Mafia Son: The Scarpa Mob Family, the FBI, and a Story of Betrayal - Tapa dura

"A disturbing, jagged true-crime thriller worthy of prime Hammett, Chandler or Puzo." --"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)"It's hard enough to write without risking your life. Sandra Harmon did both in her tense, penetrating psychological portrait of the wiseguy who went right and paid the price. A true thriller in the tradition of "Donnie"" Brasco" and "Goodfellas"." --Robert Graysmith, author of "Zodiac" and "Auto Focus""An absorbing and intriguing look at a Mafia family whose violence and treachery knew no limits." --Vincent Bugliosi, author of "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder""Harmon writes well and swiftly about one of this century's most feared, duplicitous Mafiosos--Greg Scarpa, a war captain in the Colombo crime family, a man who had his eye shot out in a gun battle, a man who was so fond of shooting people that he regularly said, 'I love the smell of gunpowder, ' a man who played both sides of the fence--dedicated Mafioso, and informer for the FBI. Hell of a read." --Phil Carlo, author of "The Ice Man""A vivid and accurate account of one of the most notorious and ruthless families in the history of organized crime. Sandra Harmon has captured...the very essence of the Scarpa family in all its savage, corrupt, and murderous glory. A great read!" --Michael Vecchione, chief of the Rackets Division, Kings County District Attorney's Office "The implications drawn in this book about the FBI's fitness as a law enforcement agency--as well as its capabilities in protecting our nation from terrorism--are staggering.... A can't-put-it-down read." --Michael Levine, former DEA agent, trial consultant, and author of "Deep Cover"

The Scarpas were a Mafia dynasty led by Greg Scarpa, Sr., a man so addicted to killing that he was nicknamed 'The Grim Reaper'. His son, Gregory, Jr., worshipped him and was slowly drawn into his dark world. What no one but father and son knew was that for thirty years, starting in the 1960s, Scarpa, Sr. was an informant, working intimately with FBI handlers. For decades, his connection to the FBI protected him and gave him a virtual license to kill. But faced with arrest in the late 1980s, Greg dropped the dime on his own son. Gregory, Jr., was imprisoned alongside terrorist Ramzi Yousef. He offered to trade information on Yousef with the government in exchange for leniency, providing detailed intelligence on what would eventually result in the September 11th attacks - and more. His warnings were ignored, and he was sentenced to forty years to life in prison, where he remains. A story that gained national notoriety as a result of former FBI agent Lin DeVecchio's sensational murder trial of 2007, at which Sandra Harmon testified, this is an unforgettable tale of violence, wealth, and sex, set in a world where a man's word can be everything or nothing at all.