Ten Seventy Eight: A Tale of Mafia Power and Police Corruption

by Paul Manning, Stuart Marks (illustrator)

In a world of shadows and deception, Paul Manning walked the line between loyalty and survival, infiltrating both the Mafia and the Hells Angels simultaneously - a dangerous game few dare to play. But the real betrayal didn’t come from the criminals he exposed. It came from within his own ranks.

Uncover the gripping true story of an undercover officer who risked everything, only to face the ultimate test when corruption from inside the force threatened to destroy it all. This is more than a tale of justice - it’s a fight for integrity in the face of betrayal.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, Memoir

281 pages, Paperback

Published January 14, 2025

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating portrait of a man entangled in the underbelly of Hamilton, Ontario.

Ten Seventy-Eight is the wild, terrifying, unbelievable, heartbreaking and hilarious true tale of Paul Manning’s pretty epic betrayal at the hands of the city of Hamilton and its police force.

An undercover English cop, Paul was essentially lured over to Canada with the promise of a better living, a better life, and an opportunity to do the work he loved and that he was bloody good at. That is, until his recruiters had other ideas.

Paul is ostracized when he refuses to ignore both the incompetence and corruption he begins to see from his own police force while infiltrating both the Hell’s Angels and the traditional Italian organized crime elements in the city.

Even after his cover is blown under mysterious circumstances, he continued to fight to expose the impropriety he was seeing. But the Hamilton Police essentially buried his career in plain sight. The book is part memoir, part exposé, part mafia history, part prognostication about the future of policing. It’s also a brave exploration of PTSD and the personal cost of such a dangerous line of work. There are some pretty riveting and harrowing accounts of undercover police work as well.

A must-read for anyone interested in true-crime, organized crime, or the ethics of policing. it’s full of twists and turns that you wouldn’t believe unless you know anything about Hamilton. Highly recommended!

[Jeremy Boxen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had the privilege of reading drafts of this book along the way, and I'm always enthralled with Paul's true life story of moving from the UK to be an undercover cop in Hamilton's drug scene. This published account of his time secretly building cases against the worst of the worst petty drug dealers and mafia bosses is an incredible, and incredibly frustrating, fish out of water story of crime, comedy, family, and loyalty in different forms—not just among criminals but the men and women with badges too. What makes this such a page turner is that Paul's a born storyteller. His voice is sharp and hilarious. He pulls no punches and spares no punchline. You can imagine these boisterous and emotional tales spilling out of him as you share a round at the bar. All of which is to say, top to bottom I was moved and entertained by this heartfelt read about local crime and corruption and the human soul. For most of us, it's a real peek behind the curtain.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely powerful story of an individual protecting a community to the highest of standards.

If you are looking for a real and raw read, then this is for you!

Thank you for your service!

[Corrine Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! I have been waiting a few years to read Paul Manning’s story. Having met Paul in a small southern Ontario town, getting to know him and only hearing a small part of his story I was captivated. Ten Seventy-Eight is definitely worth a read. I grew up in Hamilton and the locations and names mentioned in his book with the story he has told, it has blown me away. I always knew Hamilton was a unique place - but wow! I cannot believe what goes on behind the scenes with those who supposed to serve and protect not only the community but their own.

I recommend this book to any who has even the slightest interest in the dark subculture of Hamilton, the mob and community policing.

5 stars!

I can’t wait to read more of his work!

[Royal Breeze · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd like to preface this by stating that I have much respect for Paul in regards to his actions both undercover and regarding the exposure of corruption. As someone looking into law enforcement myself, it's a good wake up call for seeing the true ugly side of not being able to trust who has your back because they're the ones who end up stabbing it.

That being said, the writing did come across as "Holier than thou" in many aspects. I understand that this is more of an autobiography of sorts; but it's more like a journal - getting things down and out of your head. Mostly in the fact that paragraphs would be all over the place. Hoping from one perspective of him undercover, to the next one right below it being about at the police department.

There were several errors both in spelling and especially formatting that made it very choppy and difficult to read. I'm unsure if I had a bad copy of it, but there would be pages pretty much completely blank with a single sentence cut off at the top and continuing on the next page. Same thing with conversations.

Conversations would be cut off in the middle of sentences. Only to be continued 2 or more spaces down.

Example found on my page 302:

"He could see I would not be backing down

and this could very well turn violent. I was

done with their shit.

I was done

with what had

happened. I was

done with broken

promises.

Most of all, I was done

with their corruption."

I annotate my books while I read and I started marking all the errors and ran out of 2 stacks of sticky tabs. I just wish this was a little more proof read / edited.

The last few pages rang true about having to deal with the stresses of the jobs, especially with accumulated PTSD and paranoia. And when your teams and management don't have your best interests at heart, it definitely can be deadly. Again, that's something that I have related to in my past years of work.

It's still a book that I've recommended to my friends / past coworkers who have been looking into getting into law enforcement as well in order to at least see the potential realities of what can come. Personally tho, I probably won't re-read.

[Ian Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had the privilege of knowing Paul Manning for 30 years, and I’m honoured to call him a friend. I was privy to many of the injustices he writes about—often as they unfolded. When I visited him in Canada from the UK, shortly after his so-called colleagues compromised his cover, I saw first-hand the devastating impact it had on Paul and his family. And yet, I know that what’s captured in Ten Seventy Eight is just a fraction of his extraordinary story.

Reading Paul's account in his own distinct voice was utterly gripping. The book is fast-paced, laced with dark humour, and reads like a high stakes thriller—except this isn’t fiction. Time and again, I had to remind myself that these events actually happened to one of my closest friends.

I can only hope that sharing his story brings Paul the closure he deserves, while also shedding light on the corruption that lurks within institutions meant to protect and serve. This book should serve as a wake-up call; one that demands accountability from those responsible and justice for those who have suffered.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, can’t say I overly enjoyed this book. It was hard to read, between the formatting and the obvious spelling and grammatical errors. Definitely needed to be edited before publishing. It also came off as a guy who’s doing everything in his power to bring down a police department with no real accountability of his own. Made himself out to seem like the real perfect officer, and let’s be real there’s not many of those. Just the way this guy spoke and wrote about it screams unprofessionalism in my opinion.

And I’m also not saying that there’s no corruption in the Hamilton Police… just the way the whole book comes across… just my opinion.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was a fantastic read, kept me intrigued,it’s thrilling yet terrifying to know what Paul endured during his undercover operation. His courage integrity is fascinating. Form the betrayal of his own team and Hamilton police. Massive eye opener the lengths, Hamilton police will go to cover up wrongdoing and corruption within the service. Truly incredible brave man coming forward exposing how this organization operates within their own community. Once you pick it up, it’s hard to put down. I definitely recommend this read.

[Dave MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, terrifying and maddening

This is an incredible book. I hope they make this into a series on HBO. It is hard to put down. The author, an undercover officer, who faced pure evil from biker gangs, the mob, and worst of all, the Hamilton Police. You feel a part of every event but imagining how paralyzed with fear you would be.

[Paul Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to give it five stars...

[Mark Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible true story about combatting Mafia crime and drugs gangs in the US by Englishman Paul Manning. This book is literally un-putdownable!

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will be highly recommending this book - great read so far👍

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Finished in less than 24 hr. Interesting account of Paul's’ experience as an UC HPS cop and what he went through.

[Mr W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read, scary as its true. Would recommend this to everyone

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow

Thank you Paul M. for your courage and integrity in exposing corruption within the police force.Your work is invaluable. God bless you and your family

[Jackie Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so real and so raw….a shocking & an absolute gut wrenching experience! I am still reeling from the content! Wow!

[Jennifer Graziano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! Page turner. Interesting throughout- and a true story!

[Tara Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read! Couldn’t put it down! I hope Mr. Manning has more stories to tell.