The Brotherhoods

Both an insider's view and historical account, this memoir reveals the workings of the New York Police Department from the 1970s to the current day. It chronicles police corruption, organized crime, and the development of laws and task forces to battle them. Through the story of the investigation into murder/kidnapping/racketeering charges against NYPD Detectives Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito, the two brotherhoods of the NYPD and organized crime are both juxtaposed and intertwined. Dick Hill's varied intonation helps maintain interest, and the dialogue of both police and Mafia wise guys flows well. Hill gives Oldham, the lead detective who investigated the case, an authentic-sounding voice, and the result is more than a tell-all memoir as shocking betrayals of power are revealed. D.L.M. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 30, 2006
The trial of Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, two retired cops who were convicted of assisting the mafia during their long careers with the NYPD-in everything from providing information to murder-riveted New York and much of the U.S. earlier this year. Here, investigative journalist Lawson has captured the story of their downfall with the input of Oldham, the detective who caught them. Chronicling Oldham's seven-year investigation, and looking into the lives of two of the most crooked cops in the city's history, this book will fascinate true crime and mafia buffs, but is certainly vivid and compelling enough to capture a wide audience. Colorful mafia characters are a big draw, and Eppolito's strange, conflicted journey as the son of both a gangster and a cop is particularly intriguing. Because Eppolito and Caracappa remain stubbornly unknowable, however, the clearest character to emerge is Oldham himself. While the switch between a third-person account and Oldham's first person commentary could have been jarring, the detective's lengthy, articulate insights actually make the book; on his decision to move to New York twenty years ago, he explains, "I didn't want to be famous or rich. I wanted to put people in jail. The attraction for me was the crime. ...Crime was everywhere, but in New York City it was for real." Oldham's personal insight, and his keen ability to express it, makes Lawson's skillful, populist account truly riveting. Photos.