Book Description

In this true crime novel, a respected NBA referee reveals his clandestine past infiltrating organized crime for the New Jersey State Troopers. Soon after joining the New Jersey State Troopers in 1973, Delaney was offered a tantalizing undercover assignment: to infiltrate the Mob. And so he became Bobby Covert, the president of Alamo Trucking, a fully-operational business used by law enforcement as flypaper for snagging wise guys. While wearing a wire, Delaney dealt daily with mobsters who modeled themselves after their on-screen counterparts (at the height of The Godfather’s popularity), and even crossed paths with Joe Pistone, the real-life Donnie Brasco. After three tense years playing a role in which a single slip could cost him his life, Delaney had gathered enough evidence to convict more than thirty members of the Genovese and Bruno crime families. Struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder from the strain of his undercover life, Delaney began officiating high school and intramural basketball games as a way to rebuild his life, eventually working his way up to the NBA, where he has been a referee for over two decades. This is his amazing true story. Praise for Covert One of USA Today’s Best Books of the Year Featured on ESPN, NPR and CNN “A mob-infiltration memoir for the Sopranos age.” —The New York Times “Delaney’s story . . . becomes more intense than overtime in the playoffs.” —Boston Globe “Delaney’s heroic performance during his perilous assignment represents the finest traditions of the New Jersey State Police. My father, the first superintendent of the New Jersey State Police Department, would have been proud of him.” —General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. Army (ret.) “Gripping . . . Fans of such undercover-themed books as Donnie Brasco, or organized-crime exposés like The Valachi Papers, will devour this one.” —Booklist “Fascinating . . . a must-read.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A slam dunk, a bull’s eye and any other glowing mafia or basketball metaphor you can think of.” —Kirkus Reviews