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Serpico
It is the late sixties, a time of intense social and generational upheaval. Into this maelstrom came a man who broke the mold. A working class, Brooklyn-born,Italian cop with long hair, a beard, and a taste for opera and ballet. Most of all, Frank Serpico was a man who couldn't be silenced — or bought.
For years a culture of corruption had pervaded the New York City Police Department. Police payoffs,protection, and shakedowns of gambling rackets and drug dealers were common practice. The so-called blue-code of silence protected the minority of crooked cops from the sanction of the majority.
283 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
About the author
Peter Maas
24 books90 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 - 30 of 186 reviews
October 5, 2015
graft [grafht] (n.): the acquisition of money, gain, or advantage by dishonest, unfair, or illegal means, especially through the abuse of one’s position or influence in politics, business, etc.
I’ve had a hard time concentrating on reading for a few months, otherwise it wouldn’t have taken so long to finish this memoir. Oddly enough, while trudging through it, I started watching the BBC series George Gently and the documentary series called Detectives. The former deals with police corruption in Scotland Yard during the mid 1960s, and the other focused on a string of historic sexual abuse cases that took place in the late 60s and early 70s by a famous Manchester radio deejay. They really helped set the tone and environment for the events that transpired in the book.
February 3, 1971–Frank Serpico, aged thirty-five is shot in the face while working as an undercover detective in South Brooklyn’s Narcotics division. Another close call in the line of duty, or a deliberate set-up by “his own kind’? An odd question to ask, except Frank Serpico is not like any other detectives of his time. A Greenwich Villager sporting a full beard, long hair, funky boots and dungarees, he embodied everything police feared in the 60s–hippies. He was also unique in another more meaningful way:
A very interesting read. I found the ending unsatisfactory, even though this edition contained an afterword from Serpico himself dated Fall 1996. The truth is that this is a true story, not a fairy tale. Have things changed much since Serpico’s time in law enforcement? I think we’d all like to hope so. However his memoir created more doubts than certainties for me. Hmmm…food for thought.
I’ve had a hard time concentrating on reading for a few months, otherwise it wouldn’t have taken so long to finish this memoir. Oddly enough, while trudging through it, I started watching the BBC series George Gently and the documentary series called Detectives. The former deals with police corruption in Scotland Yard during the mid 1960s, and the other focused on a string of historic sexual abuse cases that took place in the late 60s and early 70s by a famous Manchester radio deejay. They really helped set the tone and environment for the events that transpired in the book.
February 3, 1971–Frank Serpico, aged thirty-five is shot in the face while working as an undercover detective in South Brooklyn’s Narcotics division. Another close call in the line of duty, or a deliberate set-up by “his own kind’? An odd question to ask, except Frank Serpico is not like any other detectives of his time. A Greenwich Villager sporting a full beard, long hair, funky boots and dungarees, he embodied everything police feared in the 60s–hippies. He was also unique in another more meaningful way:
“Serpico–this apparent hippie, womanizer, hedonist–had dared to do the unheard-of, the unpardonable, in police circles. Having solemnly sworn to uphold the law, he elected to do just that, to enforce it against everybody–and not, in the grand tradition of even the most personally honest policemen, against everybody except other cops. He would not go along with the graft, the bribes, the shakedowns; and he refused to look the other way.”
A very interesting read. I found the ending unsatisfactory, even though this edition contained an afterword from Serpico himself dated Fall 1996. The truth is that this is a true story, not a fairy tale. Have things changed much since Serpico’s time in law enforcement? I think we’d all like to hope so. However his memoir created more doubts than certainties for me. Hmmm…food for thought.
April 17, 2026
If you have seen the movie, this book is basically the film, with more detail. The writing is pulp detective style. Short sentences, sharp dialogue, tight scenes, and pretty tense. If you have not seen the movie, this book is the true story of a New York City cop who refused to go along with the bribery that he discovered was endemic to the department and his struggle to get internal authorities to do something about it. If that sounds boring, I cannot emphasize enough that it is anything but boring. The tension starts almost immediately and continues to build as Serpico is transferred to different jobs, contacts different internal authorities and the pressure and threats on him increase. Then—Blam!
(Warning: The social attitudes in the book, towards women and minorities, are decidedly stuck in the late 1960s.)
What comes out from the book is just how ossified and apathetic the leadership of the NYPD and the city government was. They could not be bothered to launch a serious investigation, even to the bitter end. The last bit of the book summarizes the statements of the leaders who failed to do anything in the face of Serpico’s allegations---and after everything came to light, they had not changed one iota! It’s as frustrating as watching Democratic “leaders” for the last twelve months. The various members of NYPD management who failed to take any action each defend themselves with variations of throwing up their hands and saying, “what should I have done? The guy was a nutcase.”
One senior officer instead invites Serpico on a religious retreat because “it would be good for his peace of mind.” Another senior official shows irritation at Serpico’s unwillingness to simply name names in lieu of an internal investigation: “I don’t think we’re communicating,” he says to Serpico. “You’re writing a treatise on humanity, and I’m trying to get some facts.”
Also clear in the book was how the insular nature of the police department had created an isolated, inward-looking community. The police had developed an “us” versus “them” culture; the “us”, of course, were the police force, but the “them” were not the criminals, no sir. The “them” had become the public, who the police were sworn to “defend and serve.” What the actual F**K?
(My margin notes indicate that right-wing megaphonists engaging in similar “us versus them” rhetoric at their audience for 20 years before the appearance of Trump created the nearly unbridgeable chasm in American politics out of which that dumpster-fire-on-wheels (aka Dr. Jesus) arose.)
The police who were taking money from the numbers rackets (most of which were connected to the mob) had endless justifications for their lawlessness. And when NYPD leadership happened to come across a clear instance of a cop taking a bribe, they would just as likely transfer him to a different precinct as discipline him. Sounds a lot like the Catholic diocese approach for many years to the pedophile priest problems.
The author’s voice is almost non-existent in this tale, but it does break through in at least this one instance:
“Apologists for the Mafia in this country, when they admit to its existence at all, like to point to the hostile environment Italian immigrants faced in America, to the inevitability, indeed the necessity, of banding together and falling back on old ways to survive, to the myth, for instance, that a given racketeer could have achieved equal success as a respected businessman if he were not ethnically cursed and denied that chance.”
The mythos of ethnic or religious victimization is a heady, dangerous brew, and at least as old as the Old Testament.
If you have not seen the movie, I highly recommend it. Al Pacino is brilliant.
And thank you, Officer Serpico, for never giving up.
(Warning: The social attitudes in the book, towards women and minorities, are decidedly stuck in the late 1960s.)
What comes out from the book is just how ossified and apathetic the leadership of the NYPD and the city government was. They could not be bothered to launch a serious investigation, even to the bitter end. The last bit of the book summarizes the statements of the leaders who failed to do anything in the face of Serpico’s allegations---and after everything came to light, they had not changed one iota! It’s as frustrating as watching Democratic “leaders” for the last twelve months. The various members of NYPD management who failed to take any action each defend themselves with variations of throwing up their hands and saying, “what should I have done? The guy was a nutcase.”
One senior officer instead invites Serpico on a religious retreat because “it would be good for his peace of mind.” Another senior official shows irritation at Serpico’s unwillingness to simply name names in lieu of an internal investigation: “I don’t think we’re communicating,” he says to Serpico. “You’re writing a treatise on humanity, and I’m trying to get some facts.”
Also clear in the book was how the insular nature of the police department had created an isolated, inward-looking community. The police had developed an “us” versus “them” culture; the “us”, of course, were the police force, but the “them” were not the criminals, no sir. The “them” had become the public, who the police were sworn to “defend and serve.” What the actual F**K?
(My margin notes indicate that right-wing megaphonists engaging in similar “us versus them” rhetoric at their audience for 20 years before the appearance of Trump created the nearly unbridgeable chasm in American politics out of which that dumpster-fire-on-wheels (aka Dr. Jesus) arose.)
The police who were taking money from the numbers rackets (most of which were connected to the mob) had endless justifications for their lawlessness. And when NYPD leadership happened to come across a clear instance of a cop taking a bribe, they would just as likely transfer him to a different precinct as discipline him. Sounds a lot like the Catholic diocese approach for many years to the pedophile priest problems.
The author’s voice is almost non-existent in this tale, but it does break through in at least this one instance:
“Apologists for the Mafia in this country, when they admit to its existence at all, like to point to the hostile environment Italian immigrants faced in America, to the inevitability, indeed the necessity, of banding together and falling back on old ways to survive, to the myth, for instance, that a given racketeer could have achieved equal success as a respected businessman if he were not ethnically cursed and denied that chance.”
The mythos of ethnic or religious victimization is a heady, dangerous brew, and at least as old as the Old Testament.
If you have not seen the movie, I highly recommend it. Al Pacino is brilliant.
And thank you, Officer Serpico, for never giving up.
October 24, 2017
Strange that I haven't written my review of this book before. Oh well better late than never - even five years later. No point in re-hashing the whole Frank Serpico legend again. Except that Serpico comes across as very self-righteous and with a bit of a martyr complex to boot, but I suspect that isn't unusual for whistle-blowers. Perhaps an individual who decides to take such a big risk needs to be that way because there is no guarantee that anyone will listen to them when it's taking place and there is a very good chance that they will be alone when it's all over with.It is also obvious (as noted by other reviewers) that Mass had a bit of a man-crush on Frank Serpico. It's easy to see that Maas thought that Serpico was just great. The counterculture cop obviously won over the white-bread establishment writer.
Anyway the book is a bit of a slog and I found it tedious at times. I eventually skimmed through the last third of the book since it wasn't holding my interest. This is one case when the movie is definitely better than the book. Watch the movie. I have. Many times. Hell I own it. The book I donated to my local library for the tax credit.
UPDATE July 2015
Alright I have to be honest. I found myself rethinking my original review. Truth be told I find Frank Serpico's story interesting, but I also believe he's a fanatic. I don't like fanatics and I started to wonder if my personal feelings caused me to be unfair to Mr. Maas. So for the past month I've slowly been re-reading Serpico and making an effort to evaluate it more fairly. You know what? I was unfair. The book is actually more readable than I remember. Yes Mr. Maas does have a man-crush on Serpico. Maas was in his early forties when he wrote the book. A part of the "establishment" and ,like many men of his generation, he envied the more free-wheeling lifestyle of Frank Serpico and others who lived like him. I also think some of the descriptions is just Maas engaging in some hyperbole.
At one point he describes Frank Serpico as being a "crack-shot" and an expert in "karate" then goes on to talk about how Serpico was an expert cook, was an outstanding mimic, could get by in several languages and had traveled across the world. All this while living on a cop's paycheck in NYC. Okay. Some I believe, but all of that? Well lets move on. It was the early seventies and the cool bachelor dude was all the rage. Throw in a little James Bond and the idea of a ladies-man hippie ,with a gun and badge, and you have Frank Serpico. A little research about Frank Serpico quickly shows that he really wasn't all that. I get the impression that after leaving the N.Y.P.D. Serpico was a bum for several years, crashing at other peoples homes (rent-free possibly?) and living off his royalties from the book and movie deals.
However Mr. Maas actually does a very good job writing about Frank Serpico despite my snarky observations. Also I notice that once I got past the first few chapters the book settled down into a much more nuts and bolts accounting of what the N.Y.P.D. was like in the late sixties. The book also shows how difficult it can be for anyone who wants to do the right thing when dealing with a massive political bureaucracy and high-ranking officials who don't want the boat rocked.
So after a second-reading I have to change my rating from two to three stars. I still don't care for Frank Serpico, but Frank Serpico is a crusader. In many ways he's probably a more honorable man than me and people find Honorable People often insufferable. I'm no exception. However Mr. Maas actually wrote a very good book. I just have to seperate the man from the writer's product.
Anyway the book is a bit of a slog and I found it tedious at times. I eventually skimmed through the last third of the book since it wasn't holding my interest. This is one case when the movie is definitely better than the book. Watch the movie. I have. Many times. Hell I own it. The book I donated to my local library for the tax credit.
UPDATE July 2015
Alright I have to be honest. I found myself rethinking my original review. Truth be told I find Frank Serpico's story interesting, but I also believe he's a fanatic. I don't like fanatics and I started to wonder if my personal feelings caused me to be unfair to Mr. Maas. So for the past month I've slowly been re-reading Serpico and making an effort to evaluate it more fairly. You know what? I was unfair. The book is actually more readable than I remember. Yes Mr. Maas does have a man-crush on Serpico. Maas was in his early forties when he wrote the book. A part of the "establishment" and ,like many men of his generation, he envied the more free-wheeling lifestyle of Frank Serpico and others who lived like him. I also think some of the descriptions is just Maas engaging in some hyperbole.
At one point he describes Frank Serpico as being a "crack-shot" and an expert in "karate" then goes on to talk about how Serpico was an expert cook, was an outstanding mimic, could get by in several languages and had traveled across the world. All this while living on a cop's paycheck in NYC. Okay. Some I believe, but all of that? Well lets move on. It was the early seventies and the cool bachelor dude was all the rage. Throw in a little James Bond and the idea of a ladies-man hippie ,with a gun and badge, and you have Frank Serpico. A little research about Frank Serpico quickly shows that he really wasn't all that. I get the impression that after leaving the N.Y.P.D. Serpico was a bum for several years, crashing at other peoples homes (rent-free possibly?) and living off his royalties from the book and movie deals.
However Mr. Maas actually does a very good job writing about Frank Serpico despite my snarky observations. Also I notice that once I got past the first few chapters the book settled down into a much more nuts and bolts accounting of what the N.Y.P.D. was like in the late sixties. The book also shows how difficult it can be for anyone who wants to do the right thing when dealing with a massive political bureaucracy and high-ranking officials who don't want the boat rocked.
So after a second-reading I have to change my rating from two to three stars. I still don't care for Frank Serpico, but Frank Serpico is a crusader. In many ways he's probably a more honorable man than me and people find Honorable People often insufferable. I'm no exception. However Mr. Maas actually wrote a very good book. I just have to seperate the man from the writer's product.
July 31, 2024
I saw the excellent movie with Al Pacino years ago and again 5-6 years ago. I finally read the book. It’s very well written and starts with an action packed chapter that happens at the end of the story. Then there are flashbacks to the start of Frank Serpico’s starting at the NYPD in the 1960s.
It’s a gut wrenching tell of a policeman wanting to be honest and not taking part in collecting illegal payments (graft) from criminals, the mafia, etc. He even refused free meals cops got at restaurants. He did not see that as fair to the businesses. They respected him for that.
He spent about 4 years trying to expose corruption at the police stations to higher authorities but nothing was being done. Finally he had to go tell it all to The NY Times! This got everyone’s attention.
Soon heads were rolling and eventually even the top bass resigned or were indicted. This started what I believe to be a national event that started police to be investigated everywhere for corruption.
Frank resigned and moved away but eventually returned to live in NY and is now as of 07/29/2024
Still alive at 88. He got a lot of awards eventually and his gold shield. He was married 4 times but not during most of 1969-1973 during this book. He has not been married since 1980.
It’s a gut wrenching tell of a policeman wanting to be honest and not taking part in collecting illegal payments (graft) from criminals, the mafia, etc. He even refused free meals cops got at restaurants. He did not see that as fair to the businesses. They respected him for that.
He spent about 4 years trying to expose corruption at the police stations to higher authorities but nothing was being done. Finally he had to go tell it all to The NY Times! This got everyone’s attention.
Soon heads were rolling and eventually even the top bass resigned or were indicted. This started what I believe to be a national event that started police to be investigated everywhere for corruption.
Frank resigned and moved away but eventually returned to live in NY and is now as of 07/29/2024
Still alive at 88. He got a lot of awards eventually and his gold shield. He was married 4 times but not during most of 1969-1973 during this book. He has not been married since 1980.
November 10, 2014
The story of an honest cop who really wanted to protect and serve the people. Truly awe-inspiring!
October 19, 2009
I picked up a few books from the '70's that my parents were getting rid of and Serpico was the standout of the pick. I remember the Al Pacino movie from my childhood and though it might be an interesting read. I never realized how bad the corruption was in the NYPD, hadn't remembered that much from the movie but this story was a real eye-opener. I really feel for the officers that go into law enforcement wanting to do a good and decent job only to get dragged down into this type of corruption. I did a little research after reading this book and it really doesn't sound like much has changed since the seventies. We need more people like Frank Serpico in this world.
This is a story worth reading.
This is a story worth reading.
November 2, 2021
More than five stars for this powerful true story. A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS was nothing compared to this. Frank Serpico is as heroic and Sir Thomas More and as sexy as Joe Namath. I wanted more!
Serpico is a book that can appear dated on the surface. There are a lot of cheap shots about Serpico having long hair, for example. But the real conflict is timeless. It's a story of a moral man in an immoral society. It's A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. It's also HIGH NOON. But there's also a lot of dated stuff about Serpico the playboy, dating "a black model" and "a Swedish stewardess" and preening on how chicks dig him.
It's like the author had a Greek tragedy on his hands, but he wrote it like a letter to the Penthouse Forum.
Serpico is a book that can appear dated on the surface. There are a lot of cheap shots about Serpico having long hair, for example. But the real conflict is timeless. It's a story of a moral man in an immoral society. It's A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. It's also HIGH NOON. But there's also a lot of dated stuff about Serpico the playboy, dating "a black model" and "a Swedish stewardess" and preening on how chicks dig him.
It's like the author had a Greek tragedy on his hands, but he wrote it like a letter to the Penthouse Forum.
October 17, 2025
[..] Serpico had officially ended his career as a policeman. He left the force with a disability pension and a gun permit for his Browning automatic. He decided that he would leave the country for a while to sort out his shattered life. At the age of thirty-six, he figured that he could still contribute something-somewhere, somehow. As he was walking out of Police Headquarters with his papers, another cop came up to him, as many had done following the Knapp Commission hearings, and said with great seriousness, "Gee, Frank, do you think you really changed anything? Do you think things are going to be different?"
"I don't know," Serpico replied. "It's not up to me any more. I only did what I had to do."
Serpico's leaving was a tragedy for the city, for the Police Department, and for himself. All Frank Serpico ever wanted was to be a good cop. Perhaps that was the trouble; he had wanted it too much.
"I don't know," Serpico replied. "It's not up to me any more. I only did what I had to do."
Serpico's leaving was a tragedy for the city, for the Police Department, and for himself. All Frank Serpico ever wanted was to be a good cop. Perhaps that was the trouble; he had wanted it too much.
April 27, 2011
I'm sure this book massively influenced, or at least helped create the market for the epic, dark cop movies and television shows I love. I don't care. I would rather watch the French Connection or the entirety of The Sweeney overdubbed poorly into Belarusan six or seven times straight.
The narration switches tense three times during the book without enough change in pace for the reader to realize it, fails pathetically in its attempts to make a cop into a counterculture, worldly playboy (he has a motorcycle, drinks tea rather than coffee, wears a beard, and dates black chicks. OMG.), and made me sneer at the comically square author who invented him.
The large cast of interchangeable dirty cops and indifferent administrators was more work than it was worth to sort out, and I was simultaneously relieved and baffled by the sudden, meaningless ending.
I wanted a gritty, nasty, edge-of-my seat action cop movie.
I got 3 gunfights in 300 pages, and a lot of pandering to the "look how progressive and reform-minded I am" Al Gore set.
*I just realized this is (theoretically) a true story. It still sucks.
The narration switches tense three times during the book without enough change in pace for the reader to realize it, fails pathetically in its attempts to make a cop into a counterculture, worldly playboy (he has a motorcycle, drinks tea rather than coffee, wears a beard, and dates black chicks. OMG.), and made me sneer at the comically square author who invented him.
The large cast of interchangeable dirty cops and indifferent administrators was more work than it was worth to sort out, and I was simultaneously relieved and baffled by the sudden, meaningless ending.
I wanted a gritty, nasty, edge-of-my seat action cop movie.
I got 3 gunfights in 300 pages, and a lot of pandering to the "look how progressive and reform-minded I am" Al Gore set.
*I just realized this is (theoretically) a true story. It still sucks.
January 15, 2017
I know the feeling that a person feels when he knows that he is not wanted in a particular place. I live with corruption here in my country. I is present in all the three arms of the government. The people involved keep blaming each other, comparing among themselves the most corrupt institution. The one thing that allows corruption to flourish in both the rich and poor countries is lack of political goodwill among our leaders to take action. Sometes if they do they don't put in enough effort to stop the same.
When Frank Serpico joined the police force, he was ambitious, passionate, and naive. His innocence was pricked when working in the 91st Division. The division was tainted with graft and corruption. Systematic payments to the members of yhe task force had tanished the name of most of the New York Police Departments. Members of the public had lost confidence in the people who were supposed to protect them.
Most of our institutions dont care about integrity. Corruption has become replaced it instead. Most of the public officers are asking for money in order to help those who are in conflict with the law. Prosecutors, working with police officers and some judges and magistrates engage in dubious activities which almost always leads to the release of thise who are accused of different crimes. It also leads to the delivery of favorable judgements to civil litigants.
When Serpico realises what is happening, he chooses to go against the system. He refuses to be bribed. This displeases his fellow plainclothes policemen. They view him with suspicion, suspecting him to be an informer. His efforts to raise the issues with his superiors is met with either resistance or fear of getting imvolved. The state of affairs don't change who he is. They don't alter his views towards corruption. He continues to do his work but can't make any progress.
Corruption almost always affects the society negatively. Those who are willing to speak out against it are always isolated and despised. It makes working with colleagues difficult and sometimes unbearable. When they report to their superiors who turn a deaf ear to what is being said can be just as frustrating. Most of is choose to remain silent, to live and let live in order not to attract a backlash from those who are corrupt.
Serpico decided it was time to move to yhe 7th division. With the advice of ome inspector Behan, he joined the division with the hope that things will be different. This was not to be. He soon realised that it was not just a few apples that were rotten, but the whole barrel. And when push turned to shove, he decided to testify before a grand jury. His actions resulted in the indictments of some of the officers in the 7th division. It also came with a lot of resentment from his fellow officers none of whom wanted to work with him. On his arrival in Manhattan, where he was to take up his new duties, he is assigned to work in what they term 'pussy posses' mostly dealing with prostitutes.
The situation grows to a point where Serpico is shot for his actions. Even when in hospital, the animosity from his fellow officers is not quelled. I have learnt to be or to try and be as courageous as Frank Serpico. Anything less than that is an embarrasment to me, my work, and the community. To let police officers be burglars and extortionists is very immoral. It taints our institutions and personalities. Let us be instruments of change instead of complacency.
When Frank Serpico joined the police force, he was ambitious, passionate, and naive. His innocence was pricked when working in the 91st Division. The division was tainted with graft and corruption. Systematic payments to the members of yhe task force had tanished the name of most of the New York Police Departments. Members of the public had lost confidence in the people who were supposed to protect them.
Most of our institutions dont care about integrity. Corruption has become replaced it instead. Most of the public officers are asking for money in order to help those who are in conflict with the law. Prosecutors, working with police officers and some judges and magistrates engage in dubious activities which almost always leads to the release of thise who are accused of different crimes. It also leads to the delivery of favorable judgements to civil litigants.
When Serpico realises what is happening, he chooses to go against the system. He refuses to be bribed. This displeases his fellow plainclothes policemen. They view him with suspicion, suspecting him to be an informer. His efforts to raise the issues with his superiors is met with either resistance or fear of getting imvolved. The state of affairs don't change who he is. They don't alter his views towards corruption. He continues to do his work but can't make any progress.
Corruption almost always affects the society negatively. Those who are willing to speak out against it are always isolated and despised. It makes working with colleagues difficult and sometimes unbearable. When they report to their superiors who turn a deaf ear to what is being said can be just as frustrating. Most of is choose to remain silent, to live and let live in order not to attract a backlash from those who are corrupt.
Serpico decided it was time to move to yhe 7th division. With the advice of ome inspector Behan, he joined the division with the hope that things will be different. This was not to be. He soon realised that it was not just a few apples that were rotten, but the whole barrel. And when push turned to shove, he decided to testify before a grand jury. His actions resulted in the indictments of some of the officers in the 7th division. It also came with a lot of resentment from his fellow officers none of whom wanted to work with him. On his arrival in Manhattan, where he was to take up his new duties, he is assigned to work in what they term 'pussy posses' mostly dealing with prostitutes.
The situation grows to a point where Serpico is shot for his actions. Even when in hospital, the animosity from his fellow officers is not quelled. I have learnt to be or to try and be as courageous as Frank Serpico. Anything less than that is an embarrasment to me, my work, and the community. To let police officers be burglars and extortionists is very immoral. It taints our institutions and personalities. Let us be instruments of change instead of complacency.
November 6, 2015
I'm upset I paid the $2.99 for this.....
I thought this was going to be a good, interesting read....
It was crap...
This man was so UNLIKEABLE!!! Instead of just being a cop for internal affairs (cops who investigate other cops.. The police who police other cops..) or instead of just going with his own advice, and "going with it"/"just going his own way" he had to keep bucking the system and for what?!?
-he lost his dream of being a cop, helping others, doing some good
-he might have been set up to be killed! (No one really volunteered to say they organized it/did it...
And last but not least....
- widespread corruption is MASSIVE still to this day... (We see it on every news station in the country, every night, in every city...
Depending on who you speak to, Frank Serpico is a HERO! A Martyr who was cast out by a corrupt power blind system. Or he's a idiot who just wanted to make waves, a trouble-maker. And THE cause of his own problems.....
Either way I was not impressed...
I want my 2 and a half days back......
The movie was SO MUCH BETTER!!!!
At lest Al Pacino was starring.....
I thought this was going to be a good, interesting read....
It was crap...
This man was so UNLIKEABLE!!! Instead of just being a cop for internal affairs (cops who investigate other cops.. The police who police other cops..) or instead of just going with his own advice, and "going with it"/"just going his own way" he had to keep bucking the system and for what?!?
-he lost his dream of being a cop, helping others, doing some good
-he might have been set up to be killed! (No one really volunteered to say they organized it/did it...
And last but not least....
- widespread corruption is MASSIVE still to this day... (We see it on every news station in the country, every night, in every city...
Depending on who you speak to, Frank Serpico is a HERO! A Martyr who was cast out by a corrupt power blind system. Or he's a idiot who just wanted to make waves, a trouble-maker. And THE cause of his own problems.....
Either way I was not impressed...
I want my 2 and a half days back......
The movie was SO MUCH BETTER!!!!
At lest Al Pacino was starring.....
July 7, 2020
Film's better.
June 29, 2014
Peter Maas was an American journalist and author born of Dutch and Irish ancestry in New York City, New York State USA on 27 June 1929. He died on 23 August 2001. Maas was educated at the prestigious Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Much of Maas’s writing featured crime and policing. In this book, Serpico, Maas wrote the biography of Frank Serpico who was a New York Police officer who witnessed and testified against corruption in the police service. Various other biographies and autobiographies are included on this site. They include: http://bookreviewstoday.wordpress.com..., http://bookreviewstoday.wordpress.com..., http://bookreviewstoday.wordpress.com...
When my mother was moving to a retirement apartment, she decided to off load many of her books. I picked up a few books from the pile that she was getting rid of and Serpico was one of them. I remember the Al Pacino movie from years ago and though the book might be an interesting read. Time went by and it was years before I finally got around to reading it!
However, this is a story worth reading. It is set in the late sixties which was a time of great social and political upheaval. At this time, also, corruption was rife within NYPD.
Frank Serpico was an officer in NYPD. He was a working class cop from Brooklyn born into an Italian American family. He had long hair, a beard: Serpico was an unlikely fan of ballet and opera. When he witnessed corruption amongst his colleagues he would not be silenced and could not be bought. The story was a real eye opener.
A culture of corruption had pervaded the New York City Police Department for many years. There were payoffs to the police. Members of the force took cuts from gambling rackets, drug dealers and illegal protection schemes. They were common practices. There was a bluecode of silence which protected the crooked cops from sanction. Even today, many members of the police forces across the world are despised due to the prejudice and corruption they pedal. It must be awful for those who go into the job who are good and decent. I did a little research recently, after reading this book, it really does not seem like much has changed since the sixties. We need more people like Frank Serpico in this world.
I found this a very interesting book. It may have been written many years ago, but it has a resonance for today too.
When my mother was moving to a retirement apartment, she decided to off load many of her books. I picked up a few books from the pile that she was getting rid of and Serpico was one of them. I remember the Al Pacino movie from years ago and though the book might be an interesting read. Time went by and it was years before I finally got around to reading it!
However, this is a story worth reading. It is set in the late sixties which was a time of great social and political upheaval. At this time, also, corruption was rife within NYPD.
Frank Serpico was an officer in NYPD. He was a working class cop from Brooklyn born into an Italian American family. He had long hair, a beard: Serpico was an unlikely fan of ballet and opera. When he witnessed corruption amongst his colleagues he would not be silenced and could not be bought. The story was a real eye opener.
A culture of corruption had pervaded the New York City Police Department for many years. There were payoffs to the police. Members of the force took cuts from gambling rackets, drug dealers and illegal protection schemes. They were common practices. There was a bluecode of silence which protected the crooked cops from sanction. Even today, many members of the police forces across the world are despised due to the prejudice and corruption they pedal. It must be awful for those who go into the job who are good and decent. I did a little research recently, after reading this book, it really does not seem like much has changed since the sixties. We need more people like Frank Serpico in this world.
I found this a very interesting book. It may have been written many years ago, but it has a resonance for today too.
June 16, 2019
Film je ipak bio bolji.
May 19, 2026
Strong start for my phinney post monthly book box. I never would have picked this up on my own, but i really enjoyed it. Crazy how some things never change, huh
August 7, 2023
Il ventitreenne Frank Serpico ha sempre avuto un sogno, quello di diventare un Detective, una volta entrato nella polizia peró si sconterà ben presto con un mondo corrotto a tutti i livelli.
Ingaggerà allora una lotta per far trionfare i valori per cui lo stesso aveva scelto di diventare un uomo di legge ma la strada non sarà per nulla in discesa.
"Serpico" è un romanzo biografico scritto dal saggista e reporter Peter Maas e pubblicato nel 1973, sulla figura del poliziotto italo-americano Frank Serpico.
Il racconto, sviluppato sottoforma di romanzo pur se narrante fatti realmente accaduti, prende il via dall’agguato occorsogli il 3 Febbraio 1971 e offre al lettore, a ritroso, la vita, lavorativa e non, del protagonista, dal suo arruolamento nel 1953, a soli ventitré anni nella polizia di New York, ai vari trasferimenti nei diversi dipartimenti sino al novantesimo dove toglierà gli abiti da poliziotto e indosserà quelli in borghese, sarà qui peró che farà i conti per la prima volta con una situazione di corruzione dilagante, amaro risveglio per un giovane dai forti ideali.
Il romanzo, dal ritmo sostenuto e scritto con semplicità ma capace di appassionare proprio perchè non si sofferma in tecnicismi fini a se stessi, entrerà subito nel vivo, narrando le traversie e lo stigma vissuti da un uomo che faceva dei valori etici e morali il cardine portante del suo lavoro, fra spaccati di vita privata, attività lavorative e lotta alla corruzione la narrazione attraverserà più di tredici anni di carriera di un uomo che a scapito della carrierà ha combattuto ed è diventato simbolo, per molti, di rettitudine e onestà.
Un romanzo avvincente che non farà staccare dalle pagine il lettore.
Ingaggerà allora una lotta per far trionfare i valori per cui lo stesso aveva scelto di diventare un uomo di legge ma la strada non sarà per nulla in discesa.
"Serpico" è un romanzo biografico scritto dal saggista e reporter Peter Maas e pubblicato nel 1973, sulla figura del poliziotto italo-americano Frank Serpico.
Il racconto, sviluppato sottoforma di romanzo pur se narrante fatti realmente accaduti, prende il via dall’agguato occorsogli il 3 Febbraio 1971 e offre al lettore, a ritroso, la vita, lavorativa e non, del protagonista, dal suo arruolamento nel 1953, a soli ventitré anni nella polizia di New York, ai vari trasferimenti nei diversi dipartimenti sino al novantesimo dove toglierà gli abiti da poliziotto e indosserà quelli in borghese, sarà qui peró che farà i conti per la prima volta con una situazione di corruzione dilagante, amaro risveglio per un giovane dai forti ideali.
Il romanzo, dal ritmo sostenuto e scritto con semplicità ma capace di appassionare proprio perchè non si sofferma in tecnicismi fini a se stessi, entrerà subito nel vivo, narrando le traversie e lo stigma vissuti da un uomo che faceva dei valori etici e morali il cardine portante del suo lavoro, fra spaccati di vita privata, attività lavorative e lotta alla corruzione la narrazione attraverserà più di tredici anni di carriera di un uomo che a scapito della carrierà ha combattuto ed è diventato simbolo, per molti, di rettitudine e onestà.
Un romanzo avvincente che non farà staccare dalle pagine il lettore.
July 19, 2008
In tracing one man’s career in NYPD, Peter Maas is able to construct an impressive diagram of a large police department’s workings. Or, more specifically, its failings.
The research involved and the effort in organizing that research into a coherent book are staggering. If, along the way, Maas occasionally sees things too simply, it’s forgivable.
Frank Serpico was a rarity: an honest policeman who realized his loyalty should lie with the public he was paid to protect, not with cops who profited from misery. Years of trying to effect changes in-department slowly left the bearded officer from the Village more and more jaded until, finally, four badges walked side-by-side to enact unprecedented public disclosure.
Serpico’s story is a triumph of moral courage, the telling of his story a triumph of journalism.
The research involved and the effort in organizing that research into a coherent book are staggering. If, along the way, Maas occasionally sees things too simply, it’s forgivable.
Frank Serpico was a rarity: an honest policeman who realized his loyalty should lie with the public he was paid to protect, not with cops who profited from misery. Years of trying to effect changes in-department slowly left the bearded officer from the Village more and more jaded until, finally, four badges walked side-by-side to enact unprecedented public disclosure.
Serpico’s story is a triumph of moral courage, the telling of his story a triumph of journalism.
January 17, 2014
This is one of the few books that was tracked as a movie, very closely. It was a bit startling to read how grimy life in the 60s and 70s in New York was. The gritty dirty life of a police officer, especially one who wanted to be so clean and unadulterated was amazing.
It is also clear that for all his above the take attitude Frank Serpico was no saint. His treatment of women and others who did not agree with him was pretty grim in its own right. The writing didn't make him a sympathetic character. Maybe it did in its time, but so many mores and characteristics of society have evolved beyond the 70s.
It is also clear that for all his above the take attitude Frank Serpico was no saint. His treatment of women and others who did not agree with him was pretty grim in its own right. The writing didn't make him a sympathetic character. Maybe it did in its time, but so many mores and characteristics of society have evolved beyond the 70s.
April 3, 2012
I have always been fascinated with police undercover work. This is the book to read! The Genesis of the undercover testament. The book is by far better than the movie. Although the movie was great in its own right it could not provide the insight that the book does. I highly recommend reading the book and then rent the movie. It really puts the highly dangerous, but effective undercover police work into perspective.
June 16, 2020
Read in 1973. Good cop turns on the bad cops and pays the price. Riveting and edgy. Pacino did the movie.
March 30, 2026
This was an arduous read. I'm uncertain as to whether the subject matter was poorly covered by Peter Maas, or if Serpico's story is less interesting than I had previously thought, but whatever the reason, this was difficult to get through.
Maas does Serpico a disservice by portraying him as self-righteous, and almost pompous, which contradicts what we are supposed to believe about his personal character. There are many portions of this book that are sluggish and over detailed, where, curiously, others are rushed through. Through the stream of seemingly endless names of the folks that Serpico encounters during his time at the NYPD, we also get vivid descriptions of these people ("... they were confronted by a swarthy, squat man with no neck, just a round head perched on top of his paunchy little body."), while getting zero information about other events in Serpico's life that are important, like a brief paragraph mentioning a failed relationship with a woman Serpico wanted to marry, sandwiched between the physical descriptions of chunky Italian bar owners.
Disappointing.
Maas does Serpico a disservice by portraying him as self-righteous, and almost pompous, which contradicts what we are supposed to believe about his personal character. There are many portions of this book that are sluggish and over detailed, where, curiously, others are rushed through. Through the stream of seemingly endless names of the folks that Serpico encounters during his time at the NYPD, we also get vivid descriptions of these people ("... they were confronted by a swarthy, squat man with no neck, just a round head perched on top of his paunchy little body."), while getting zero information about other events in Serpico's life that are important, like a brief paragraph mentioning a failed relationship with a woman Serpico wanted to marry, sandwiched between the physical descriptions of chunky Italian bar owners.
Disappointing.
December 17, 2022
Most Americans want to like the police. It’s just that so many of us have had bad experiences with them and that makes it difficult. If you grow up in a city, especially one with a moderate or high crime rate, you will learn not to trust the cops from a young age. For most of us, it starts in our teenage years. It’s even worse if you aren’t white or dress somewhat unconventionally. Yes we’ve all heard it said that not all police are bad and it’s unfair that a few bad ones tarnish the reputation of the whole institution. We all know that’s true. That line of reasoning doesn’t go so far when you get harassed, surveilled, and bullied on a weekly basis by the jerks in blue when you aren’t doing anything worse than walking to the corner grocery store or going to school. All that is just surface level annoyance though. There are deep problems with corruption in polic forces all across the country; NYPD is especially notorious for playing dirty, taking graft for allowing gambling, prostitution, drug dealing, and all kinds of crime. This isn’t something the media made up; any New Yorker will tell you it’s real and many of them know from experience.
Then a man like Frank Serpico comes along and tries to blow the whole rotten pustule open for all to see, but in his case, the little that got seen did nothing to stop the rot which was feeding on all levels of the law enforcement system. Peter Maas’s Serpico: The Cop Who Defied the System gives the full run down on this singularly courageous man who tried to fix what had gone wrong. Written like a novel, it is a compelling biography that succeeds because he makes the protagonist a character that is easy to relate to.
Frank Serpico, like so many other great Americans, was the son of immigrants. His family were hard-working Neapolitans who came over from Italy. As a boy he developed a precocious interest in guns and a fascination for police which was partly influenced by their heroic portrayals in the movies and television. He also loved reading and developed an intellectual side that is rare among people who seek employment as police officers, most of which tend to be blue collar with low levels of education.
When Serpico realized his dream of becoming a cop, he exceeded in his duty, courageously making arrests that other policemen were too lazy or scared to get involved with. He immediately became an outsider on the force, not only because of his desire to be the best, but also because he started to see all the corruption; his partners routinely accepted bribes and many of them found places to sleep when they should have been out patrolling the streets. Even worse, Serpico grew a beard and long hair and began looking a little too bohemian for the other cops who thought he was gay or else some kind of hippie radical.
After being transferred to different departments, the corruption got even worse. He realized that the NYPD were actively working with criminals and encouraging crime for the sake of taking bribes. Many of these cops even chose their jobs for that reason alone. This was nothing new; the number of men seeking employment as cops during the Prohibition era spiked for the exact same reason, for example. When Serpico tried to fight the corruption by taking his case to the highest levels of the police department, he was met with nothing but cold shoulders. He eventually took his story to the media and testified in court on the issue of police corruption, but very little was done to stop the problem. Then during a drug bust gone wrong, he got shot in the face. Although he survived, there were sympathy cards he received in the mail from members of the police force who said they wished he had died.
This is a very accessible and visually stimulating book. What really works though is the way the author makes you feel Serpico’s frustrations and disappointment. You know from the start that Serpico will lose but the writing style really brings you close to his emotions and states of mind. The downside of this descriptive writing is that at times Peter Maas veers into purple prose with excessive use of adjectives that becomes slightly annoying. And while the anecdotes about Serpico’s early years as a cop are true, Maas writes about him as if he is a superhero, larger than life and a little cartoonish as he fights for truth, justice, and the American way. It comes off as too good to be true, even though those stories are true. Fortunately, these weaker parts of the writing are at the beginning of the story and don’t continue all the way through.
Serpico is a great book. In fact it was so great that it got made into a classic movie starring Al Pacino around the peak of his career in the 1970s, which is one hell of a credential. The book is somewhat better because Peter Maas makes Serpico so easy to relate to. If you have ever had big dreams of doing something great and then getting disillusioned after you got there, this biography will strike a cord with you. You don’t have to be an honest police officer to relate to Frank Serpico. I myself have been a teacher for twenty years and my experiences with the educational system have been similar to what he went through. I reached a point where I no longer want to have anything to do with such a dirty business. Frank Serpico’s dream was to work for a police force in which the bad cops feared the good cops and what he found was something the opposite way around. He failed in his mission but that fact that he tried is enough to restore a dash of faith in humanity. At least there are some people out there who want things to be right. Frank Serpico was heroic and that is why his story deserves to be remembered.
Then a man like Frank Serpico comes along and tries to blow the whole rotten pustule open for all to see, but in his case, the little that got seen did nothing to stop the rot which was feeding on all levels of the law enforcement system. Peter Maas’s Serpico: The Cop Who Defied the System gives the full run down on this singularly courageous man who tried to fix what had gone wrong. Written like a novel, it is a compelling biography that succeeds because he makes the protagonist a character that is easy to relate to.
Frank Serpico, like so many other great Americans, was the son of immigrants. His family were hard-working Neapolitans who came over from Italy. As a boy he developed a precocious interest in guns and a fascination for police which was partly influenced by their heroic portrayals in the movies and television. He also loved reading and developed an intellectual side that is rare among people who seek employment as police officers, most of which tend to be blue collar with low levels of education.
When Serpico realized his dream of becoming a cop, he exceeded in his duty, courageously making arrests that other policemen were too lazy or scared to get involved with. He immediately became an outsider on the force, not only because of his desire to be the best, but also because he started to see all the corruption; his partners routinely accepted bribes and many of them found places to sleep when they should have been out patrolling the streets. Even worse, Serpico grew a beard and long hair and began looking a little too bohemian for the other cops who thought he was gay or else some kind of hippie radical.
After being transferred to different departments, the corruption got even worse. He realized that the NYPD were actively working with criminals and encouraging crime for the sake of taking bribes. Many of these cops even chose their jobs for that reason alone. This was nothing new; the number of men seeking employment as cops during the Prohibition era spiked for the exact same reason, for example. When Serpico tried to fight the corruption by taking his case to the highest levels of the police department, he was met with nothing but cold shoulders. He eventually took his story to the media and testified in court on the issue of police corruption, but very little was done to stop the problem. Then during a drug bust gone wrong, he got shot in the face. Although he survived, there were sympathy cards he received in the mail from members of the police force who said they wished he had died.
This is a very accessible and visually stimulating book. What really works though is the way the author makes you feel Serpico’s frustrations and disappointment. You know from the start that Serpico will lose but the writing style really brings you close to his emotions and states of mind. The downside of this descriptive writing is that at times Peter Maas veers into purple prose with excessive use of adjectives that becomes slightly annoying. And while the anecdotes about Serpico’s early years as a cop are true, Maas writes about him as if he is a superhero, larger than life and a little cartoonish as he fights for truth, justice, and the American way. It comes off as too good to be true, even though those stories are true. Fortunately, these weaker parts of the writing are at the beginning of the story and don’t continue all the way through.
Serpico is a great book. In fact it was so great that it got made into a classic movie starring Al Pacino around the peak of his career in the 1970s, which is one hell of a credential. The book is somewhat better because Peter Maas makes Serpico so easy to relate to. If you have ever had big dreams of doing something great and then getting disillusioned after you got there, this biography will strike a cord with you. You don’t have to be an honest police officer to relate to Frank Serpico. I myself have been a teacher for twenty years and my experiences with the educational system have been similar to what he went through. I reached a point where I no longer want to have anything to do with such a dirty business. Frank Serpico’s dream was to work for a police force in which the bad cops feared the good cops and what he found was something the opposite way around. He failed in his mission but that fact that he tried is enough to restore a dash of faith in humanity. At least there are some people out there who want things to be right. Frank Serpico was heroic and that is why his story deserves to be remembered.
October 13, 2025
This story is over 50 years old & also was a fabulous movie with Al Pacino. I came across this book in one of the free bins on the street & I’m glad I picked it up. Definitely a classic still worthy today Staci the acid test of history. It still is relevant today.
I’m not a fan of Hollywood movie reboots, but in these times now this is exactly what would sell. In the 60s & 70s there was lots of corruption, just like now. Times change, people do not, it is just the clothes they wear & methods of the times change.
I’m not a fan of Hollywood movie reboots, but in these times now this is exactly what would sell. In the 60s & 70s there was lots of corruption, just like now. Times change, people do not, it is just the clothes they wear & methods of the times change.
February 20, 2022
20th of February 2022
Peter Maas wrote this classic story of the cop who couldn’t be bought called Serpico.
It’s about the New York cop Frank Serpico Who was against corruption.
It’s a recommended book by Charlie Munger because it shows how social proof and incentives work.
This is a vital book for indirect experience and wisdom.
It’s a book about moral courage and physical courage - copyright 1973 Harper Perennial Published in 2005.
Peter Maas wrote this classic story of the cop who couldn’t be bought called Serpico.
It’s about the New York cop Frank Serpico Who was against corruption.
It’s a recommended book by Charlie Munger because it shows how social proof and incentives work.
This is a vital book for indirect experience and wisdom.
It’s a book about moral courage and physical courage - copyright 1973 Harper Perennial Published in 2005.
April 9, 2018
"Only a fool, fixed in his folly, thinks he can turn the wheel whereon he turns." - T.S. Eliot
***
I've got to be honest, I ended up reading this book because I love Al Pacino movies - well, that and I am fascinated by the subject of corruption/abuse of power. Right after watching the 'Serpico' movie, I decided that I needed to read the book by Peter Maas.
(Unfortunately, I was only able to find a digital copy so I didn't get to highlight a lot of notes and had to settle for a paperback copy).
***
Most have at least heard of Frank Serpico and how he was "the cop who couldn't be bought" and was a whistleblower against a corrupt NYPD in the 1960s. Here are the things that I gained an appreciation for about Frank Serpico:
- TRUE TO SELF: He was unlike his fellow cops in many ways and did not change his style to try to fit it. He dressed differently. He did his own thing and didn't go out of his way to follow convention. He was interested in the opera and read books about ballet dancers. He lived in Greenwich Village. His wardrobe got double-takes from his peers. Serpico was a cop because he wanted to be a cop, not because he wanted to make friends.
- INCORRUPTIBLE: Serpico was surrounded by lazy and corrupt cops, but he did not sink to their level. For example, many cops were "cooping" (sleeping on the job), especially during the winter months. Serpico did the right thing, stayed awake, and did his job. Many of his peers were corrupt and took a cut of proceeds from illegal business dealings such as gambling and racketeering. From the very beginning, Serpico refused to take a cut of the money, despite considerable peer pressure (and lightly-veiled threats) from other cops.
- COURAGEOUS IN THE FACE OF AUTHORITY: Serpico - likely because he felt that he had right on his side - was willing to stand his ground. He was respectful and deferential, for the most part. However, Serpico was always willing to speak his mind and to defend his stance.
- PERSEVERANCE: Serpico reported corruption on numerous occasions, but he found very few allies and almost none of his superiors lifted a finger to help him fight the corrupt system. Most of us would not keep fighting against the odds for years. He did this all in the face of ostracism, threats, and challenges to his career.
- SAW THE BIG PICTURE: Serpico understood that busting a few bad cops would not really change anything. He clearly saw that in order to have real impact, the corruption would have to be fought at the highest levels. To take this idea of seeing the big picture a step further, in the afterword of the book, written by Frank Serpico, he shares a good quote from Albert Einstein who spoke from his death bed: "I am just Energy and I am Indestructible."
After seeing the 'Serpico' movie, and reading the Peter Maas book, I happened to also notice that there was a 2017 documentary called 'Frank Serpico'. I watched the documentary and it provided some color and context to Serpico's story. The real Serpico played a prominent role in the documentary and he re-visits many of the people and places from his life.
After seeing the documentary, I found myself thinking about a few key concepts regarding corruption and abuse of power:
- MEDIA: First, I thought about the role that the media plays in shining light on corruption. After years of getting nowhere by working within the system, Serpico ultimately decided to go to the New York Times. After he and a colleague spoke with the reporters, the dam burst and things happened very quickly. The highest levels of the city government got involved, investigations were held, and men were put on trial. Without the media, Serpico's story would have never seen the light. Serpico's story took place in the 1960s. Now fast-forward to the 2000s when WikiLeaks came into existence. (After watching 'Serpico' and then 'The Fifth Estate' ( http://youtu.be/ZT1wb8_tcYU ), I notice certain concepts:
- 1) What role does/should media play in exposing corruption/abuse of power
- 2) What are the ethical considerations/lines between exposing truth and protecting sources?
- 3) How does the media challenge people's willingness to work within the system to foster change?
- WIDER IMPLICATIONS: Serpico exhibited an uncommon willingness to fight a corrupt system. One of the reasons that there was a book and a movie made about his story is that he possessed a defiant will that most of us don't have. In most instances, people who are stuck in a corrupt system will most likely:
- 1) Go with the flow and take advantage of the perks
- 2) Keep their heads down and simply try to survive
- 3) Be passive-aggressive and "throw sand in the gears" at every opportunity
The book points out that there are likely to be more people like Serpico where there is a system/culture in place that rewards/encourages whistleblowers. In his testimony to the commission investigating police corruption, Serpico stated: "The problem is that the atmosphere does not yet exist in which an honest police officer can act without fear of ridicule or reprisal from fellow officers."
***
I've got to be honest, I ended up reading this book because I love Al Pacino movies - well, that and I am fascinated by the subject of corruption/abuse of power. Right after watching the 'Serpico' movie, I decided that I needed to read the book by Peter Maas.
(Unfortunately, I was only able to find a digital copy so I didn't get to highlight a lot of notes and had to settle for a paperback copy).
***
Most have at least heard of Frank Serpico and how he was "the cop who couldn't be bought" and was a whistleblower against a corrupt NYPD in the 1960s. Here are the things that I gained an appreciation for about Frank Serpico:
- TRUE TO SELF: He was unlike his fellow cops in many ways and did not change his style to try to fit it. He dressed differently. He did his own thing and didn't go out of his way to follow convention. He was interested in the opera and read books about ballet dancers. He lived in Greenwich Village. His wardrobe got double-takes from his peers. Serpico was a cop because he wanted to be a cop, not because he wanted to make friends.
- INCORRUPTIBLE: Serpico was surrounded by lazy and corrupt cops, but he did not sink to their level. For example, many cops were "cooping" (sleeping on the job), especially during the winter months. Serpico did the right thing, stayed awake, and did his job. Many of his peers were corrupt and took a cut of proceeds from illegal business dealings such as gambling and racketeering. From the very beginning, Serpico refused to take a cut of the money, despite considerable peer pressure (and lightly-veiled threats) from other cops.
- COURAGEOUS IN THE FACE OF AUTHORITY: Serpico - likely because he felt that he had right on his side - was willing to stand his ground. He was respectful and deferential, for the most part. However, Serpico was always willing to speak his mind and to defend his stance.
- PERSEVERANCE: Serpico reported corruption on numerous occasions, but he found very few allies and almost none of his superiors lifted a finger to help him fight the corrupt system. Most of us would not keep fighting against the odds for years. He did this all in the face of ostracism, threats, and challenges to his career.
- SAW THE BIG PICTURE: Serpico understood that busting a few bad cops would not really change anything. He clearly saw that in order to have real impact, the corruption would have to be fought at the highest levels. To take this idea of seeing the big picture a step further, in the afterword of the book, written by Frank Serpico, he shares a good quote from Albert Einstein who spoke from his death bed: "I am just Energy and I am Indestructible."
After seeing the 'Serpico' movie, and reading the Peter Maas book, I happened to also notice that there was a 2017 documentary called 'Frank Serpico'. I watched the documentary and it provided some color and context to Serpico's story. The real Serpico played a prominent role in the documentary and he re-visits many of the people and places from his life.
After seeing the documentary, I found myself thinking about a few key concepts regarding corruption and abuse of power:
- MEDIA: First, I thought about the role that the media plays in shining light on corruption. After years of getting nowhere by working within the system, Serpico ultimately decided to go to the New York Times. After he and a colleague spoke with the reporters, the dam burst and things happened very quickly. The highest levels of the city government got involved, investigations were held, and men were put on trial. Without the media, Serpico's story would have never seen the light. Serpico's story took place in the 1960s. Now fast-forward to the 2000s when WikiLeaks came into existence. (After watching 'Serpico' and then 'The Fifth Estate' ( http://youtu.be/ZT1wb8_tcYU ), I notice certain concepts:
- 1) What role does/should media play in exposing corruption/abuse of power
- 2) What are the ethical considerations/lines between exposing truth and protecting sources?
- 3) How does the media challenge people's willingness to work within the system to foster change?
- WIDER IMPLICATIONS: Serpico exhibited an uncommon willingness to fight a corrupt system. One of the reasons that there was a book and a movie made about his story is that he possessed a defiant will that most of us don't have. In most instances, people who are stuck in a corrupt system will most likely:
- 1) Go with the flow and take advantage of the perks
- 2) Keep their heads down and simply try to survive
- 3) Be passive-aggressive and "throw sand in the gears" at every opportunity
The book points out that there are likely to be more people like Serpico where there is a system/culture in place that rewards/encourages whistleblowers. In his testimony to the commission investigating police corruption, Serpico stated: "The problem is that the atmosphere does not yet exist in which an honest police officer can act without fear of ridicule or reprisal from fellow officers."
August 24, 2023
Bombetta
L'autore manca di stile, ritmo e caratterizzazioni, e ricorrere al narratore onnisciente ha ulteriormente appesantito la vicenda rendendola piatta, vicenda che di per sé, invece, è una bomba.
Meglio il film, meno logorroico.
L'autore manca di stile, ritmo e caratterizzazioni, e ricorrere al narratore onnisciente ha ulteriormente appesantito la vicenda rendendola piatta, vicenda che di per sé, invece, è una bomba.
Meglio il film, meno logorroico.
December 29, 2025
Dated in some awkward ways but still pretty interesting exploration of what it's like to fight well-entrenched corruption.
April 25, 2023
An excellent book on police corruption
April 13, 2020
3 1/4 stars
August 29, 2019
Very good read, seen the movie years ago but the book is always more in depth
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