The Brotherhoods

The True Story of Two Cops Who Murdered for the Mafia

By: Guy Lawson, William Oldham

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 24 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The Brotherhoods is the chilling chronicle of the shocking crimes of NYPD detectives Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito, notorious rogue cops convicted in April 2006 of the ultimate form of police corruption-shielding their acts behind their badges while they worked for the mob. Their crimes included participation in the murders of at least eight men, kidnapping, torture, and the betrayal of an entire generation of New York City detectives and federal agents.

"One of the most spectacular police corruption scandals in the city's history," proclaimed the New York Times in its front-page coverage of the verdict. This gripping, true-life detective story is remarkable for its psychological intrigue, criminal audacity, and paranoid, blood-soaked fury. Written by prize-winning journalist Guy Lawson and William Oldham, the brilliant detective who quietly investigated the rogue cops for seven years, The Brotherhoods provides unparalleled access to the secretive workings of both the NYPD and organized crime-their hierarchies, rituals, and codes of conduct. Sprawling from Brooklyn to Las Vegas, this incredible story features wiseguys, informants, hit men on the lam, snitches, cops on the take, a crooked accountant, flamboyant defense attorneys, and many other colorful characters. Destined to rank with such modern crime classics as Serpico, Donnie Brasco, and Wiseguy, this quintessential American mob tale goes to the heart of two brotherhoods-the police and the mafia-and the two cops who belonged to both.

©2006 Guy Lawson and William Oldman (P)2006 Tantor

Amazing

everything about it was absolutely amazing. The narrator was phenomenal the story was phenomenal and it was written perfectly. Five stars No Doubt!

No heroes here

It would seem disingenuous to lavish praise on a half-bent cop reveling in the part he played in trying to take down fully crooked cops. To be fair, the book does shine a light, though no great revelation, on the hypocrisy of police, the reluctance of policing themselves, and lack of self-awareness in those cops who think they are actually "the good ones". Almost unintentionally, the book acknowledges how unimportant actual justice is in their professional objectives. Willing to look the other way for police corruption is blithely rationalized as just the way it is, until the "good cop" finds his breaking point. Since this results from a betrayal to the thin blue line, it's hardly an example of moral fortitude and service to the community. Heaven forbid that, in his misguided righteousness for nailing a couple dimwitted mafia-linked cops, he should wonder how many lives were ruined, and lost, because of his lack of interest most of the time in the mundane everyday corruption.

Ok a lot a repeating and jumps around

First I love True crime but this one jumps around and doesn’t stay on subject it’s hard to follow a real disappointment

Very disapointing

This book is boring. No, mind-numbing. It has to much information about everything but the case against the dirty cops. There are tidbits if interesting, relevant information about the dirty cops but it is interspersed among the minutiae regarding material irrelevant to the telling of a good story.

"I" problem

What did this NYPD Detective do????? He continually tells us how great he is and how incompetent everyone else. He complains the "incompetent" Feds are always going for the "glory" but he goes on tilt when another NYPD officer tries to steal the glory from him.
Det Oldham was so good that after his big case his employer (Federal Prosecuting Attorney) told him to stay away from Mafia cases. He admits his own NYPD detectives had no respect for him.
For the most part his book is made up of newspaper articles and court records from cases developed by the "incompetent" feds. This guy is a petty, self promoting, glory seeking leech.

pretty good but too long

not bad but same story over and over again, Would be better if half the length.