*Starred Review* 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 couple—Ruderman, short and pugnacious, and Laker, tall and gracious—began 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. --Vanessa Bush
“A riveting tale of two brave reporters who love what they do and are totally committed….engaging, down to earth and at times, very funny.” (USA Today)
“I admire Wendy Ruderman and Barbara Laker, who are not only Pulitzer-Prize winning journalists, but fearless and fascinating women.
Busted reads like a turbo-charged thriller, all the more compelling because it’s true. Pick up a copy, and you won’t be able to put it down.” (
Lisa Scottoline)
“A story that not only pounds at the door to come inside, but stands as a much-needed reminder that newspapers are and always have been and, as far as I know, always will be the bedrock of the art of journalism.” (
Pete Dexter, journalist and author of National Book Award-winner Paris Trout)
“
Busted: A Tale of Corruption and Betrayal in the City of Brotherly Love is the scorching, devastating, and action-packed story of two journalists’ journey into the dark heart of a major city.…Wendy Ruderman and Barbara Laker are true heroes…. I love this book.” (
Edna Buchanan, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author)
“
Busted is a thoroughly engaging…trip into Philadelphia’s underworld, where cops prey on those they are pledged to protect…. Rich with character and incident, it’s a complete original, and a love letter to newspapers in their hour of dire need.” (
Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down)
“
Busted is a taut, gritty story of drug dealers and corrupt cops written with passion, fury and what Philadelphians refer to as attitude (pronounced ‘atty-tood’). Ruderman and Laker have a lot of that, which is why they’re two of the best reporters in the country.” (
George Anastasia, author of Blood and Honor and The Last Gangster)
“Busted reads like a gritty crime novel, but it is a paean to journalistic professionalism.” (
Michael Smerconish, columnist, MSNBC contributor, and host of The Michael Smerconish Program on SiriusXM)
“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” (
Booklist (starred review))
“This true crime book offers an impressive, crisply told account of the reporting of a police corruption scandal that yielded a Pulitzer Prize…. The book is a tough, lively lesson in how doing the right thing, the right way, may not be enough.” (
Publishers Weekly)
“Ruderman and Laker provide a welcome addition to the shelves of books about the mechanics and logistics of journalistic exposés . . . . [t]he narrative offers an insightful view of high-risk, high-reward investigative journalism.” (
Kirkus Reviews)
“Prevailing against threats, intimidation, and the impending bankruptcy of their newspaper, [Ruderman and Laker]…tell a story of a city the tourists seldom see.” (
Booklist Online)
“As investigative reporters for the Philadelphia Daily News, this writing duo won a Pulitzer Prize for their series on police corruption in Philadelphia. The story starts with Benny Martinez, a drug informant…. It ends by exposing the dirty dealings of an elite narcotics squad.” (
Houston Chronicle, “10 Books Worth Reading in 2014”)
“[A] gritty, honest, often surprisingly funny book.” (Philadelphia Weekly)