Product Description

This fresh account of Massachusetts+sinfamous Bulger brothers unveils a stunning criminal alliance, and with its dual biography format, goes deeper than the New York Times bestselling Black Mass.For the first time, journalist Howie Carr reveals the -real+ story behind the infamous Bulgers-twobrothers from South Boston who grew up to control a state. With political corruption on one side and deadly force on the other, the Bulgers shared a diabolic and destructive alliance for decades. James -Whitey+ Bulger, -the bad son,+ blazed a murderous trail to become Boston+s most feared mobster and remains one of the FBI+s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. William -Billy+ Bulger, -the good son,+ wielded the gavel as president of the Massachusetts State Senate and the University of Massachusetts, but was eventually forced from bothpositions. The parallel stories of these two brothers, rich in anecdote and shocking in their revelations, read like an unholy hybrid of All the King+s Men and The Godfather.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #347944 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Although superior to some other tellings of the incredible story of how two brothers came to dominate Boston's political and criminal underworlds for decades, this account by veteran Boston Herald reporter Carr still falls short of being the definitive version he intended. The stranger-than-fiction rise to power of Billy Bulger, the longtime Massachusetts senate president, kingmaker and consummate deal maker, and his brother Whitey, a psychopathic killer who took over the city's Irish mobs, is compelling, but despite Carr's closeness to the story, he fails to bring his protagonists' inner world to life. For those broadly familiar with the corruption scandal that indelibly tarred the FBI because of the active role some of its agents took in protecting Whitey and enabling his brutalities, the author gives a detailed, hit-by-hit description of his crimes. Most readers from outside the Bay State will be almost as appalled at the wheeling and dealing of his "respectable" brother, who crossed path with presidents and presidential aspirants, and who extended his patronage practices to his subsequent position as president of the University of Massachusetts. (Feb. 23)
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Review

Review

Customer Reviews

The Dirty Water of Boston's Politics and Gangs
Carr gives a whirlwind view of Boston gangsters and politics and
shows how the likes of H. Paul Rico and John "Zip" Connolly
helped Whitey Bulger, and the "everything is a deal, no deal
too small" political climate served Billy well. From murdering girlfriends who knew too much to hobnobbing with the likes of
Kennedy and Kerry at that annual St. Patrick's Day breakfast,
the Brothers Bulger got away with murder and corruption. A few
amusing anecdotes, like how Gerry Anguilo, upon being informed
that a fellow gangster was dead, shouted, "He can't be dead!
He owes me $30,000!!" Can't make up stuff like that.

Fans of Carr's column and radio show should be delighted.
He has more photos and information at his various websites.

courageous
Howie Carr has written a tell all book about the chronic corruption taking place in Massachusetts. I have to agree with one of the previous reviewers with regards to the FBI. They don't want to capture Whitey. He can probably put the whole FBI in prison. The only hero in this book is Keating who had the guts to stand up to Billy Bulger. I stay awake at night, thinking about the State cop who committed suicide after Billy Bulger ruined his life for doing his job. After reading this book and all the others about corruption,I hope Whitey, Billy ,Kevin Weeks,and Johnny Martorano rot in hell for eternity. A great read

A primer on the subject...
Many hours can be spent scouring all sorts of documents in order to gain the same amount of information Howie Carr presents in his book. Howie has gathered and distilled all his knowledge on the subject into this handy tome. Anyone moving to Massachusetts and in need to catch up on the seedy past of this Commonwealth need not go too far. And if that someone is still willing to move to Massachusetts even after reading this book, then he or she will be ready to strike up a conversation with any of the locals and fit right in. Regular listeners of the Howie Carr Show will delight in the amount of detail Howie goes into. Over the years, Howie has told many a crime tale but the book goes way beyond what he can cram into 15-minute segments. A fine read, but also an abridged encyclopaedia of crime in its own right.