The Untouchables (book)
| Company type | Memoir |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | Eliot Ness, Oscar Fraley |
| Products | Book |
The Untouchables is a memoir recounting the life of Eliot Ness, co-authored with Oscar Fraley and released in 1957. This work details Ness's role as a federal agent within the Bureau of Prohibition, where he led a group of incorruptible officers, famously called The Untouchables, in their efforts to suppress crime in Chicago throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s.
The narrative is predominantly presented through Ness's first-person anecdotes, capturing his personal experiences. The book features a foreword and afterword penned by Fraley, a well-known sportswriter for United Press International. Fraley was responsible for most of the writing, drawing upon an extensive outline provided by Ness, numerous interviews, and Ness’s collection of scrapbooks and memorabilia. The completed manuscript received Ness’s approval shortly before his passing.
The Untouchables has had a profound impact on popular culture, serving as the foundation for the acclaimed television series The Untouchables (1959–1963), including the film The Scarface Mob, as well as the 1987 motion picture The Untouchables.
Reception
Despite facing critiques regarding its historical accuracy, subsequent investigations have challenged some of these criticisms. Biographers of Ness, Max Allan Collins and A. Brad Schwartz, after reviewing primary documents, determined that while the book contains certain inaccuracies and timeline mistakes, it remains largely faithful to actual events.
In an article for Vanity Fair, journalist Matthew Pearl remarked that, according to contemporary research, Ness and Fraley "by and large, appear to be telling the truth."