Product Description

The man who has remained silent for more than a decade finally speaks, revealing the gritty true story of his life inside the infamous South Boston Irish mob led by the elusive, Machiavellian kingpin Whitey Bulger, who to this day remains on the lam as one of the world's Ten Most Wanted criminals, second only to Osama bin Laden.

John "Red" Shea was a top lieutenant in the South Boston Irish mob, rising to this position at the age of twenty-one. Thus began his tutelage under the notorious Irish godfather James "Whitey" Bulger. An ice-cold enforcer with a legendary red-hot temper, Shea was a legend among his Southie peers in the 1980s. From the first delivery truck he robbed at thirteen to the start of his twelve-year federal sentence for drug trafficking at twenty-seven, Shea was a portrait in American crime -- a terror, brutal and ruthlessly ambitious. Drug dealer, loan shark, money launderer, and multimillion-dollar narcotics kingpin, Shea was at the pinnacle of power -- until the feds came knocking and eventually obliterated the legendary mob in a well-orchestrated sweep of arrests, fueled by insider tips to the FBI and DEA.

While Bulger's other top men turned informant to save their own hides, Shea alone kept his code of honor and his mouth shut -- loyalty that earned him a dozen years of hard time even as the man he was protecting turned out to be, himself, a rat. For in the end, in a remarkable show of betrayal, Bulger turned out to be the FBI's "main man" and top informant -- tipping off the feds for decades while still managing to operate one of the most murderous and profitable organized crime outfits of all time.

In Rat Bastards, Shea brings that mysterious world and gritty urban Irish American street culture into sharp focus by telling his own story -- of his fatherless upbringing, his apprenticeship on the tough streets of Southie, and his love affair with trouble, boxing, and then the gangster life. In prose that is refreshingly honest, personal, and surprisingly tender, Shea tells his harrowing, unflinching, and unapologetic story. A man who did the crime, did the time, and held fast to the Irish code of silence, which he was raised to follow at any cost, Shea remains a man of honor and in doing so has become a living legend. One of the last of a dying breed, a true stand-up guy.

Shea expects no forgiveness and makes no excuses for the life he chose. His story is intense, compelling, and in your face.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #106461 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-01
• Released on: 2006-03-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Shea—who at age 20 was the drug boss for South Boston Irish mobster James "Whitey" Bulger and later served 12 years in federal prison for drug trafficking (yes, he was given the opportunity to rat, but, "like a man," he didn't)—gives gangster honor a bare-knuckled workout in his memoir, a slick read dripping with the underworld holy trinity of sex, drugs and violence. Born in 1965 into a "fucked up family" in South Boston, Shea traded a foundering boxing career for a gig making $4,000 a night selling cocaine and marijuana. Before long, Bulger took him under his wing and, being a tough and honorable guy, Shea ascended the ranks and had a crew working for him before he was busted and did his time. To hear Shea tell the story, he's about the only guy in South Boston who can keep his trap shut—including Bulger, who turned rat and is now in hiding—once the cuffs are on. And though his unrelenting swagger can wear thin and the writing has lackluster moments, Shea's story is a bawdy page-turner in the Iceman tradition that true crime fans will enjoy. 16 pages of b&w photos.(Mar.)
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Review
"...a slick read dripping with the underworld holy trinity of sex, drugs, and violence...a bawdy page-turner." -- Publishers Weekly

Review
"...a slick read dripping with the underworld holy trinity of sex, drugs, and violence...a bawdy page-turner." (Publishers Weekly )

"...dish-a-thon on Whitey Bulger." (Boston Herald )

"...the only memoir told from the perspective of a mobster who refused to betray the code of silence." (The Improper Bostonian )

"...the hottest Irish-American mob story of all time." (Liz Smith, New York Post )

Customer Reviews

Rats Bastards: My fictional re-collection of the events
I have read all Irish mobster books. This is the most far fetched book I have read so far. First of all, the first 4 pages made me throw the book across the room. I don't think anyone cares about Shea's ventures in the hotel room, about how "too beaucoup" he is. I decided to give it another read and actually began to enjoy the story. The enjoying ended when he started to speak on his recollection of what happened between himself, Whitey, Weeks and Flemmi. Although I don't think Weeks book is the complete truth, I think Shea is 100% fiction compared to this. I personally love the one quote where he says that Bulger says "do you know who I am, I am Whitey Bulger!".....I think every Boston book has made it clear that he was not referred to as Whitey, especially to his face. Shea attempts to make it seem as though he was Bulgers equal. I have no doubt that he is tough, but he makes Kevin Weeks look like a pansy. Atleast Weeks had the courtesy to be honest in his opinion of Shea, but let the facts be known. I did enjoy the story, and finished the book but it is the worst book in its class as far as Im concerned.

Load of Crap
I have read Black Mass (great book) and Eddie Mac's book (so so..) so I definitely have an interest in the Irish Mafia. But, this has to be the worst books that I have ever read. If you want to listen to this clown rave about how good of a boxer he was or how much he loved his girlfriend or how he hated rats, then this is a good read for you. But, honestly I dont beleive any of the stories in this book and I think you are better off spending your money somewhere else. This book should be classified as FICTION.

Highly recommended
This extraordinary book examines the life of the Irish Mob in South Boston from a reliable insiders point of view. This extremely well written memoir draws you in as if John Shea is sitting in front of you speaking directly to you. I have been able to listen to him being interviewed as well, by names such as Howie Carr, and feel that one misconception that people have about John Shea is that where his integrity lies is within the life that he chose. He honored the code of that life and that's what makes him honorable. He did his time for the crimes he committed. No excuses, no deals, just paid the price.