No episode in NYPD history surpasses the depravities of Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, two decorated detectives who covertly acted as mafia informants and paid assassins in the Scorsese world of 1980s Brooklyn.

For more than ten years, they moonlighted as the mob’s early warning alert system, leaking names of mobsters secretly cooperating with the government and crippling investigations by sharing details of surveillance, phone taps and pending arrests. The Lucchese boss called the two detectives his crystal ball: Whatever the detectives knew, the mafia soon learned. Most grievously, Eppolito and Caracappa earned bonuses by staging eight mob hits, pulling the trigger themselves at least once.

Incredibly, when evidence of their wrongdoing arose in 1994, FBI officials failed to muster an indictment. The allegations lay dormant for a decade and were only revisited due to relentless follow up by Tommy Dades, a cop determined to break the cold case before his retirement.

Led by Michael Cannell. Michael is the author of five non-fiction books, most recently the Edgar-nominated Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal that Shocked the Nation. He  has worked as an editor at The New York Times. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Time, Sports Illustrated and many other publications. 

Reading the book in advance is absolutely not required to enjoy and participate in the discussion.