read between fall 1974 & spring 1975

The true story of the group called the Untouchables as written by Eliot Ness. Well worth the reading.

The Untouchables is further proof that books are better than movies (unless we're talking about Jaws). The movie was a favorite of mine; I even owned it. But it sure feels weak after reading the book. Loved reading about the raids and the need for ladders, the parade the Capone's organizations impounded vehicles, the driving around trying to lose tails and the telephone pole wire tap scene. The book even lists addresses of the warehouses storing the booze or the still locations, which appeals to the Google maps loving dork that I am. I don't often keep books I've read, but I think I'm making an exception with The Untouchables

Synopsis: the true story of the team which broke the Chicago mob as told by its leader. A great movie.

This book was so interesting

Having seen the Kevin Costner movie, I wondered which parts of the story were true, and which were Hollywood. This book certainly answers that question, and there are many interesting stories that were not included in the movie.

Eliot Ness, the leader of The Untouchables, was truly an American hero! Through his efforts, the crime lord of Chicago, was finally sent to jail for eleven years!

I think this newspaper editorial, is an eloquent summary, of Mr. Ness's quest to bring down Scarface Al Capone!

"The head of a ring, that has cleaned up nearly a billion dollars in the past ten years, whines as he sees the net closing about him. The government has charges against him, which, if proved, make Capone liable to $90,000 in fines and thirty-four years in prison.

Capone faces charges of wholesale violation of the liquor laws and evasion of income tax. The government has been building up its case for years by the hardest kind of work and in the face of grave danger to its agents.

One young federal agent getting $2,800 a year played a prominent part in getting evidence on Capone. He was threatened, attacked, offered bribes and consistently stalked, yet on he worked, content with his $2,800 a year, and his conscience. His name is no secret. Gangsters know it. He is Eliot Ness, graduate of the University of Chicago.

Capone has cause to whimper. His brother, Ralph, is doing a three-year stretch. His cousin Frank Nitti is in for 18 months. Jake Guzik, Capone's 'business manager' has been given a five-year sentence. Others of the Capone gang face prison terms.

The bigshot turns out to be just a greaseball. He tried his guns against the power of the people. He got away with it for a while but his doom was sealed the minute he started it."

I just wish his life hadn't been cut so short. Eliot Ness died from a heart attack, at his home, when he was only 54 years old!

1. Elliot Ness tries to give us a tatse of how the wicked mob grew to control Chicago and how Elliot Ness organized a small group of agents beyond corruption -- The Untouchables.
2. The book is short. The chapters are short. The sentences are short. Everything is to the point.
3. The book fills the bill. It has to be a first of it's genre. If you liked the TV series, you'll love the book.

This was an okay movie tie-in novel. The movie makes a great movie - - but this is far different from the actual book by Elliot Ness. Try reading that one.

Merged review:

This is the book. It tells the story of how Al Capone was brought down by the man who was responsible.