{"title":"Pete Earley","description":"\u003cp\u003ePete Earley is a renowned author and journalist, celebrated for his compelling narratives and insightful exploration into complex topics. With a career spanning several decades, Earley's works often centre around themes of justice, mental health, and personal development, providing readers with both entertainment and enlightenment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of his notable works includes \u003cem\u003eWitsec\u003c\/em\u003e, a gripping expose into the secretive world of the Witness Protection Program. In this book, Earley meticulously delves into the intricacies and challenges faced by individuals who, often compelled by necessity, must embrace new identities and lives under government protection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMuch of Earley's writing falls under the Self-Help \u0026amp; Personal Development genre, offering unique perspectives and practical advice for navigating life's complexities. His ability to weave personal stories with broader societal issues makes his work both relatable and enlightening.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor readers seeking books that challenge their perceptions and expand their understanding of personal and societal development, Pete Earley's collection is a valuable resource. His engaging storytelling and thorough research make his books a must-read for those interested in the human experience and personal growth.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"witsec-by-pete-earley-9780553582437","title":"Witsec","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor decades no law enforcement program has been as cloaked in controversy and mystery as the Federal Witness Protection Program. Now, for the first time, Gerald Shur, the man credited with the creation of \u003cem\u003eWitsec\u003c\/em\u003e, teams with acclaimed investigative journalist Pete Earley to tell the inside story of turncoats, crime-fighters, killers, and ordinary human beings caught up in a life-and-death game of deception in the name of justice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWitsec\u003c\/em\u003e: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the government was losing the war on organized crime in the early 1960s, Gerald Shur, a young attorney in the Justice Department's Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, urged the department to entice mobsters into breaking their code of silence with promises of protection and relocation. But as high-ranking mob figures came into the program, Shur discovered that keeping his witnesses alive in the face of death threats involved more than eradicating old identities and creating new ones. It also meant cutting off families from their pasts and giving new identities to wives and children, as well as to mob girlfriends and mistresses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt meant getting late-night phone calls from protected witnesses unable to cope with their new lives. It meant arranging funerals, providing financial support, and in one instance even helping a mobster's wife get breast implants. And all too often it meant odds that a protected witness would return to what he knew best—crime.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this book, Shur gives a you-are-there account of infamous witnesses, from Joseph Valachi to \"Sammy the Bull\" Gravano to \"Fat Vinnie\" Teresa, of the lengths the program goes to keep its charges safe, and of cases that went very wrong and occasionally even protected those who went on to kill again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHe describes the agony endured by innocent people who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up in a program tailored to criminals. Along with Shur's war stories, \u003cem\u003eWitsec\u003c\/em\u003e draws on the haunting words of one mob wife, who vividly describes her life of lies, secrecy, and loss inside the program.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA powerful true story of the inner workings of one of the most effective and controversial weapons in the war against organized crime and the inner workings of organized crime itself—and more recently against Colombian drug dealers, outlaw motorcycle gang members, white-collar conmen, and international terrorists—this book takes us into a tense, dangerous twilight world carefully hidden in plain sight, where the family living next door might not be who they say they are...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46869183987948,"sku":"9780553582437","price":23.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2015223482385.jpg?v=1759786405"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/pete-earley.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}