Peter Maas was born in New York on June 27, 1929. He graduated from Duke University in 1949 and served in the U. S. Navy during the Korean War. After the war, he became a journalist and wrote for such magazines as Collier's, Look, Saturday Evening Post, and New York Magazine.
His nonfiction works include Marie, Manhunt, and Underboss. The Valachi Papers and Serpico were adapted into films. He died on August 23, 2001 at the age of 72.
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