Busted

December 2, 2013
This true crime book offers an impressive, crisply told account of the reporting of a police corruption scandal that yielded a Pulitzer Prize for Philadelphia Daily News reporters Ruderman and Laker. The authors present a conventional narrative of journalistic triumph, but contextualize their process of unraveling a web of corrupt cops in an elite narcotics unit with events of tremendous change and upheaval in Philadelphia, its police department, the local newspaper business, and in their personal lives. They weave a sympathetic portrait of a flawed drug informant protagonist and convey the excitement of unspooling shakedowns of convenience store owners by drug cops and ferreting out an officer accused of sexually assaulting women during drug raids. What keeps the book from becoming an overly familiar touting of the power of journalism to right serious wrongs is the authors’ awareness of the fragility of the whole enterprise. “The death knell of our industry seemed remote” when the authors garnered accolades, but one Pulitzer later, they have experienced job changes, a divorce, the bankruptcy of their employer—and none of the accused cops at the center of the scandal have faced charges. The book is a tough, lively lesson in how doing the right thing, the right way, may not be enough. Agent: Larry Weissman, Larry Weissman Literary.

April 1, 2014

Students of American history recognize Philadelphia as the "City of Brotherly Love." Looking beyond the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, however, this modern metropolis has a side that certainly does not foster love: prostitution, gun violence, drug dealing and addiction, and police officers terrorizing its citizens. Here Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters Ruderman and Laker of the Philadelphia Daily News gradually expose police brutality and corruption that had previously been overlooked. What began as an innocuous interview with a desperate addict-turned-informant quickly developed into a journalistic investigation of crooked narcotics police, documented by Ruderman and Laker in their "Tainted Justice" column. The authors demonstrate the fearless tenacity of dedicated journalists who risk their personal health and safety to uncover the truth. In the process, they reveal their mastery in telling a good story by balancing the raw, shady elements with humor, suspense, and references to family life. VERDICT Readers of true crime and students of sociology will especially enjoy this highly engaging read about the modern realities that plague many American cities.--Chad Clark, Lamar State Coll. Lib., Port Arthur, TX

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2014
Two newspaper reporters explain how they broke open police corruption in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Daily News reporters Ruderman and Laker deliver an All the President's Men-type book, examining their investigation of police corruption, which began in late 2008 when a law enforcement source suggested that a career criminal named Benny Martinez contact the reporters about illegal activity he had conducted with narcotics officer Jeffrey Cujdik. Martinez would identify alleged drug dealers and users to Cujdik, whose narcotics squad would raid their homes, keeping some of the proceeds for themselves. In addition, one of Cujdik's colleagues would sometimes assault women at the site of the raids. Eventually, the reporters learned of a related thread of misconduct in which his narcotics squad would burst in on retail storeowners, disabling security cameras while stealing cash and merchandise under the guise of the merchants selling drug-related supplies. Since the stories fearlessly named names, some Philadelphia cops were demoted amid citizen outrage. Ruderman and Laker disclose, however, that none of the police officers ever lost their jobs or faced criminal charges. The newspaper's investigations eventually garnered the authors the Pulitzer Prize for reporting. All the while, the newspaper was so strapped for cash that it was in and out of bankruptcy proceedings, with its very existence in doubt. In addition to chronicling their journalistic investigations, Ruderman and Laker tell their personal stories, disclosing their workaholic habits, quirky personalities and deep friendship in a breezy writing style that occasionally borders on maudlin. Despite the stylistic distractions, however, the narrative offers an insightful view of high-risk, high-reward investigative journalism, made more poignant by recent severe cutbacks in newsrooms around the country. All the President's Men it's not, but Ruderman and Laker provide a welcome addition to the shelves of books about the mechanics and logistics of journalistic exposes.

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Starred review from December 15, 2013
Benny Martinez had been a drug informant for narcotics cop Jeff Cudjik for seven years. The two men were so close in their successful snitch-and-bust enterprise that Jeff even rented a house next to Benny and his family. When they had a falling out, Benny was on the run, fearful of police and drug dealers who knew he'd sold them out. Benny turned to Philadelphia Daily News reporters Ruderman and Laker, giving them the background on hundreds of busts, many based on fabricated evidence. The reporters, an odd coupleRuderman, short and pugnacious, and Laker, tall and graciousbegan a 10-month series that uncovered widespread abuse in the narcotics unit, from the systematic looting of bodegas to sexual assault by one officer. The series irritated the FBI, in the midst of its own investigation of police corruption, and angered the police and their sympathizers as drug crimes took a toll on the city. Prevailing against threats, intimidation, and the impending bankruptcy of their newspaper, Ruderman and Laker delivered a powerful series on police corruption, ultimately earning the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. This is a gritty, true-life thriller about the intersection of policing, drug dealing, and news reporting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)