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: #60792 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 )

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

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

"...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.

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.

In The Southie/Irish Mob Genre, This Is Only Okay
If you're just getting into what has now become a genre of Irish/Southie/True Crime books, definitely start with the ones done by the writer/reporters, ie, Black Mass, Westies, and Paddy Whacked - books with multiple sources and footnotes and everything - instead of the biographies. I've now read all the Southie books except for Kevin Weeks', which I'm only kind of looking forward to after this one and Pat Nee's. This is the conclusion I have come to.

If you're just interested in this book, it is, essentially, one big self-inflicted ego stroke minus numerous details that would have added to the intrigue of the tale. There are almost no interesting, well-developed or enlightening stories aside from the tales of prison life.

The biggest thing I came away with from this book is that Shea feels the need to tell you how tough he is at least once in every single chapter. Frankly, it gets tiresome and takes away from the story. Shea turns from a would be protagonist (if you buy into the "admirable" qualities the main character portrays) into someone you hope will at least bring something redeeming to the table in the end. It doesn't happen.

This one had potential. Unfortunately, the egomania, the lack of details, and the lack of developed stories take away from the impact.

As mentioned, read the compilation books first, followed by All Souls (truly excellent), Street Soldier (what this book could have been, ie, very authentic and interesting, even if horrifying), and A Criminal and An Irishman (Nee, it seems, is one of the only genuine stand-up guys). From there, the rest are pretty much the same.