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Summary: Required FBI reading,great research on FBI "crime pimpin""
Comment: 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.
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Summary: Sworn to protect us? Hmmm
Comment: The scene is Boston, starting in the 1970s. The FBI has made it a top priority to clamp down on organized crime (in this case, the Mafia, populated by the Italians of North Boston). John Connolly, a very young FBI agent, is called to the Boston office to work in the Organized Crime unit. The idea was that if he could find someone to rat out the Italians, the FBI's job would be made much easier. Connolly begins to cultivate James (Whitey) Bulger, a former acquaintance from Connolly's old neighborhood in South Boston. Bulger was a career criminal, beginning his future occupation as a young boy, and he and one of his associates, Steve Flemmi, had ties to the Italian mob in Boston. Whitey was also part of a gang in Southie. He became an informant for the FBI, and in return, he was given protection by the FBI. His information was very helpful and did help to put away some of the Mafia guys, but in the meantime, he also gave info on anyone in South Boston that he considered might be standing in his own way as he rose up through the ranks of the criminal underworld. The authors, Lehr and O'Neill, used a variety of first-hand sources to not only write this book, but to break the entire story in the Boston Globe. What they examine here is basically the true cost of the information provided by Bulger. While he's giving them good information, he's also being allowed to literally get away with murder. I won't go further into this book, but I picked it up the other night and could hardly put it down once I started. I guarantee you that if you have an interest in organized crime, this is a no-miss story. I would like to say that I was appalled by the sheer abuse of power from members of an institution created to protect the American public, but frankly, it's getting harder and harder to be surprised any more. Very well written and very taut; I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in organized crime, the FBI, in the so-called Irish Mob in the United States or in true crime in general.
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Summary: History and Law Enforcement
Comment: Just could't put it down. What a story. What was sad about the book was, it was true.
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Summary: Perfect
Comment: This item was exactly what i ordered in the exact condition that i ordered it in. Would definitly do business with seller again! Thank you
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Summary: The First Book
Comment: This book was the first book to be written on the Bulger/FBI scandal. For those who don't know; James "Whitey" Bulger ran Bostons Irish mafia for almost 20 years. He also was a Top Echelon Informant for the FBI. As such, they let him get away with all types of crimes, including murder. Making matters worse, his younger brother Billy was the Senate president of the Mass. state Senate. Another brother, Jackie, was a juvenile court judge. This family took corruption to new heights. Eventually they fell. Whitey is now one of the top 10 fugitives. This book by two Boston Globe reporters, details the Bulger brothers, their history, Boston politics, and how they all came together. This is a good book. The only problems are because it was written in 1998-1999, some things have changed ( For example, Bulgers partner in crime, Steven Flemi, has pleaded guilty to several murders, and is doing life without parole ). Also, there wasn't enough written about the Top Echelon Informant program and all the problems with it. I'd recomend getting 2 other books along with this to get a complete picture. 1 is Dangerous Alliances by Ralph Ranelli; the other is The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr. All 3 books should give you a complete view of this scandal.
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