5 results for "Memoir"

21: Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions [21 BRINGING DOWN THE HOUS-]

Mezrich, Ben
In the "Greed Is Good" 1980s, a group of MIT geniuses decided to break the bank at Las Vegas. Utilizing their own mathematical wizardry and large doses of moxie, these six co-conspirators legally beat Vegas' largest casinos out of more than $3 million in less than two years. Harvard University graduate/thriller author Ben Mezrich has recomposed their story, an arresting hybrid of Liar's Poker, The Cuckoo's Egg, and Ocean's Eleven . Taut action and close calls.
Free Press 2008-02-01 288 pages

The Dark Art Undercover in the Global War Against Narco-Terrorism

Edward Follis,Douglas Century
The electrifying, often harrowing memoir of a highly decorated DEA agent who targeted the world's most notorious narco-terrorists through the "dark art" of undercover operations. Edward Follis bought eightballs of coke in a red Corvette. He negotiated multimillion-dollar deals onboard private King Airs. He developed covert relationships with men who were not only international drug traffickers but--in some cases--operatives for Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Shan United Army, or the Mexican Federation of cartels. He was a master at the dark art of going undercover. And this is his story... Spanning five continents and filled with harrowing stories about the world's most ruthless drug lords and terrorist networks, The Dark Art is an incredible first hand account of Edward Follis's twenty-seven-year undercover career in the DEA--from doing street-level busts evocative of Miami Vice to using high-resolution-optics surveillance and classified cutting-edge technology to bring down narco-terror kingpins. It also closely examines how, from the early 1990s to today, the DEA underwent its own radical transformation, shifting its focus from local dealers of coke and weed to the billionaire financiers of worldwide terrorism. Every word is true, and every story is documented. A globe-hopping nonfiction thriller, The Dark Art is a page-turning memoir that will electrify you from page one.
Penguin Publishing Group 2015-10-13 304 pages

Borgata: Autumn of Empire A History of the American Mafia: Volume 3 of the Borgata Trilogy

Louis Ferrante
The explosive conclusion to Louis Ferrante’s epic trilogy about the rise and fall of the American mafia. Borgata: Autumn of Empire is the propulsive conclusion to Louis Ferrante’s epic trilogy about the rise and fall of the American mafia. Following the mafia’s golden age of prosperity—and triumphs over internal and external adversaries—we arrive at the final stirring volume of this trilogy, as the reader follows the American mafia’s descent into a murderous rampage, with lieutenants scrambling to lord over the remnants of a shrinking empire. The story picks up with men—like Carlo Gambino—who are forced to cede power to a new generation of mobsters who lack the skill to steer the mob into a new era of prosperity. The painstaking art of diplomacy is replaced by murder, which becomes the answer to nearly everything. Family values, however twisted, are supplanted by individualism. And the old-world sanctity of omertá gives way to the age of the informant. Facilitating the mob’s decline is law enforcement’s new resolve to dismantle organized crime by way of strike forces, the RICO law, and the Witness Protection Program. As a result of the legal spotlight, America’s police and political establishment shy away from bribes, and the mafia finds itself devoid of that deep layer of protection they had always relied upon. With colorful characters taking center stage—such as John Gotti, Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso, Vincent “Chin” Gigante, Joseph Massino, and Carmine “The Snake” Persico—the American mafia is ruptured by cataclysmic changes that are beyond its ability to control; one borgata is beset by civil war as another undergoes an internal blood purge, and a third is toppled by coup. Labor unions that have been under mob control for decades are suddenly lost, opportunities are squandered, top earners are foolishly murdered, and the mob is expelled from industries that took a century for them to infiltrate. This third volume of the Borgata trilogy follows the years of decline from 1975 to 2005—and is written by a man who knew many of the characters involved and experienced first-hand the external pressures and violent bloodbaths that finally sounded the mob’s death knell.
Pegasus Books 2026-04-07 432 pages

Unto the Daughters The Legacy of an Honor Killing in a Sicilian-American Family

Karen Tintori
"Nearly every family has a skeleton in its closet, an ancestor who "sins" against custom and tradition and pays a double price. Karen Tintori refused to allow the truth to remain forgotten. This is a book for anyone who shares the conviction that all history, in the end, is family history."--Frank Viviano, author of Blood Washes Blood and Dispatches from the Pacific Century "Many books are called ‘page-turners' by reviewers, but this one will truly have you glued to the turning pages for hours."-- Comunes of Italy Magazine " Unto the Daughters reads like a nonfiction version of the film Godfather II--if it had been told from the point of view of a female Corleone."--Eleni N. Gage, author of North of Ithaka Karen Tintori thought she knew her family tree. Her grandmother Josie had immigrated from Sicily with her parents at the turn of the century. They settled in Detroit, and with Josie's eight siblings, worked to create a home for themselves away from the poverty and servitude of the old country. Their descendants were proud Italian-Americans. But Josie had a sister that nobody spoke of. Her name was Frances, and at age sixteen, she fell in love with a young barber. Her father wanted her to marry an older don in the neighborhood mafia--a marriage that would give his sons a leg up in the mob. But Frances eloped with her barber. And when she returned a married woman, her father and brothers killed her for it. Her family then erased her from its collective memory. Even 80 years and two generations later, Frances and her death were not spoken of, her name was erased from the family genealogy, her pictures burned, and her memory suppressed. Unto the Daughters is a historical mystery and family story that unwraps the many layers of family, honor, memory, and fear to find an honor killing in turn of the century Detroit. "Many books are called ‘page-turners' by reviewers, but this one will truly have you glued to the turning pages for hours. It's a must read for anyone researching their Italian ancestry."-- Comunes of Italy Magazine KAREN TINTORI is a writer and journalist who lives in Michigan with her family. Karen's books include Trapped, a 2002 Chicago Tribune favorite book, and The Book of Names (co-author), among others. Visit her website at: www. karentintori .com
Macmillan 2008-07-08 256 pages

Met Police London. Terrorism, Murder and Anti-Corruption. Revelations of a London Detective Inspector. By Robert Jones B.Sc (hons).

Jones, Mr Robert
Reviews: "A thoroughly good read about a varied life leading a long police career. Obviously written from the heart the way the author thinks. Great stuff so far, will revisit my review when I complete the read" "An interesting insight into the life of a police officer charting his career from a PC through to detective inspector including a thorough expose of working conditions and attitudes in the Met between 1980 and 2005" "What an interesting life and all those things that were happening in the police, simply unbelievable" "I found this first hand 'Warts and All' thorough description of the workings of the MET in some ways shocking but also encouraging that there are senior policemen trying to improve the system and catching more criminals on the way. Highly recommended" "A proper open and honest book about an interesting life in the MET with no punches pulled. A must read!" "For those of us in the Force, this is a very insightful lens into insider fraud and corruption and opens up the mindset and lessons learned to see how justice prevails, or not the case may be. The author demonstrates resilience, steadfastness and hope in his remarkable Police journey. Highly recommended" Author's note: I was aware when writing this book which concentrates upon corruption in the Met's Flying Squad, that I would be subject to the wrath of a small number of former Flying Squad detectives once it was published. One former Flying Squad detective has given this book very negative feedback amounting to only one star out of a possible five. Content Summary: I provide instances of police practices that would not be acceptable today but were then welcomed by the public. I recount in some detail my experiences at a riot in Brixton and the successes of officers relying upon their initiative rather than direction from a remote command-centre. I and a dozen uniformed officers without any riot protection clothing, repelled over two hundred advancing rioters. From Detective Training School at Hendon, I was posted as a new Detective Constable to east London. I was confronted with serious CID corruption between a major drug dealer and my supervisor who was a Detective Sergeant. He invited me to join them in his conspiracy to lose evidence and to receive a bribe. I secretly reported this, and I was fitted with a covert listening device. Over a period of three hours, I gathered sufficient evidence to convict my supervisor at the Old Bailey for corruption. He was imprisoned. Four years later, as a Detective Sergeant, I was selected for the Flying Squad at the infamous Rigg Approach unit in east London. It was the worst period of my life. After nine months, and due to concerns for my safety, I was directed by a senior police officer at New Scotland Yard to immediately report for duty at the Counter Terrorist Command. (After lengthy covert operations by anti-corruption officers, numerous Flying Squad Detectives at Rigg Approach were subsequently imprisoned). During my six-year service with the Counter Terrorist Command, I served in both Northern and Southern Ireland. I was involved in the arrest and prosecution of many members of the IRA. I became the national lead regarding CCTV and covert video evidence. I was known by the IRA as ‘The Video King’. My final posting was at Tottenham CID in north London as a Detective Inspector. I devised and implemented a unique police CCTV system incorporating over one hundred and forty cameras which recorded 24 hours per day. This system resulted in over 600 convictions at court. The convictions were for a gang land murder, GBH and muggings. About 20% of mobile phone thefts were found to be false.
Independently published 2022-02-09 299 pages