Crooks Kill, Cops Lie

by Timothy C. Richards

In the early 1980's, the St. Louis Region was controlled by the Chicago "outfit" controlled by Joey (Doves) Aiuppa. Joey (Doves) controlled all of the labor locals and most of the trade unions.
He had considerable clout within local and state government due to union financial support of local politicians.
Joey (Doves) guys in charge in St. Louis (John Vitale and Tony Giordano) became sick and old and the young guns in the region saw a chance to take over the rackets in the region.
A Syrian family (Leisure (Paul and Anthony) decided to bomb a few of the "outfit's guys.
One good car bombing begets another. It was chaos on the streets of St. Louis.
The author was a detective in the prestigious Intelligence Unit of the police department. His job was to investigate (spy on) the organized criminals. His first hand account of what transpired in the St. Louis gang war is true and indisputable.
The book contains crime scene photos, true names, and an index. It is nonfiction true crime at its finest.

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book left me with complicated thoughts. On the one hand, I have a lot more info and names to research for a project I'm working on. On the other hand, the author seems an unreliable narrator and there's no sourcing and rarely even an acknowledgement of the year so I found myself quite frustrated trying to match up his claims with reality. He clearly has some grudges and is convinced he'd win any fight. He seemed occasionally self aware enough to recognize he was as sleazy as the criminals he was chasing but then he'd throw that emotion onto the other cops because he was better of course. It also seems as if the author hasn't shown much personal growth over the years, using very outdated language and references he didn't have to include about leering at women or other sketchy activities or language. Still, I feel like he told the narrative of the crime wave in South City between gang factions well enough.

[Jill Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the stories in this book as I remember the headlines from the car bombings that rocked St. Louis during the gangster wars. It was interesting to uncover what went into investigations to figure out the crime. I like that the author does not glorify the bad "crooks" and spells out clearly how crime permanently damages the city. I know the author did not want to use names, but I found at times his fake and belittling names of real people a little hard to follow at times.

[Andie]

Overall, good read. I enjoyed learning about the inner workings of the mobsters in St Louis. I had heard stories from my family in the past, so it was nice to be able to dig a little more in depth. What a wild time!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

St Louis Hostory

I enjoyed this book for its insight into the car bombings in the early 80’s and also the toll that the job has on the men and women in law enforcement!

[Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book because I was a young adult at the time of the events covered therein.