Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa were New York police officers with part-time jobs as hit-men for the Mafia. Caracappa was a morose and taciturn character; Eppolito was a fat, flamboyant fellow who had the gall to publish a memoir titled MAFIA COP. Their downfall began when the Lucchese godfather Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso offered them up to the FBI as an attempt to get out of a life prison sentence. It took a decade, however, for the police to put together their case, with detective William Oldham playing a major part. THE BROTHERHOODS, written by crime reporter Guy Lawson in conjunction with Oldham, tells the tabloid-ready story, and its 528 pages are packed with gritty details. Though ostensibly focusing on the Mafia cops, some of the most fascinating sections revolve around Oldham and the weird, often lawless, world of the police. Readers will be familiar with tales of greasy mobster villains, but the corruption in the NYPD might give them a few shivers.