Deal with the Devil

Deal with the Devil exposes the decades-long relationship between the FBI and Mafia killer Gregory Scarpa Sr., who operated as a top informant while continuing his life of crime. The book documents how federal agents protected Scarpa as he committed murders and ran rackets for New York's Colombo crime family from the 1960s through the 1990s. Lance reconstructs this complex story through thousands of pages of FBI documents, court transcripts, and interviews with key figures. The investigation reveals a web of corruption within law enforcement and raises questions about other high-profile FBI cases that relied on criminal informants. The narrative follows parallel tracks of Scarpa's brutal criminal activities and his secret work for the FBI, including his role in solving civil rights cases in the South. Through this dual examination, the book demonstrates how the lines between law enforcement and organized crime became dangerously blurred. The book stands as a critical examination of systemic corruption and moral compromise in American law enforcement. It raises fundamental questions about the true cost of using criminal informants and the accountability of those who enable them.

Readers consistently note the depth of research and investigative reporting in Lance's examination of FBI informant Gregory Scarpa Sr. Many highlight the extensive documentation and interviews that reveal connections between organized crime and law enforcement. Readers appreciated: - Clear timeline of complex events spanning decades - Detailed source citations and evidence - Insights into FBI inner workings and decision-making Common criticisms: - Dense and sometimes repetitive details - Complex cast of characters hard to follow - Jumps between time periods can be confusing Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (324 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (168 ratings) "Reads like a thriller but backed by meticulous research" appears in multiple reviews. Several readers noted they needed to take notes to track all the players and events. A frequent comment was that the book could have been shorter without losing impact. Multiple reviewers praised the extensive endnotes and primary sources.

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🔎 Author Peter Lance spent over four years investigating this story, conducting more than 100 interviews and reviewing thousands of FBI documents 🏛️ The book exposes how Mafia capo Gregory Scarpa Sr. worked as a secret FBI informant for 30+ years while simultaneously running violent criminal operations ⚖️ The FBI and Justice Department kept Scarpa's crimes hidden for decades, even as he was implicated in at least 50 murders 🔍 Scarpa earned his nickname "The Grim Reaper" due to his reputation as a ruthless killer, yet he provided the FBI with valuable intelligence about rival crime families 🩺 Despite being diagnosed with AIDS (contracted from a blood transfusion), Scarpa continued his criminal activities and FBI cooperation until his death in prison in 1994