Serpico

About this book

The biography of NYPD Officer Frank Serpico. The 1960s was a time of social and generational upheaval felt with particular intensity in the melting pot of New York City. A culture of corruption pervaded the New York Police Department, where 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. Into this maelstrom came a working class, Brooklyn-born, Italian cop with long hair, a beard, and a taste for opera and ballet. Frank Serpico was a man who couldn't be silenced -- or bought -- and he refused to go along with the system. He had sworn an oath to uphold the law, even if the perpetrators happened to be other cops. For this unwavering commitment to justice, Serpico nearly paid with his life.

Themes & subjects

About the author

Peter Maas

27 June 1929 – 23 August 2001

Peter Maas was an American journalist and author. He was born in New York City and attended Duke University. Maas had Dutch and Irish heritage. He was the biographer of Frank Serpico, a New York City Police officer who testified against police corruption. Wikipedia Born: June 27, 1929, New York City, NY Died: August 23, 2001, New York City, NY Movies: Serpico, The Valachi Papers, King of the Gypsies, Marie Children: John-Michael Maas Spouse: Audrey Maas (m. 1962), Suzanne Maas (m. ?–2001)