Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob,   ISBN:9780060959258

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If you live in Boston, as I did for a few years, the name Whitey Bulger is as resonate as Jimmy Hoffa. Both were men feared by some and idolized by others. Both had no qualms about victimizing those who feared and idolized them. Both were seen by some as the guy like them who managed to stand up to the Establishment. And both disappeared. But nobody thinks Whitey is buried at Gillette Stadium.

Whitey Bulger was a mythic figure in Boston, especially his old neighborhood of Southie, the gangster who always managed to slip out of the hands of the law.But even Southie little boys and girls grew up dreaming of becoming FBI agents. Chances are their dreams didn't involve having gangster over to the house for dinner. John Connolly, another son of Southie, dared to have this dream and in pursuit of it he pretty much turned the Boston office of the FBI into Whitey Bulger and his Winter Hill gang's own little intelligence squad.

Make no mistake about it, James "Whitey" Bulger and his partner Stevie "The Rifleman" Flemmie were crooks, thugs, murderers, and all around low lifes. One could spend hours cataloging their many crimes. Oddly, they fail to get the credit they deserve for their pioneering work in the field of bromance. Any law enforcement agent can have an informant. Any crook can become a snitch. But it takes real imagination to turn it into quite evenings at home with your snitch/handler at the home of the handler's boss enjoying a home cooked meal the handler's boss has prepared. Candles, wine - champagne on occasion, steaks and the occasional visit from Whitey's powerful politician brother to share the latest family pictures. Just another night at Chez Agent Morris. Special dinners away from the cares of work aren't enough to keep a bromance alive, either. You need to show your bro that you care. Really care. Don't be afraid to give him a give now and then. A bottle of wine, a tasteful silver champagne bucket or a very special belt buckle says "I think you're the best" more than words ever can.

This is one mind-bending story and Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill are perfectly suited to the task. Their journalistic style is spot on in terms of original research and the kind of prose that doesn't get in the way of illuminating facts. Lehr & O'Neill know when to let these looney-tunes speak for themselves as in this line from murderer Stevie Flemmie that actually made me laugh out loud:

"I received a sweatshirt from (Agent) Nick Gianturco."

The next time you're wondering what to get that special multiple murderer in your life, look no farther than your local sporting goods store. I kept hoping it was some sort of demented joke about giving a fleece to a thief but no, ethically challenged FBI Agents John Morris and John Connolly and their pals thought this made sense.

This is an entertaining, well-researched, well-written book. The only flaws are that it drags in the final chapters when they provide perhaps a bit too much detail about the grand jury proceedings that ultimately brought this sordid business to light and that the books begs to be updated to cover Connolly's recent convictions. Aside from that, this is as smart a book about the mob as any True Crime fan could hope for. Highly recommended for any True Crime fan, anyone interested in the Mafia and anyone from Boston.

Kindle note: Photographs included.

Customer Rating: 

This is a great read for the casual reader. The authors are more than qualified to write on the topic, as they have followed the story as it happened in the Boston Globe. The allegations are mostly cited, but it is obvious some creative story telling was used also. This does however, give you great insite as to the connection between Whitey and the South Boston FBI. A page turner for sure!

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There have been many books on the subject of James J. "Whitey" Bulger and his relationship with the FBI. However, this is the best. I read this book many years ago when the scandal was first breaking, and my only complaint after reading it once again recently is that it was written too soon.

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A well written, researched, and tragically true tale of police corruption that looked the other way or even worse, probably helped in murders of over 20 people. At all levels of government, local, state, and federal, sworn law enforcement concealed, tipped off, and covered up as Bulger savagely tortured and murdered numerous people, including young girls who wanted to break away from sexual abusers. FBI agents partied with Bulger, scared off witnesses, and falsified the record going so far as let innocent people rot for crimes. Bulger was promoted as a 'hero' who kept drugs and crime out of his neighborhood - ignoring the fact Bulger was terrorizing, extorting, and sexually assaulting almost directly in front of law enforcement. At the end, the reader wonders why extremely few of these enablers came to trial, where the others are now and if the FBI is really looking for Whitey Bulger. Great read, I think it's enhanced by reading the Howie Carr book, The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century. The Black Mass authors seem to imply some good in law enforcement at the start while Carr takes a much harsher view. As an example, when the Rakes family built up a liquor market from scratch, Bulger and his thugs simultaneously assaulted husband and wife at different locations, threatened them in front of their children and threatened their children in front of them. Bulger forced them to give him the market. The Rakes went to an uncle who was a local cop and there Black Mass and Howie Carr split. Black Mass says the uncle cop went to the FBI and was waved off while Carr implies the uncle immediately informed Whitey. In both tales, the Rakes immediately found out that the law wasn't their friend as Whitey became even more abusive and violent toward them. Carr adds that the uncle was convicted and sent to prison for other corruption just a few months later. Black Mass seems to cover these details much less. It'd be a five but for issues like that.
Good book, great read, highly reccommend it, will make you both sick and angry.

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This book was written by the same New England journalist team that wrote The Underboss and is a supplement to that book.After reading it you'll see why Whitey Bulger is right at the top of the FBI's most wanted list.The more appalling theme of the book however is the complete criminal corruption of a number of FBI agents by the Irish mob.Two FBI agents in particular John Connally and John Morris,who were the FBI heroes in the book The Underboss are the archvillains in Black Mass.The book is highly readable and well researched.Apparently the Irish mob had a criminal "cakewalk" for over 30 years in Boston. The reason:the FBI monomaniacally focused its attention on bringing down the Italian Mafia and used the Irish mob to do it. Unfortunately the Irish Mob was as dangerous as the Italian Mob.
Connally and Morris continually overlooked,promoted,and refused to even acknowledge the criminal activity of the Irish mob under Jim Bulger.According to the book,the information gained on the Italian Mafia by Jim Bulger was not even that significant.The FBI even provided the Irish mob with info that resulted in the murder of a few state witnesses by the Bulger murder crew.The last part of the book has Bulgers' criminal associate Steve Flemmi,turning states evidence to save his hide.The FBI plainly let this investigation "snowball" out of control accompanied with "all the trimmins",entrapment,murder,etc. I was reading in another book about the same subject that there are still victim lawsuits in the works from this mess.