|
 |
|
Covert: My Years Infiltrating the Mobx$11.04
  (25 reviews)
Best Price: $19.95 $11.04
In a riveting page-turner, NBA referee Bob Delaney reveals the clandestine life he led before becoming one of professional basketball's most respected referees. In 1975, Delaney had spent only a year and a half as a New Jersey State Trooper when his superiors approached him with a tantalizing yet dangerous undercover assignment: to infiltrate the Mob. Delaney accepted, and became Bobby Covert, the president of Alamo Trucking, a fully-operational business used by law enforcement as flypaper for snagging crooks. At the height of The Godfather era, Delaney wore a wire and lived among wiseguys who modeled themselves on their on-screen counterparts, quoting lines from "The Movie" and boasting of how often they'd seen it. Delaney even crossed paths with Joe Pistone, the real-life Donnie Brasco (though neither knew the other was undercover), knowing all the while that a single slip could get him killed. Ultimately gathering enough evidence to convict 30 members of the Bruno and Genovese crime families, Project Alpha was a success, but Delaney struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and traces of Stockholm syndrome after getting too close to those he investigated. Therapy helped him come to terms with all he'd endured during his three tense years undercover, and, once a college basketball star, Delaney began officiating high school and intramural games as a way to rebuild his life--eventually working his way up to the NBA, where he has been a referee for more than two decades. This is his amazing true story, with a foreword by NBA great and current TV commentator Bill Walton.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Super book!
By A3IYAQHZVXKT9S on 2008-02-11
Honestly, couldn't put "Covert" down ! Fast paced, intriguing, and with a happy ending, although my heart was in my mouth for a good part of it ! Writing was consistently superior...all in all, an A+ book!
YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!
By A3CC3PV2SCSMC6 on 2008-02-12
This is the book that you can't put down, the one that you read all night long just to find out what's going to happen next. The words leap off the pages as if the events are actually unfolding before your eyes. It is gripping, the best combination of wonderful story and natural story-teller. It's a must-read. Get it today!
A Fantastic Read
By A1WTL7XF1CTNN4 on 2008-02-12
A young New Jersey State Trooper, author Bob Delaney, goes deep undercover in order to infiltrate organized crime at it's highest and lowest level. A true and gritty story that will keep the reader captivated throughout the entire book. Not only does Delaney give a true and closeup look at the mob, but relates how it affected him after working three years undercover. You don't have to be crime drama buff to enjoy this book. It's for everyone. A fantastic read.
RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "CURRENT NBA REFEREE HAD A PRIOR LIFE AS A "DONNIE BRASCO"!
By A1623N94C3XATU on 2008-02-18
This autobiography of current NBA referee Bob Delaney commences on April 18, 1999 at America West Arena in Phoenix Arizona. As Bob was going through his normal last minute pre-game rituals, he heard a voice from the crowd yelling "Hey Bob!"... "Hey Bob!" Delaney was now in his second decade of refereeing NBA games, and as a veteran he had developed a second skin, or an emotional armor if you will, against hecklers. NBA ref's, just like umpires in baseball learned to simply ignore the boo's and the catcall's that inevitably came with the territory. He'd heard them all: "Hey ref, get it right for once!"... "Hey ref, eat me!"... "Hey ref, your fly's open!"... "Hey ref, you suck!"... "Hey ref, don't quit your day job!"... And one of his personal favorites that rated high on the creativity chart: "Hey Delaney, I've seen better referees at the Foot Locker!" Bob had trained himself not to look at hecklers because that would only encourage them and possibly add fuel to the fire. Then the same voice from the stands yelled: "ALAMO TRUCKING!" All of a sudden every muscle in Bob's body tightened. This fan had information no average fan could possibly have. Delaney's pulse started to race and a prior lifetime of "shadowy" thunder rumbled in his head. Then the same voice yelled: "ALAMO!" Bob looked to the stands into the mega-expensive courtside seats, and the fan is yelling "ALAMO! ALAMO!" Bob looked straight at him and at first had no idea who the fan was, but "ALAMO TRUCKING" was "a loaded reference to a time almost a quarter century before, and a place nearly three thousand miles away on the New Jersey waterfront."
"Bob... it's me... Pat from ALAMO." Then the name, the face, the place and time, all came together in Delaney's hidden memory, unlocking the combination to his secret inner vault. It was Pat Kelly. Bob hadn't seen Pat for over twenty years. Not since the time Pat and Delaney had been in Federal Court testifying against the mob. Pat had entered the Witness Protection Program. Bob Delaney, had been a New Jersey State Trooper, who had given up his name, his identity, and his entire life, to go undercover as Bobby Covert, to infiltrate organized crime for almost three years as part of "PROJECT ALPHA", and had just come out of "DEEP COVER". There are two ways to go undercover in law enforcement: The first is where you go undercover but you still live at home with your family. The second is termed "DEEP COVER", and that's where you not only go undercover, but you give up all ties to your family, friends, and life as you knew it. Bob Delaney went into deep cover in 1975.
Bob arranged for someone to pass a note to Pat at halftime of the game, telling him to meet him after the game. From their reunion after the game the story flashes back to Bob's life story which begins in New Jersey where Bob was the son of a high ranking New Jersey State Trooper Officer. Bob came from a strong Irish family and they lived in a close knit Italian neighborhood. Bob was an All-State basketball player in high school and he also played two years at Jersey City State College. He was a good player at his level but he knew he couldn't go any higher, so when there was an opening in the State Trooper's he applied and was accepted. In a very short period of time Bob impressed the right people and was asked if he wanted to be part of "PROJECT ALPHA" even though it meant "DEEP COVER" and his entire life as he knew it would change. Bob, overflowing with patriotism said yes! The first thing Bob and the other members of the group did was set up a real-live trucking company, and named it Alamo Trucking. The Fed's had a slick wheeler-dealer who they had the goods on by the name of Pat Kelly, and gave him an option of working with "PROJECT ALPHA" or going to prison. Based on the beginning of this review the potential reader already knows the choice Pat made. The rest of the story is a harrowing, amazing, definition of stress and inner fortitude, that along with undying patriotism, is what makes up Delaney's entire DNA. Without giving away any more of this classic episode in crime fighting, that can easily be discussed under the same topic as "DONNIE BRASCO" (Donnie went into "DEEP COVER" for six years, the longest in FBI history.), it should be noted that the busload of high ranking organized crime arrests that resulted from "ALPHA PROJECT" made America a safer place to live. The reader will also find of utmost interest the "withdrawal" symptoms and post traumatic problems with Bob's entire personality and lifestyle once the assignment was completed. I highly recommend this book and must also complement the author's writing style that utilizes everyday jargon and terminology. The storytelling comes across like you're just sitting around having a conversation with an everyday "Jersey-Guy" which Bob Delaney certainly is.
Truth more riveting than fiction
By A1NWKWASPUKAOM on 2008-02-11
From childhood on, we all make choices in our lives, some inconsequential, others life-altering. Some of us, depending on what we're made of, make choices that are tough on ourselves but that benefit others. Often, the people who make these kinds of choices are labeled heroes.
Enter Bob Delaney. From early on, his love of family and friends and his respect for the law molded him into a person capable of self-sacrifice. A successful career as a law-enforcement officer was laid out before him, and that is unselfish enough. But Delaney took it further than that, going undercover at great physical and emotional expense to put "bad guys" behind bars. Once this complicated and dangerous deed was accomplished, no one could have blamed Delaney for going into hiding and living the rest of his life in the shadows of fear. Instead, Delaney chose to step into the limelight of professional sports and live life to its fullest.
Covert tells the amazing story of a heroic man who would claim to be anything but a hero. In Delaney's mind, he did a job that needed doing. In Delaney's world, good people fight on the side of good. It's as simple as that.
Covert is a great, thrilling read. But it's more than just a book about true crime or sports; it's a human drama. Delaney and co-author Dave Scheiber of the St. Petersburg Times create a ride that will keep you turning the pages from the time you pick up the book -- and ultimately uplift you.
To judge a man, you first have to walk in his shoes. In Delaney's case, these are big shoes to fill.
-- Jim Melvin, author of The Death Wizard Chronicles, a six-book epic fantasy
- The road less travelled.
By A1Q658R7RK78BS on 2008-02-26
From the anonymity of a "deep cover" existence to the public arenas of the NBA... Bob Delaney's life is one that is one worth reading about. This is non-fiction, real life stuff that makes The Soprano's look like The Walton's. Highly recommend this book!!
- Absolutely Flawless!!!
By A12UTXKZN1Q2WE on 2008-03-01
I started reading this book on a "red eye" flight from LA to Philadelphia. When others were sleeping, I was deeply engrossed in this book. Why? Because Covert captivates you from page one. What I particularly like was the format. The co-author sets up each chapter very nicely and Delaney takes it from there. It's as if Dave and Bob are reading the story to you. Covert isn't a only a book about setting up the Mob and later taking on a career change to being an NBA referee -- it really deals with Bob's ever changing emotions and how he deals with living essentially two lives. Strongly recommended for everyone!!!
- Covert is Best True Crime Book of the Year
By A3A6F8FXGJ2QBG on 2008-02-23
The Boston Globe had this to say:
The descriptive gifts of St. Petersburg Times writer Scheiber render these moments poignant and capture amusing occasions too: how mobsters loved the "Godfather" films and even imitated Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, how a crime boss in prison solved the puzzle of how to have sex with his girlfriend during her visits while his men shielded them from view. As Delaney's wife tells him, "Dave tells your story, not his version of your story."
In that story, basketball is the latest chapter, not the one most of this riveting book relates. Happily, Delaney says, "There are far too many NBA recollections to recount here. They'll have to wait for another book."
If Delaney and Scheiber write it, I'll buy it.
review by Andy Solomon chairs the English department at the University of Tampa.
CNN/Sports Illustrated noted:
With the help of co-author Dave Scheiber, a fine Florida-based journalist, Delaney, a former New Jersey state trooper, tells his tale lucidly and, best of all, understatedly. Delaney/Scheiber followed a cardinal rule of writing: The better the material, the more it should speak for itself. The writerly touches belong, I suspect, to Scheiber, but the blood-chilling drama about his time spent undercover with New Jersey Mafia types comes from Delaney's soul, his memory and, to be sure, a mountain of audio tapes that helped bring down the jaw-breakers and law-breakers who formed his social circle during three years of undercover work in the mid-1970s.
Review by Jack McCallum
- Covert
By A2YPV6B6HUJXDF on 2008-05-19
Great book by an author who has lived a diversified life, from under cover state trooper to NBA referee. Bob Delaney is a special guy who exposes the mob for the exploitative, amoral group of criminals they are.
Delaney tells a serious story with humor and a style that keeps the reader turning pages. I recommend this book to everyone interested in criminal justice or just a good nonfiction read.
- Fascinating Read
By A1C9ECK05KAGZM on 2008-03-02
"Covert" is an extraordinarily fascinating read about the Mob and their illegal activities in the 1970s. Bob Delaney does an amazing job setting the stage and groundwork for what, at the time, was ground-breaking work - going deep undercover into organized crime. Bob tells the story like you're sitting right next to him. The emotional and psychological rollercoaster Bob has to undertake, from transforming into another person for three years and then having to 'come back into society,' is truly an unbelievable story. I highly recommend this book.
- A better story than a book
By A3TX46J8SBZPG3 on 2008-03-24
This is really an interesting story - young state trooper gets chosen to help run an undercover front business in New Jersey to try to pull in mob guys and build cases against them. Through some good luck, his team partners up with someone well connected to the local mob who needs to help the operation to reduce his own penalties and get into witness protection. Their business works as planned and lots of good cases are made. Another Donnie Brasco style story with its own quirks and angles. Should be a great read, right?
Well, maybe not so much. In my opinion, this book falls victim to an all too common problem in the publishing business - failure to pair up a guy with a great story with a writer who can really deliver the goods in terms of retelling the story in ways that let the reader feel the tension of the real life episodes. Great writers make a reader feel and see the scenes. All great crime fiction writers can do that or they couldn't sell books. So, my suggestion to publishers - try getting someone who can write like that and use them on a project like this. Then you might be able to deliver great books when someone like Delaney brings you a great story. Otherwise you'll continue to waste first class material like this and continue to publish mediocre books like this one when much higher quality could have been attained.
- An amazing story and a well-written account!!!
By A249UJ93UF0SPB on 2008-04-07
To call it a page-turner is an understatement. This amazing story reads like a novel, but has the tone, point of view, and real life parallels that only a biography can deliver. Delaney provides a suspenseful and at times chilling account which Scheiber complements with a flow that sets up and contextualizes each section of the ever more complex and engrossing narrative. Before the reader's eyes builds an exciting story that chronicles Delaney's admirable attempts to reconcile his new assignment with his own personal values and morals. A must-read for fans of the intertwined genres, as well as for those with simply a desire to learn about the compelling life of an amazing individual. Highly recommended!
- great read
By A3EA0S94A2K2U3 on 2008-04-16
Wonderful book. I could not put it down. Absolutely fascinating to me how someone can go from such a hidden and secrative life with the mob to becoming such a public figure as a NBA referee. Would highly recommend.
- An amazing and inspirational book.
By A1921HV3QS6D6V on 2008-04-17
"Covert" is one of the most amazing stories that I've ever read. I simply could not put the book down. The true story was so descript that at many times I felt like I was right there at a "sit down" with all of the Wiseguys that Bob Delaney dealt with as Bobby Covert. I constantly had to remind myself that this was a true life biography an not a TV crime drama.
- An Astounding Achievement
By A20276G6RBB0D7 on 2008-04-18
Dave Scheiber proves once again that he is one of the most underrated journalists at The St. Petersburg Times. His writing craft combined with DeLaney's story, and penchant for giving the "wiseguys" their real voice, make for one of the best reads you will have this year. The book could easily translate into a Hollywood psychological thriller that studios couldn't make up as hard as they might try. The book really gets into DeLaney's thought processes, and he is brave enough to admit that at some point his own ethics became skewed, as he became more like "Bobby Covert," and less like Bob DeLaney.
Oh, and kudos to DeLaney for having the stones to name himself "Covert" and wear a wire in his underwear (this was the 70's - no digital anything!) to snag these knuckleheads. DeLaney and Scheiber catch the psychological profiles of how ant-social and borderline sociopathic the mob really was. Not to mention it displays how much The Godfather really affected mob life. Some of these schmucks really thought they were Don or Michael Corleone! Life imitating art.
But these were bad dudes, no doubt, and you should read about just how DeLaney in his undercover role was paired with a real crime boss, who was given the choice from the FBI of doing this undercover gig, or getting his butt tossed in prison for a long time. The tension between the two is palpable, as their faux trucking crime ring expands, but the story of their friendship and genuine concern for each other is almost - gulp - heartwarming. Yes, a true crime book with a humanistic bent, how refreshing!
DeLaney's covert role and the drudgery of police duty eventually lead him to become an NBA official. This second half of the book shines and allows Scheiber's sports writing talents to stand out. I will not give any more away. There is great comic relief in this book as well and the ending has a wonderful twist. Hopefully we will hear more from Mr. Scheiber in the near future and he will find other characters like DeLaney with amazing stories to bring to us readers.
- An absorbing read
By AHHN5O7ROGZP3 on 2008-05-15
This story of a cop who risked his life as an undercover member of the mob reads like fiction, but it's all true. In his own voice Bob Delaney tells how he played the role of Bobby Covert, doing business with ruthless "wise guys," recording on tape their words and actions, and feeding the damning data to his handlers in crime enforcement. We see his skill as an actor, his quick wit in dangerous moments, and his deep respect for the policeman's profession.
The book, by Bob Delaney and Dave Scheiber, moves at a riveting pace, revealing the interplay of rival cultures through sharp descriptions of the methods of the mafia and the methods of the law. The bad guys are finally put away after almost three years of fear and self-denial on Delaney's part. He pays a price in guilt and confusion in returning to his real nature but finds salvation in a new life as one of the top referees in the National Basketball Association. Here is an absorbing read, and I recommend it highly for anyone with a taste for adventure and an interest in human development.
- What a story, told perfectly.
By ANMACT9H0YJ4V on 2008-05-19
This book is a must for anybody who enjoys Mafia stories, but inside is so much more.
Bob Delaney has a story to tell that few people can truly appreciate, let alone relate to. The detail in the tale of his undercover life is amazing, and Dave Scheiber brings the Jersey waterfront to life in front of you. We all know what today's high-tech world is like, where you can bug a man's house from top to bottom without the slightest clue, but imagine what it was like back in the 70s, when state of the art devices were still pretty sizeable tape recorders. Bob Delaney was undercover, surrounded by the Mafia, wearing wires and carrying tape recording devices that weren't exactly nano-technology.
Hearing his depiction of the events and his life before and after the experience is an incredible privilege, and I urge anybody to read this book.
Good journalism is nothing more than the art of telling a story. Bob Delaney had a one in a million story to tell, and Dave Scheiber told it to perfection.
- This is an amazing story!
By A3CAV6VGOAJ5F2 on 2008-02-14
We readers and movie-goers think we know about undercover cops. But how does it feel to actually BE one? That's what makes this book so honest and unique. It not only tells a gripping story, it gets you into the head of the real-life man who lived it. You feel like you're right there with him, watching the police work, hanging out with the mob guys, your heart pounding. And then what really gets you is what all of that does to the human being whose life depends on keeping his true identity a secret. This is way more than a detective story. This book really brings these experiences to life. Don't start it late at night -- you won't be able to put it down.
- 2 intense jobs
By A1DYXCF4148PJT on 2008-04-18
This is really a unique book--detailing life as an undercover agent going after the jersey mob and then as a ref in the NBA.
The only fine-tuning that I could say about this is--that maybe there should have been more basketball stories and possibly the author could have 'thanked' people a little less here. there are 2 chapters of thank you's in this book which, to me, the reader, probably could care less about.
- Great biography-felt like I was there!
By A2S95HL82X7HEZ on 2008-05-13
While this is not necessarily the best biography I've ever read, it certainly is one of the most fascinating. The background and subsequent assignment of Bob Delaney to become an undercover agent for the FBI made for a riveting read into the murky world of mobsters and petty criminals. It was revealing too how Mr. Delaney was forced to deal with the unfortunate side effects from having successful portrayed a mob-like mentality for an extended period of time and the subsequent problems with duality that he suffered from his service to his country. I rejoiced with him when he was able to find new hope and joy in life by becoming a referee in the NBA even though it again put him in the spotlight. I've already recommended this book to some friends. Sporting fans, those interested in the mob and real-life crime drama as well as the general public would all enjoy this work.
|
|
You may also be interested in...
|
|
|
|
|
|
