{{Short description|American journalist and author (1929–2001)}} __notoc__ {{About|the journalist who covered mainly police and crime|the journalist covering mainly international affairs|Peter Maass}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2013}} {{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see :Template:Infobox writer/doc --> | name = Peter Maas | image = Peter Maas.jpg | birth_date = {{birth date|1929|6|27|mf=y}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2001|8|23|1929|6|27|mf=y}} | death_place = New York City, U.S. | occupation = Journalist | genre = Crime | subject = Mafia | notableworks =''The Valachi Papers'' (1968), ''Underboss'' (1997) | spouses = {{unbulleted list | {{marriage|Audrey Gellen|1962|1975|reason=her death}} | {{marriage|Laura Parkins|1976|1979|reason=separated}} | {{marriage|Suzanne Jones|1986}} }} | children = 2 }}
'''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.<ref name="mass-obituary"/>
He was the biographer of Frank Serpico, a New York City Police officer who testified against police corruption.<ref name="mass-obituary"/> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Valachi Papers Summary - eNotes.com |url=https://www.enotes.com/topics/valachi-papers |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=eNotes |language=en}}</ref>
He made a brief cameo as himself in an episode of ''Homicide: Life on the Street''.<ref>{{Citation |title=All Is Bright |date=1997-12-12 |work=Homicide: Life on the Street |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0604335/ |access-date=2025-11-01}}</ref>
Maas died in New York City, aged 72, on August 23, 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/24/books/peter-maas-writer-who-chronicled-the-mafia-dies-at-72.html|title=Peter Maas, Writer Who Chronicled the Mafia, Dies at 72|work=The New York Times|date=August 24, 2001}}</ref>
== Bibliography == *1967{{snd}}''The Rescuer: The Extraordinary Life of the Navy's "Swede" Momsen and His Role in an Epic Submarine Disaster.'' {{ASIN|B000IDBZ58}}; (Note: ''The Terrible Hours'' pulls material from this book.) *1968{{snd}}''The Valachi Papers'' {{ISBN|0399108327}}; filmed as ''The Valachi Papers'' *1973{{snd}}''Serpico: The Cop Who Defied the System'' {{ISBN|0670634980}}; filmed as ''Serpico''<ref>{{Citation |last1=Maas |first1=Peter |title= Serpico: The Cop Who Defied the System |publisher=Viking Adult |year=1973 |isbn= 0670634980}}</ref><ref name="mass-obituary">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/aug/25/guardianobituaries.books|title=Peter Maas|last= Thompson|first=Tony|work=The Guardian|date=2001-08-25|access-date=2015-05-24}}</ref> *1974{{snd}}''King of the Gypsies'' {{ISBN|0670413178}}; filmed as ''King of the Gypsies'' *1979{{snd}}''Made in America: A Novel'' {{ISBN|067044555X}} *1983{{snd}}''Marie: A True Story'' {{ISBN|0671607731}}; filmed as ''Marie'', winner of a Christopher Award<ref>{{cite book |title=The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1985 |year=1984 |publisher=Newspaper Enterprise Association, Inc. |location=New York |isbn=0911818715 |pages=415}}</ref> *1986{{snd}}''Manhunt: The Incredible Pursuit of a CIA Agent Turned Terrorist'' {{ISBN|0394552938}}; The story of CIA agent Edwin P. Wilson.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/manhunt-peter-maas/1001875933?ean=9780743452687|title=Manhunt{{!}}Paperback|last=Noble|first=Barnes &|website=Barnes & Noble|language=en|access-date=2019-03-31}}</ref> *1989{{snd}}''Father and Son: A Novel'' {{ISBN|0671631721}} *1990{{snd}}''In a Child's Name: The Legacy of a Mother's Murder'' {{ISBN|0671694162}}; filmed as ''In a Child's Name'' *1994{{snd}}''China White: A Novel'' {{ISBN|0671694170}} *1996{{snd}}''Killer Spy: Inside Story of the FBI's Pursuit and Capture of Aldrich Ames, America's Deadliest Spy'' {{ISBN|0446602795}} *1997{{snd}}''Underboss'' {{ISBN|0060182563}} *1999{{snd}}''The Terrible Hours: The Man Behind the Greatest Submarine Rescue in History'' {{ISBN|0060194804}} – 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'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/terrible-hours-peter-maas/1100539591?ean=9780061014598|title=The Terrible Hours{{!}}Paperback|last=Noble|first=Barnes &|website=Barnes & Noble|language=en|access-date=2019-03-31}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == *{{IMDb name|0530995}} *{{C-SPAN|38896}} *[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/24/books/peter-maas-writer-who-chronicled-the-mafia-dies-at-72.html Peter Maas obituary], ''The New York Times'', August 24, 2001.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Maas, Peter}} Category:1929 births Category:2001 deaths Category:American male journalists Category:Non-fiction writers about organized crime in the United States Category:Organized crime memoirists Category:Edgar Award winners Category:Writers from New York (state) Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:Duke University alumni