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Made in America
"When the elephants fight, it's the ants that get hurt."
The elephants in this predictable but nonetheless gripping Maas-market melodrama are the Mafia on one side and the Justice Dept. on the other; and caught in between is Maas' not-very-likable hero, an ant named Richie Flynn. Poor N.Y. Irish kid Richie--he had one shining hour a few years back in pro ball before his knee got wrecked, but now he's a salesman for Goldblatt Beer with a crummy apartment, a tetchy wife, a sullen kid, and (his one glory) a topless-dancer mistress.
Richie, however, does have a dream: in cahoots with a minor N.Y.C. bureaucrat, he plans to buy a deserted South Bronx synagogue at city auction ($10,000 down) and then reap the windfall benefits when the city leases it back from him for a day-care center (to be arranged by his cohort)...
But where can Richie get the down payment.? From a loanshark, of course, and Richie borrows from the sharkiest of them all, the "Last Resort"--fearful, hateful, Mafia-bred Albert (King Kong) Karpstein of Hoboken. This is a mistake, as Richie fully realizes when his day-care deal falls through and he can't pay Karpstein back--Karpstein, who hurts and kills for respect and for fun, who demanded as collateral that he become the beneficiary of Richie's life insurance: "I'm cashing in that policy. You don't come over here tomorrow with the money, I'm coming in and I'm cutting your fucking balls off."
Terrified, Richie seeks protection from his local Mafia don; and when the Mafia hierarchy thus gets involved with Karpstein's operation, a slimily aristocratic and opportunistic federal prosecutor sees a way to demonstrate an interstate conspiracy--with Richie as well-guarded star witness.
But will the dons just stand by and let Richie finger them?
The elephants in this predictable but nonetheless gripping Maas-market melodrama are the Mafia on one side and the Justice Dept. on the other; and caught in between is Maas' not-very-likable hero, an ant named Richie Flynn. Poor N.Y. Irish kid Richie--he had one shining hour a few years back in pro ball before his knee got wrecked, but now he's a salesman for Goldblatt Beer with a crummy apartment, a tetchy wife, a sullen kid, and (his one glory) a topless-dancer mistress.
Richie, however, does have a dream: in cahoots with a minor N.Y.C. bureaucrat, he plans to buy a deserted South Bronx synagogue at city auction ($10,000 down) and then reap the windfall benefits when the city leases it back from him for a day-care center (to be arranged by his cohort)...
But where can Richie get the down payment.? From a loanshark, of course, and Richie borrows from the sharkiest of them all, the "Last Resort"--fearful, hateful, Mafia-bred Albert (King Kong) Karpstein of Hoboken. This is a mistake, as Richie fully realizes when his day-care deal falls through and he can't pay Karpstein back--Karpstein, who hurts and kills for respect and for fun, who demanded as collateral that he become the beneficiary of Richie's life insurance: "I'm cashing in that policy. You don't come over here tomorrow with the money, I'm coming in and I'm cutting your fucking balls off."
Terrified, Richie seeks protection from his local Mafia don; and when the Mafia hierarchy thus gets involved with Karpstein's operation, a slimily aristocratic and opportunistic federal prosecutor sees a way to demonstrate an interstate conspiracy--with Richie as well-guarded star witness.
But will the dons just stand by and let Richie finger them?
347 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Peter Maas
40 books88 followersPeter Maas was an American journalist and author. He was born in New York City and attended Duke University.
He was the biographer of Frank Serpico, a New York City Police officer who testified against police corruption. He is also the author of the number one New York Times bestseller, Underboss, about the life and times of Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.
His other notable bestsellers include The Valachi Papers, Manhunt, and In a Child's Name, recipient of the 1991 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime book. The Valachi Papers, which told the story of Mafia turncoat Joseph Valachi, is widely considered to be a seminal work, as it spawned an entire genre of books written by or about former Mafiosi.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He was the biographer of Frank Serpico, a New York City Police officer who testified against police corruption. He is also the author of the number one New York Times bestseller, Underboss, about the life and times of Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.
His other notable bestsellers include The Valachi Papers, Manhunt, and In a Child's Name, recipient of the 1991 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime book. The Valachi Papers, which told the story of Mafia turncoat Joseph Valachi, is widely considered to be a seminal work, as it spawned an entire genre of books written by or about former Mafiosi.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 26, 2020
Read in 1980. Mafia drama.
March 9, 2024
Interesting story. Good writing. Now I'm curious about "Serpico".
July 31, 2010
I picked this up from Futurecat in Charleston, SC. I asked her if she had a book from New Zealand and she handed me one called Made in America. She also said one of the funniest things I have heard yet this year. I asked her if she had heard of Oprah Winfrey. And she replied, Yes, you can't really get away from her.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews