is pulp rather than a great film). The narrative is framed by scenes involving an older, imprisoned Valachi, we're yanked back in time to see his rise through the ranks as he earns the trust of older ...

THE VALACHI PAPERS by Peter Maas. 285 pages. Putnam. $6.95. Joseph Michael Valachi looks a bit like a Damon Runyon gangster—the tough guy who really is all heart. Short (5 ft. 6 in.) and bandy-legged, ...

Peter Maas, who wrote convincingly about crooks and incorruptible cops in such best-selling books as “Serpico,” and “The Valachi Papers,” died Thursday. He was 72. Maas died at Mount Sinai Hospital in ...

Sentenced to 15 years in prison, former mob "button man" Joe Valachi (Charles Bronson) turns informant when he learns top Mafia capo Vito Genovese (Lino Ventura) has put a $100,000 contract out on his ...

When Joe Valachi (Charles Bronson) has a price put on his head by Don Vito Genovese (Lino Ventura), he must take desperate steps to protect himself while in prison. An unsuccessful attempt to slit his ...

American author Peter Maas was probably best know for The Valachi Papers - an account of the brutal career of Joseph Valachi, a Mob soldier who decided to become a police informant. Valachi's ...

For two weeks the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations received instructions in the organization of American crime from an experienced crook, Joseph Valachi. The Senators' desire to expand ...