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 enlarge | Authors: Bob Delaney, Dave Scheiber
Creator: Bill Walton
Publisher: Union Square Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $9.95
You Save: $10.00 (50%)
New (39) Used (20) Collectible (3) from $8.80
Avg. Customer Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 8680
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.9 x 1.3
ISBN: 1402754434
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.106092
EAN: 9781402754432
ASIN: 1402754434
Publication Date: February 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New hardcover copy, pristine.
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| Customer Reviews:
 An absorbing read May 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Great biography-felt like I was there! May 13, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
An Astounding Achievement April 18, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
2 intense jobs April 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
An amazing and inspirational book. April 17, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
"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.
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