Mafia Cop: The Two Families of Michael Palermo; Saints Only Live in Heaven

(Paperback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Detective Michael Palermo built his career on his unique ability to inhabit two worlds at once: the world of law enforcement and the underworld of New Yorks crime family organizations in their 1960s and 70s heyday. A member of the elite Special Investigation Unit, he participated in over two thousand arrests while maintaining close relationships with the kingpins of organized crimeties that allowed him to stay one step ahead of the rest of the New York City Police Department.
Detective Palermo was one of the privileged few members of the law enforcement community to be informed of the impending arrest of crime lord Vito Genovese by the federal government, and he served as an expert witness in international drug smuggling cases. Palermos hangouts included Castle Hill Avenue Bar in the Bronx, where he visited underworld informant Joe Valachi, and the Manhattan after-hours bar and casino owned by Vegas underboss Carmine Canicatti, a Mafia haunt where he was one of only two cops to gain admittance. From carrying out sensitive negotiations with major underworld figures to busting Harlem drug tracker Albie Simmons, underboss to drug lord Leroy Nicky Barnes, every dealing in Detective Palermos tortuous story shows nerve, world-class Mafia expertise, and integrity at a time when crooked cops were the norm. This true crime drama takes you inside the New York City Police Department at its most corrupt and into the dark and dirty world of dons, consiglieres, underbosses, button men, soldiers, and cowboys.

Reviews

Punchy dialogue, visceral scenes of violence, and gruesome factoids.Kirkus Reviews

A riveting page-turner. . . . Real and true. Joseph Calco, former enforcer for the Joseph Bonanno mafia family

Masterful and compelling. Jerry E. Brewster, Sr., CEO, Criminal Justice International Associates
Punchy dialogue, visceral scenes of violence, and gruesome factoids.Kirkus Reviews

A riveting page-turner. . . . Real and true. Joseph Calco, former enforcer for the Joseph Bonanno mafia family

Masterful and compelling. Jerry E. Brewster, Sr., CEO, Criminal Justice International Associates

Author Bio

Richard Stanley Cagan is the author of two biographies, seven full-length novels, a collection of short stories, five plays, and one screenplay. He holds a BA degree from Fordham University and a doctorate and postdoctorate degree from Columbia University. He lives in Flagler County, Florida.