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Gangster Squad: Covert Cops, the Mob, and the Battle for Los Angeles Audiobook
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(3.01) - 268 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A harrowing, edge-of-your-seat narrative of murder and secrets, revenge and heroism in the City of Angels—the real events behind the blockbuster Warner Brothers film starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
GANGSTER SQUAD chronicles the true story of the secretive police unit that waged an anything-goes war to drive Mickey Cohen and other hoodlums from Los Angeles after WWII. In 1946, the LAPD launched the Gangster Squad with eight men who met covertly on street corners and slept with Tommy guns under their beds. But for two cops, all that mattered was nailing the strutting gangster Mickey Cohen. Sgt. Jack O'Mara was a square-jawed church usher, Sgt. Jerry Wooters a cynical maverick. About all they had in common was their obsession. So O'Mara set a trap to prove Mickey was a killer. And Wooters formed an alliance with Mickey's budding rival, Jack "The Enforcer" Whalen. Two cops -- two hoodlums. Their fates collided in the closing days of the 1950s, when late one night "The Enforcer" confronted Mickey and his crew. The aftermath would shake both LA's mob and police department, and signal the end of a defining era in the city's history.
In 2008, award-winning journalist Paul Lieberman's seven-part Los Angeles Times series "Tales from the Gangster Squad" was optioned by Warner Bros. He spent over a decade tracking down surviving members of the real police unit as well as families and associates of the mobsters they pursued. GANGSTER SQUAD is a tour-de-force narrative reminiscient of LA Confidential.
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"Paul Lieberman's journalistic but just-pulpy-enough account of the men who banded together to take down the closest thing L.A. ever had to its own Al Capone. It's a long book, but rich with details, colorful incidents, and quotes straight from the mouths of the men who lived it."
— Matt (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Robert Petkoff's young, assertive tone propels these real-life stories, and he has a knack for characterizing the blunt-talking cops as well as the streetwise gangsters
— AudioFile Magazine
Gangster Squad Listener Reviews
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" The narrative is interesting enough, and it's easy to see why a punched-up version of the story made it to the big screen. However, the book is so riddled with typos, weird punctuation, and awkward phrasing that I spent most of my reading time wondering how Lieberman, a journalist/editor, and whatever editors read the manuscript on its way to print let so many errors through to the final product. The problems were so consistently distracting that I was never fully engaged in the story, and as a result, I did not enjoy the book as much as I had hoped to. "
— Marisa, 1/27/2014 -
" Should make for a good movie. "
— Shannon, 1/27/2014 -
" Surprisingly dull given the subject matter. "
— Dan, 1/18/2014 -
" It is a great true life gangster novel about a secret group of police officers trying to bring down a mob boss named Mickey Cohen in the 1940's to 1950's. He was brought down by tax evasion just like Al 'Scarface' Capone. "
— Jonathan, 1/15/2014 -
" Very well researched, put together, and executed. Will be interesting to see how much from the book actually made it into the upcoming movie. "
— Trent, 12/21/2013 -
" This book is written in a strange way, making it a little difficult to read in places. But still an interesting read. "
— Jerome, 12/11/2013 -
" Just wasn't my taste. It was very unfocused and read like a daily beat on crime. "
— Brent, 11/18/2013 -
" Great true crime book I loved it. "
— Benjamin, 10/8/2013 -
" A bit slow to start with and it can be disjointed at times but it really gets exciting the last third of the book. "
— Mike, 8/6/2013 -
" Got halfway through it and gave up. "
— Jan, 7/9/2013 -
" I hope the movie turns out better than the book..... "
— Shandra, 6/22/2013 -
" Awesome Book, also enjoying the history of L.A. and The West Coast MOB. "
— Calvin, 6/3/2013 -
" There is a good story here, unfortunately, author managed to bury it somehow in his prose. "
— Peter, 12/16/2012 -
" I liked it. I reading about history and the mob. Good non-fiction book :) "
— Teri, 11/28/2012 -
" They don't make bad guys like they used to. "
— Maureen, 11/27/2012 -
" Slow, painfully written. Instead read LA Noir by John Buntin. All around better read. More lead up to the personalities that created and encouraged this lawless police force. "
— Lagirl, 11/19/2012 -
" Not enough Ryan Gosling. "
— Christal, 11/5/2012 -
" fantastic book! I loved it. Lieberman cares so much about this story and that really shows in The Gangster Squad. I appreciated the detail as well as the dedication to discovering the lives of these amazing men! 5 stars. "
— Sierra, 10/29/2012
About Robert Petkoff
Robert Petkoff is an actor and audiobook narrator who has won a prestigious Audie Award and multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice. He has appeared on Chappelle’s Show, Law & Order, and Quantum Leap. His Broadway credits include Sir Robin in Spamalot, Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof, and Tateh in Ragtime.