Product Description
Seldom has the netherworld of the mafia been revealed with such fascinating detail and sheer suspense. Like the classics of the genre-from The Godfather to The French Connection to Wise Guy-Takedown leads us to the inner ring of a conspiracy of corruption and terror that held the city in its grip for nearly fifty years.

Rick Cowan was a young NYPD detective in 1992 when he dropped by a Brooklyn waterfront warehouse to investigate a recent fire bombing-only one in a string of interviews he considered routine. But what he found there was far from routine, for it would take him on a five-year odyssey and nearly cost him his life. In fact, he had stumbled upon the lead of a lifetime-the suspicion that he might unearth the hard evidence police and federal agencies alike had been chasing for decades: the proof of collusion among the mob families to extort billions from the nation's most influential corporations that call New York their home.

Featuring eccentric, larger-than-life New York characters and an undercover cop on the brink of being discovered-and murdered-at every step, Takedown is a riveting real-life procedural and one of the most important investigative books of the season. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Fine work!
I seldom encounter a book of this kind with this much quality. Over the years I must have read every book dealing with organized crime. From the ones that later turn into movies to all the rest. I prefer non fiction but I must admit that once or twice I have read also fiction, such as the Godfather by Mario Puzo. What differentiates this particular book from most of the others is the voice of the narrator. One gets the feeling almost right away that this is no Hollywood tale. I found the book on a used book store and even though it had no endorsements (like a lot of books do) I bought it for the grand amount of .25c. Little did I know I had stumbled onto a superior book of its kind. The authors are truly on the mark with this one. The police office that went undercover has to be one of the most realistic personages I have encountered. The whole story rings true and the emotions of the narrator coincide so often with my very own I couldn't help but to like him as I read along. What a rare find! It had slipped through my radar all these years but my perseverance on keeping my eyes open for non fiction paid handsomely! Simply put: this is one great book. There are so many aspects that I like about this book I am not going to pretend to be able to present them here. Sufficient for me to say that every single page of this book seems better than the one before. 5 Stars for one tough, entertaining and informative book about the New York Mafia.

Straight forward, good read
The author does a great job giving you just the meat and potatoes.Moves along quickly. If you are looking for a Mob life glorification piece this isn't it.

The Gambino and Genovese Families take a hit.
As the author and undercover detective tells us, garbage collecting was one of the chief money makers of the five families of New York.Most of the major garbage collection companies did not want to enter this market because of intimidation by the Mob.However, the author was in the right place at the right time and managed to infilitrate the racket.What he found were the equivalent of the Sopranos controlling a major business activity in the New York market.They beat up people, charged high prices, and did not add anything to the garbage service.The result was high priced garbage with little service for individuals and companies.In fact, the garbage haulers argued among themselves for lucrative accounts but were not price competitive.The detective author got incriminating evidence that indicted the Mob families and caused this business to fall from the Mob's grasp.

This is a great story about crime and garbage.One understands a little more about how the five families corrupted individual businesses in the New York area.

Awesome Book, Great Detective! Excellent UC
I just finished reading this book, and i could not put it down!This is one amazing book, i highly recommend this to anyone who wants to hear a true account of a courageous undercover detective who infiltrated the mob.All true, amazing work by Rick and the NYPD. A must have! "It's in there" everything Rick was involved in, is in there!

A fast engaging read
An unbelievable yet true story that kept me engaged, too engaged for my wife on our cruise! I highly recommend for vacation reading. ... Read more