarelli, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Jimmy the Wags: Street Stories of a Private Eye

My Life in the NYPD:: Jimmy the Wags

Undercover Cop: How I Brought Down the Real-Life Sopranos

Street Warrior: The True Story of the NYPD's Most Decorated Detective and the Era That Created Him

Hollywood Godfather: My Life in the Movies and the Mob

Street Warrior: The True Story of the NYPD's Most Decorated Detective and the Era That Created Him

Hollywood Godfather: My Life in the Movies and the Mob

Mala Femina: A Woman's Life s the Daughter of a Don

Blood Shot Eyes

Pop Line