The Vendetta: FBI Hero Melvin Purvis's War Against Crime, and J. Edgar Hoover's War Against Him

by Alston W. Purvis

Book Overview

By the end of 1934 Melvin Purvis was, besides President Roosevelt, the most famous man in America. Just thirty-one years old, he presided over the neophyte FBI's remarkable sweep of the great Public... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586483013
• ISBN13: 9781586483012
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: PublicAffairs
• Length: 363 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Insider's View of Crime, Punishment, and Personal Ramifications

This is a candid, no-holds-barred, insider's expose of the search for and killing of America's most famous criminal of the Roaring Jazz Age by one of the sons of America's foremost G-Man. The critical and doomed relationship of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI's most famous Agent, Melvin Purvis, makes for a book that is difficult, if not impossible, to put down and, certainly, ever to forget.

little mel redeemed

i always found it interesting to find out what was in the pockets of criminals when they were gunned down.in dillingers' case 7.70,not a lucky number for him but according to purvis,lucky for someone. the police who riffed through the pockets of dillingers' corpse,definitely hit the jackpot,and to leave an extra seven cents would be too obvious.Purvis gives a name of who probably ended up with dillingers' bankroll,and the book is loaded with insider type details like this. i was surprised at finding out the "shoestring budget" of the FBI,when it was originally founded,no wonder hoover was so edgy. J Edgar was trying to project the image of a FEDERAL MONOLITH backed up by 20th century science in the capture of dillinger. When little Mel Purvis pointed out that it was Ana Sage,an informer, who broke the case,Hoover hit the roof.After all,money and a woman was the oldest way of capturing a crook and used since time began.Mel---just not a team player---according to Hoover,although Alston Purvis proves pretty convincingly,that little mel was.Any leak to the press or headline stealer attempt was blamed on Purvis by Hoover.Hoover however was too quick to ignore the fact that the press doesn't take "no" for an answer and sometimes will even invent stories if they can't find one.It seemed that Hoover was trying to make the FBI,a mysterious powerful entity and he didn't want a "face" on it especially little mel's,but Hoovers tactics seem petty and vindictive. There is also alot of insight into the private lives of police in this book.It is an honest look at an American family.

Amazing truthful account

This wonderful book is the history of Melvin Purvis' rise and fall as it really happened from the foremost authority--his son. Alston does a tremendous job of covering all aspects of Melvin's personal and professional conflicts. The writing is very detailed, a bit dry at times, but just as things get a bit too dry Alston whops you with major change in the story, a turning point that keeps you turning the pages for more. This book is perfect for anyone who loves true crime, american history in the 20th century, or just a great american story.

An American Agent and His Son

J. Edgar Hoover's FBI made its reputation in the gang-busting days of the 1930s as, one-by-one, bank robbers like Dillinger and "Pretty Boy" Floyd were riddled with bullets and shorn of their false glamour and public sympathies were redirected to the forces of law and order. One of the most active, and certainly the best known, of the Justice Department sleuths was ace G-man Melvin Purvis. His popularity bruised the jealous ego of the Director, his former friend and mentor. Hoover drove Purvis from the Bureau, erased him from its official history, and spent the next twenty-five years sabotoging him in his post-FBI career and making his life miserable. This was how Hoover repaid the loyal service of the man he'd once promised, "Get Dillinger and the world is yours." Alston Purvis gives a wonderful personal account of his father's heroic life, in and out of the Bureau, enhanced by details from Melvin's own records, FBI reports, and the recollections of Doris Lockerman, Purvis's still-spritely secretary from the "Dillinger Days." More than a personal memoir, the gangster era is told in exciting and accurate detail and popular myths are disspelled. And at long last we have the likely truth behind the tragic mishap that cost Melvin Purvis his life.

Wow!!! Finally the truth comes out!

This new book called "The Vendetta" by Alex Tresinowski (People magazine writer) and Alston Purvis (Son of FBI agent Melvin Purvis) finally gets to the truth of the matter. Melvin Purvis, once the FBI's once famous agent, tragically took his own life, several years after leaving the FBI. This new book tells of Hoover's 25-year smear campaign against his once right-hand man, who simply was getting more publicity than Hoover. Due to this tactic by Hoover, few people remember Melvin Purvis, according to his son. This book tells the story of Melvin's crime-figting career and details his manhunts of America's one time "Public Enemies," during the years of the "Great Depression." Most importantly the last hours of John Dillinger's life at the Biograph theatre in Chicago are described in detail. The authors write a fasinating story, which prepares the readers to accept the son's premise that Hoover's own jealously of Melvin Purvis haunted Purvis the rest of his life. This book finally gives Melvin Purvis the accolades he so richly deserves. I would recommend it to all readers. Mike Koch, Author of "The Kimes Gang."