wayfaring_witch's review against another edition
3.0
Started off skimming, but slowly got pulled into the rich history in this book.
maxac32's review against another edition
5.0
You don't know the real story of Whitey Bulger until you've read this book. Nothing that he did seems real. The fear he invoked in those he met is legendary. The things he got away with under FBI supervision is just plain scary. The way this book was written makes you feel like a fly on the wall watching these crimes happen in real time.
msjaquiss's review against another edition
3.0
This title was an excellent examination of the FBI's corrupt relationship with two mob bosses in Boston from the late 60's through the early 90's. I gave it three stars for the lack of a table of characters as, particularly towards the end, there were so many names involved in the policing, prosecution or criminal activities that it was difficult to keep all of the players straight. I finally gave up and just pushed through to the end. It is a very well researched, well written book and I do recommend it but it might be wise to keep a notebook handy to keep a list of different characters and their ties to whatever organization they represent.
srash's review against another edition
5.0
Read this after aspects of it were alluded to in the Southie memoir I read earlier this year, though I'd been wanting to read it for a long time.
Black Mass chronicles a truly shameful, decades-long maelstrom of corruption and dysfunction in the Boston FBI office. The main result is that the FBI turned a blind eye to the crimes of the city's most notorious gangster, Irish mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, because he was an FBI informant.
Agents with ties to his South Boston neighborhood--or those who, for various reasons, were vulnerable to Bulger's and his friend's machinations--spectacularly violated basic informant handling protocols and even sabotaged other agencies' investigations into Bulger, which only helped Bulger stay out of jail and defeat his rival gangsters.
Basically, Bulger and his cronies flourished because nobody was willing to challenge the status quo or question the obvious irregularities too deeply. The result was an influx of drugs into the streets of Boston, the consolidation of Whitey's grip on the city, and the murder of more than one potential witness.Would actually be a good book for anyone in management to read to see what NOT to do.
Nobody comes out of this story looking good.
Black Mass chronicles a truly shameful, decades-long maelstrom of corruption and dysfunction in the Boston FBI office. The main result is that the FBI turned a blind eye to the crimes of the city's most notorious gangster, Irish mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, because he was an FBI informant.
Agents with ties to his South Boston neighborhood--or those who, for various reasons, were vulnerable to Bulger's and his friend's machinations--spectacularly violated basic informant handling protocols and even sabotaged other agencies' investigations into Bulger, which only helped Bulger stay out of jail and defeat his rival gangsters.
Basically, Bulger and his cronies flourished because nobody was willing to challenge the status quo or question the obvious irregularities too deeply. The result was an influx of drugs into the streets of Boston, the consolidation of Whitey's grip on the city, and the murder of more than one potential witness.Would actually be a good book for anyone in management to read to see what NOT to do.
Nobody comes out of this story looking good.
this_is_the_way2's review against another edition
4.0
i liked this book a lot it was well written this book showed the full extent of corruption of the boston fbi office and showed the rise of whitey bulger i didn't realize how evil whitey burger was until the middle of the book i thought he was the protector of the people and had no drugs rule for south boston which wasn't the case turns out he did every crime he could think of murder extortion bribery drug dealing (he didn't deal the drugs but he forced all the drugs dealers to give him a take of the profits of them selling their drugs in south boston he wasn't part of the selling but he still made a profit out of their drug dealing so his myths of his persona was just a shield to what he really does
the corruption of the boston fbi office was so profound that i can't really explain it in words just read the book and you'll understand why i will say this that all the reports on burgers crimes was buried under paperwork and investigations of bulger and flemmi when the fbi was told of them it was leaked to bulger and flemmi and the investigations failed
this went on for 40+ years until people slowly figured out the reason why bulger and flemmi was untouchable from the law until the lawyers and police slowly connected all the dots
i give this book a 4 out of 10 stars because it dragged in the end probably because it was a different kind of book for me to read with it being a biography and i myself don't really read many biographys
the corruption of the boston fbi office was so profound that i can't really explain it in words just read the book and you'll understand why i will say this that all the reports on burgers crimes was buried under paperwork and investigations of bulger and flemmi when the fbi was told of them it was leaked to bulger and flemmi and the investigations failed
this went on for 40+ years until people slowly figured out the reason why bulger and flemmi was untouchable from the law until the lawyers and police slowly connected all the dots
i give this book a 4 out of 10 stars because it dragged in the end probably because it was a different kind of book for me to read with it being a biography and i myself don't really read many biographys
leanna_vera's review against another edition
5.0
If you're a fan of The Departed, you'll be a fan of this book! It reads like a movie and provides insight into the world of Whitey Bulger and the Irish mob in Boston.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
James "Whitey" Bulger was the leader of the Winter Hill Gang in Massachusetts. He became linked up with a former childhood friend, turned FBI agent, John Connolly. Officially, he was an informant for the FBI, but swore up and down he was not. He was simply in business with one specific man who happened to be in the FBI. His brother was also a high ranking politician. He was sent to prison in 1956 for armed robbery and hijacking, and told an associate that he participated in the MK ULTRA experiments, being dosed with LSD something like fifty times. He was transferred from Atlanta to Alcatraz and then to Leavenworth before being released. He eventually went on the run when the FBI came after him. His former associates, especially Kevin Weeks, gave a lot of testimony on his activities. He was on the run for sixteen years, spending twelve of those years on the FBI Most Wanted List. Once he was captured, he was tried for RICO charges, murder, drugs, and a host of other things. He was sentenced in 2013 and served his time until he was beaten to death by other inmates in 2018.
This book was pretty good. I was fortunate enough to visit the Alcatraz East museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee a couple of times as it is only about an hour and a half from me. In the museum, there are a few artifacts that were recovered during his final apprehension, including some ugly tennis shoes. It was pretty interesting to see, and if you are ever in this area and are interested in crime or the mafia, they have some really neat items belonging to a host of well known criminals. They also have a rotating exhibit that changes every so often. Kevin Weeks also has a book out that details his involvement in the Winter Hill gang and his relationship with Bulger that was a pretty interesting read. (Where The Bodies Are Buried) I learned a few things I had not previously known, mostly about John Connolly, so this was worth the five dollars I paid for it. I also recently watched the film Black Mass with Johnny Depp, and it was pretty good as well.
This book was pretty good. I was fortunate enough to visit the Alcatraz East museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee a couple of times as it is only about an hour and a half from me. In the museum, there are a few artifacts that were recovered during his final apprehension, including some ugly tennis shoes. It was pretty interesting to see, and if you are ever in this area and are interested in crime or the mafia, they have some really neat items belonging to a host of well known criminals. They also have a rotating exhibit that changes every so often. Kevin Weeks also has a book out that details his involvement in the Winter Hill gang and his relationship with Bulger that was a pretty interesting read. (Where The Bodies Are Buried) I learned a few things I had not previously known, mostly about John Connolly, so this was worth the five dollars I paid for it. I also recently watched the film Black Mass with Johnny Depp, and it was pretty good as well.
nany007's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely a story I already knew, but there are so many details in this book! A great read full of stories and cheeky anecdotes. I particularly enjoyed making connections to movies that have been "loosely" based on Whitey's story (The Departed, etc).