Peter Maas

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Peter Maas (June 27, 1929 – August 23, 2001) was an American journalist and author. He was born in New York City and attended Duke University. Maas had Dutch and Irish ancestry.

He was the biographer of Frank Serpico, a New York City Police officer who testified against police corruption. He is also the author of the number one ''New York Times'' bestseller, ''Underboss'', about the life and times of Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.

His other notable bestsellers include '' The Valachi Papers'', ''Manhunt'', and ''In a Child's Name'', recipient of the 1991 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime book. ''The Valachi Papers'', which told the story of Mafia turncoat Joseph Valachi, is widely considered to be a seminal work, as it spawned an entire genre of books written by or about former Mafiosi. In May 1966, Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach had asked a district court to stop Maas from publishing his book on Valachi—the first time that a U.S. Attorney General had ever tried to ban a book. Maas was never permitted to publish his edition of Valachi's original memoirs, but was allowed to publish a third-person account based upon interviews he himself had conducted with Valachi. These formed the basis of the book ''The Valachi Papers'', which was published in 1968 by Putnam.

He made a brief cameo as himself in an episode of '' Homicide: Life on the Street''.

Maas died in New York City, aged 72, on August 23, 2001.

Bibliography

*1967''The Rescuer: The Extraordinary Life of the Navy's "Swede" Momsen and His Role in an Epic Submarine Disaster.'' ; (Note: ''The Terrible Hours'' pulls material from this book.)
*1968'' The Valachi Papers'' ; filmed as '' The Valachi Papers''
*1973''Serpico: The Cop Who Defied the System'' ; filmed as '' Serpico''
*1974''King of the Gypsies'' ; filmed as ''King of the Gypsies''
*1979''Made in America: A Novel''
*1983''Marie: A True Story'' ; filmed as '' Marie'', winner of a Christopher Award
*1986''Manhunt: The Incredible Pursuit of a CIA Agent Turned Terrorist'' ; The story of CIA agent Edwin P. Wilson.
*1989''Father and Son: A Novel''
*1990''In a Child's Name: The Legacy of a Mother's Murder'' ; filmed as '' In a Child's Name''
*1994''China White: A Novel''
*1996''Killer Spy: Inside Story of the FBI's Pursuit and Capture of Aldrich Ames, America's Deadliest Spy''
*1997''Underboss''
*1999''The Terrible Hours: The Man Behind the Greatest Submarine Rescue in History'' – The story of Charles Momsen's rescue of the USS ''Squalus''.

See also

* Charles Momsen, the subject of Maas' book ''The Terrible Hours: The Man Behind the Greatest Submarine Rescue in History''

References

External links

*
*
Peter Maas obituary
''The New York Times'', August 24, 2001.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maas, Peter
1929 births
2001 deaths
American male journalists
Non-fiction writers about organized crime in the United States
Organized crime memoirists
Edgar Award winners
Writers from New York (state)
American people of Irish descent
American people of Dutch descent
Duke University alumni