What do you think?
Rate this book
Undercover Cop: How I Brought Down the Real-Life Sopranos
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.
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.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2013
14 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Mike Russell
1 book2 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 29, 2015
This is a gritty book about a New Jersey state trooper who went undercover to infiltrate the Genovese mafia family. After going undercover he would be responsible for one of the biggest Mafia takedown of all time. More than 50 mobsters and corrupt prison people were arrested. This was a very risky job to be in the Mob while getting the wiretaps etc. His wife left him, but he did remarry and started a security company after he was off the force. I liked the book and found it to be exciting on a subject I knew nothing about before.
July 9, 2025
This was a decent book, but I just could not get past this author’s ego. He just seemed to want to brag on himself all the time.
It was an interesting subject. I did enjoy the actual book content, but I think Tony Soprano would have rolled his eyes.
It was an interesting subject. I did enjoy the actual book content, but I think Tony Soprano would have rolled his eyes.
September 12, 2021
This was a lot more interesting than I anticipated. I'm not going to lie, I really only picked it up because of the promise of talking about the mob association of Tiny Manzo (yeah, I watch Bravo...) but there was way more to it than that - and quite frankly I'm still surprised that Russell escaped relatively unscathed.
July 21, 2024
This book has received a variety of reviews, some of which claim that it is accurate, while others claim that it is not factual. It is irrelevant to me because for some reason, I just could not get into it.
December 6, 2021
NOTE: I wrote the following review before I read the report disclosed at the following link, calling into question the fact that Russell was ever an NJSP trooper or Newark PD, facts which, if confirmed, make the some parts of the story he tells suspect and affirming the "massive ego" characterization I give him in the review below. The link: https://www.cosanostranews.com/2014/0...
This is a fascinating and fast-reading account of a New Jersey State Patrol undercover operation, brief but effective, that resulted in indictments and convictions against most of North Jersey's Mafia. Here's what stood out to me from reading the "UC's" account of that operation which began sometime in late 1982 and early 1983:
1. The cop-author was courageous in his work to the point of bringing hazard to himself and his family. He also was determined, smart, and to operate at the highest levels of North Jersey's organized crime families without becoming overly paranoid, which from the readings I have done over the last 40 years, is one characteristic that brings harm to the UC or brings down the operation. I have to hand it to the author and his family at the time for the hardships they endured.
2. Contrary to a lot of popular beliefs and misconceptions, organized criminals lack intelligence, are not efficient except when it comes to killing and even then they can be careless, and, with a few rare exceptions, are unable to spot when one among them is just not right (although to a man they profess to be geniuses in this). Thugs and crooks are motivated by greed and revenge most of the time in that order. This book is a terrific illustration of that.
3. The author has a massive ego, almost uncontrollable when it comes to self-promotion (in my opinion) to the point that he freely criticized extremely difficult decisions by his superiors running the operation and even some of the lower level NJSP officers who conducted certain warrant operations and seizures. For example, the author's photograph is featured in everyone, but 2, of the photos inserted into the book, including a half dozen or more of him with actors on the set of the cable show he scored after the operation. In his Epilogue, he recites an incident (which consumed about a third of the Epilogue) where he threatened a con in Boca Raton where he had moved, I suppose to be closer to the corrupt cops and crime bosses who move to Florida out of habit. He even refused to disclose his operation to his first wife, something I found virtually unconscionable, given that he also had small children, until he began to make demands on the NJSP which included a house and part time job for his first wife. All these examples are the result of hubris and the author's ego, I feel, and was designed to tell us how he, now a 60+ former cop, can still throw his weight around in retirement. On its face, this may not seem like much, I found this troubling for 2 reasons: 1) everyone can disagree about how an operation is carried out, but once those decisions are made, it's time to go to work and forget about the disagreements or poor performance by others if lives or the operation was not threatened and 2) being so open lays bare the possibility of harm being brought to others who may later be tasked with similar operations.
On the flip side--which may justify this massive ego--is that it probably takes a big ego for a person to think that he or she could successfully navigate the treacherous shoals of undercover work without bringing harm to himself or his family. Who's to say, therefore, whether this is negative or positive. All I know is that egos this large get people in trouble nearly 100% of the time.
4. Most alarming to me, as a citizen, was the casual attitude the author took toward NJ cops and Staties conducting outside businesses while employed as cops and the complete lack of oversight of these businesses to prevent corruption, conflicts of interests, and disclosure of police closely-held police procedures and operations. I don't know whether the State of NJ has tackled this problem, as I see it to be a problem, but I can promise you that there is more corruption in the police ranks because of it. This was truly appalling to me, and I even think there should be some oversight of TV shows, movies, and books written by former UCs.
5. The book is well written in a journalistic style and the book can be read in a few sittings. I began the book on a Friday afternoon and finished it on a Sunday afternoon. It is a model of clarity, and there never was a moment when I felt misled or confused by anything being presented. As someone who has been tasked with writing in his job as a lawyer about 80% of the time, I appreciated this clarity and ease of reading. However, I also was bothered by the explanations or descriptions by metaphor or similes (which are non-explanatory devices) many of which were designed to project what a tough guy this UC author is or was (I have no doubt he is--his deeds as a UC showed me that so the exercise in the writing is pointless). I also found a reference to Jimmy Carter as a person held in disregard (hello, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton) as a troubling show of bias by this cop, which unfortunately confirms a lot of suppositions about cops that many citizens hold. It was an unnecessary opinion and distracted readers like me from the book. I began to view everything he did in his personal and some of his professional life as guided by this political prejudice, which is my problem, of course, but also obvious to many readers.
This is a fascinating and fast-reading account of a New Jersey State Patrol undercover operation, brief but effective, that resulted in indictments and convictions against most of North Jersey's Mafia. Here's what stood out to me from reading the "UC's" account of that operation which began sometime in late 1982 and early 1983:
1. The cop-author was courageous in his work to the point of bringing hazard to himself and his family. He also was determined, smart, and to operate at the highest levels of North Jersey's organized crime families without becoming overly paranoid, which from the readings I have done over the last 40 years, is one characteristic that brings harm to the UC or brings down the operation. I have to hand it to the author and his family at the time for the hardships they endured.
2. Contrary to a lot of popular beliefs and misconceptions, organized criminals lack intelligence, are not efficient except when it comes to killing and even then they can be careless, and, with a few rare exceptions, are unable to spot when one among them is just not right (although to a man they profess to be geniuses in this). Thugs and crooks are motivated by greed and revenge most of the time in that order. This book is a terrific illustration of that.
3. The author has a massive ego, almost uncontrollable when it comes to self-promotion (in my opinion) to the point that he freely criticized extremely difficult decisions by his superiors running the operation and even some of the lower level NJSP officers who conducted certain warrant operations and seizures. For example, the author's photograph is featured in everyone, but 2, of the photos inserted into the book, including a half dozen or more of him with actors on the set of the cable show he scored after the operation. In his Epilogue, he recites an incident (which consumed about a third of the Epilogue) where he threatened a con in Boca Raton where he had moved, I suppose to be closer to the corrupt cops and crime bosses who move to Florida out of habit. He even refused to disclose his operation to his first wife, something I found virtually unconscionable, given that he also had small children, until he began to make demands on the NJSP which included a house and part time job for his first wife. All these examples are the result of hubris and the author's ego, I feel, and was designed to tell us how he, now a 60+ former cop, can still throw his weight around in retirement. On its face, this may not seem like much, I found this troubling for 2 reasons: 1) everyone can disagree about how an operation is carried out, but once those decisions are made, it's time to go to work and forget about the disagreements or poor performance by others if lives or the operation was not threatened and 2) being so open lays bare the possibility of harm being brought to others who may later be tasked with similar operations.
On the flip side--which may justify this massive ego--is that it probably takes a big ego for a person to think that he or she could successfully navigate the treacherous shoals of undercover work without bringing harm to himself or his family. Who's to say, therefore, whether this is negative or positive. All I know is that egos this large get people in trouble nearly 100% of the time.
4. Most alarming to me, as a citizen, was the casual attitude the author took toward NJ cops and Staties conducting outside businesses while employed as cops and the complete lack of oversight of these businesses to prevent corruption, conflicts of interests, and disclosure of police closely-held police procedures and operations. I don't know whether the State of NJ has tackled this problem, as I see it to be a problem, but I can promise you that there is more corruption in the police ranks because of it. This was truly appalling to me, and I even think there should be some oversight of TV shows, movies, and books written by former UCs.
5. The book is well written in a journalistic style and the book can be read in a few sittings. I began the book on a Friday afternoon and finished it on a Sunday afternoon. It is a model of clarity, and there never was a moment when I felt misled or confused by anything being presented. As someone who has been tasked with writing in his job as a lawyer about 80% of the time, I appreciated this clarity and ease of reading. However, I also was bothered by the explanations or descriptions by metaphor or similes (which are non-explanatory devices) many of which were designed to project what a tough guy this UC author is or was (I have no doubt he is--his deeds as a UC showed me that so the exercise in the writing is pointless). I also found a reference to Jimmy Carter as a person held in disregard (hello, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton) as a troubling show of bias by this cop, which unfortunately confirms a lot of suppositions about cops that many citizens hold. It was an unnecessary opinion and distracted readers like me from the book. I began to view everything he did in his personal and some of his professional life as guided by this political prejudice, which is my problem, of course, but also obvious to many readers.
August 13, 2016
I'd give this 4 stars for the story, but take a star away for the fact that the narration is extremely self congratulatory and not very likeable - a sin re: autobiography.
An interesting tale of undercover bravery.
An interesting tale of undercover bravery.
May 16, 2019
The book I will be talking about today is called UNDERCOVER COP by MIKE RUSSELL with PATRICK W. PICCIARELLI. The book was rather interesting because of how the characters express themselves really well. The way they talk really fits their character really well in the book. The book was a great book to read because your reading a story that actually took place in real life in real time. It also shows the things uncovered cops have to do in order to keep going in the case. As well as how they are a when undercover vs when their doing something with their families. My opinion on this book is they did a good job telling the story but the book was to long for that story.
I say that because the book was giving us to much info that didn’t matter when he started to get involved with the sopranos. They were explaining to much for something that could just be thanked of instead of explaining the hole job. In page 44 they had to come face to face with someone for a deal that’s was happening “shove him around a little, it’s gotta look real”. These helps me because they took a while till they figured a plan that was later not used at all which was just a waste. I’ll say people who like books with big surprises that was not expected. I will give the book 4 stars because the book was to long to read, but it had a extremely excited real life story in the book which is why I gave it these 4 stars as my total rating.
I say that because the book was giving us to much info that didn’t matter when he started to get involved with the sopranos. They were explaining to much for something that could just be thanked of instead of explaining the hole job. In page 44 they had to come face to face with someone for a deal that’s was happening “shove him around a little, it’s gotta look real”. These helps me because they took a while till they figured a plan that was later not used at all which was just a waste. I’ll say people who like books with big surprises that was not expected. I will give the book 4 stars because the book was to long to read, but it had a extremely excited real life story in the book which is why I gave it these 4 stars as my total rating.
January 11, 2023
Other reviewers have said that author Mike Russell exaggerated his role in infiltrating the New York/New Jersey mafia. With no way to know the truth, Russell does do a lot of bragging about how tough and how resolute and ethical he is. The story about his being shot in the head and losing his sense of smell and taste may be dubious as well.
But the book still succeeds in portraying the New York/New Jersey mafia big players of the 1980's, dozens of whom were arrested in 1986 and pled guilty. Like other books on the mafia, it portrays them as they really are-motivated by making as much money as possible, with egotism a second and a complete disregard for harming others, with law enforcement and the public still being able to keep a lid on them. Older mobsters may stick to traditions, but they are as brutal as the later generations. Forget the Godfather movies; this is the mafia as it really is.
But the book still succeeds in portraying the New York/New Jersey mafia big players of the 1980's, dozens of whom were arrested in 1986 and pled guilty. Like other books on the mafia, it portrays them as they really are-motivated by making as much money as possible, with egotism a second and a complete disregard for harming others, with law enforcement and the public still being able to keep a lid on them. Older mobsters may stick to traditions, but they are as brutal as the later generations. Forget the Godfather movies; this is the mafia as it really is.
October 23, 2023
A decent account of anti-mafia undercover work. Pretty much what you would expect it to be. Main takeaways are that there was major corruption of police in New Jersey, and a mafiosa had a lot more to worry about from his fellow criminals that other sources, but that they took a lot of hits there too. Basically his conclusion was that most Mafia are not too bright. On the other hand, there sure seems to have been a lot of mafia activity all over the place. I wonder if it is any better today. I also know that I would never have the cajones to be an undercover cop. I just hope that were I ever a police that I would be an honest one.
December 13, 2025
Fascinating & funny
True crime undercover stories hardly come better than this, and the author’s charisma and wit permeate the narrative. A must-read for those with an interest in undercover or mafia stories.
True crime undercover stories hardly come better than this, and the author’s charisma and wit permeate the narrative. A must-read for those with an interest in undercover or mafia stories.
July 28, 2020
A New Jersey cop goes undercover in a Genovese crew, it isn't brilliantly written, but comes across as real and straightforward.
November 18, 2013
(borrowed from Jan Platt library)
This non-fiction account of Mike Russell's work burrowing deep inside the Genovese crime family, akin to the type of Jersey mafioso types portrayed in "The Sopranos," certainly counts as a page turner.
There's lots of suspense in following Russell's sdventures as he brazenly plays a version of himself -- his cover is that he's a cop fired from the job -- and gradually gains the confidence of a variety of high-level goons.
Eventually, he even sets up shop in a fake business adjacent to a major mob hang-out, and proceeds to install an electronic surveillance rig that allows him to capture audio and all-important video of the wiseguys, plotting to conduct a variety of criminal activities.
Page turner, yes, but the writing is far from elegant and, unfortunately, the characterizations of the wiseguys don't go very deep. What makes these goons ticket, aside from healthy appetites and a drive to make as much $$ as possible, whenever possible, as long as it doesn't involve legal activities?
Russell doesn't offer a layered portrait of himself, either.
So ... reasonably entertaining, but I wanted more.
One conclusion that seems inescapable after reading about all of these guys -- almost to a person, they're as dumb as a bag of bricks. No wonder they got caught.
This non-fiction account of Mike Russell's work burrowing deep inside the Genovese crime family, akin to the type of Jersey mafioso types portrayed in "The Sopranos," certainly counts as a page turner.
There's lots of suspense in following Russell's sdventures as he brazenly plays a version of himself -- his cover is that he's a cop fired from the job -- and gradually gains the confidence of a variety of high-level goons.
Eventually, he even sets up shop in a fake business adjacent to a major mob hang-out, and proceeds to install an electronic surveillance rig that allows him to capture audio and all-important video of the wiseguys, plotting to conduct a variety of criminal activities.
Page turner, yes, but the writing is far from elegant and, unfortunately, the characterizations of the wiseguys don't go very deep. What makes these goons ticket, aside from healthy appetites and a drive to make as much $$ as possible, whenever possible, as long as it doesn't involve legal activities?
Russell doesn't offer a layered portrait of himself, either.
So ... reasonably entertaining, but I wanted more.
One conclusion that seems inescapable after reading about all of these guys -- almost to a person, they're as dumb as a bag of bricks. No wonder they got caught.
January 6, 2014
While exciting, the story telling seemed a bit disjointed. Whether it was sharing the same info for the third time, or relying too much on foreshadowing, it seemed to lack flow. More so in the later chapters. I didn't bother to read the Amazon reviews until after I had finished the book. There are many claiming a slew of inaccuracies; while that may be true Russell still helped bring down this group. Judging by his arrogance in some passages, it didn't surprise me that some events were embellished. *SPOILER•. The main one being him being shot in the back of the head at point blank range and surviving
If you enjoy stories of La Cosa Nostra, give this one a try.
If you enjoy stories of La Cosa Nostra, give this one a try.
Read
June 20, 2014Undercover Cop is the story of how Mike Russell, an undercover cop, took down one of the five mob groups in New Jersey. The book is filled with a good amount of historic facts about the mob and information that I never knew. You learn about many of the different mobsters and get a clear image of what it was like to go undercover and join the mafia. This book is filled with constant action as well as many sections that are comical. I recommend this book if you like action and books about the mob.
March 13, 2014
Reading this book was like having dinner with Mike Russel and listening with awe as he tells his story. It's rather jaw-dropping that he put himself in such a dangerous situation. He did so voluntarily, and because of the principles he truly believes in. I did fear for him, except that I knew the outcome, since I do know Mike.
November 30, 2015
I loved this book from the first page to the last; I couldn't put it down! While the writing wasn't perfect in its flow, the story really captured my attention and it felt so down to earth. What an amazing story and definitely worth a read if you are at all interested in crime novels, non-fiction or otherwise.
October 27, 2013
A quick, easy, fun read.
December 4, 2013
The phrase you can't make up this stuff applies here. This book takes you through an undercover investigation with the mafia from the cops view. You will enjoy.
November 2, 2015
anything about the "mob" is interesting; reading about someone risking everything and able to make it...
January 31, 2023
Noone likes to be B.S.ed,but apparently the readers of this book were treated as gullible marks with a mostly fictitious account by our Hero,Mike.An adventure in grandiose delusion.
August 8, 2013
Absolutely loved this book! Laugh out loud great read!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews