Status
Available
Collection
Publication
PublicAffairs (2000), 304 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. History. True Crime. Nonfiction. HTML: When the FBI turned an Irish mobster into an informant, they corrupted the entire judicial system and sanctioned the worst crime spree Boston has ever seen. This is the true story behind the major motion picture. James "Whitey" Bulger became one of the most ruthless gangsters in US history, and all because of an unholy deal he made with a childhood friend. John Connolly a rising star in the Boston FBI office, offered Bulger protection in return for helping the Feds eliminate Boston's Italian mafia. But no one offered Boston protection from Whitey Bulger, who, in a blizzard of gangland killings, took over the city's drug trade. Whitey's deal with Connolly's FBI spiraled out of control to become the biggest informant scandal in FBI history. Black Mass is a New York Times and Boston Globe bestseller, written by two former reporters who were on the case from the beginning. It is an epic story of violence, double-cross, and corruption at the center of which are the black hearts of two old friends whose lives unfolded in the darkness of permanent midnight..… (more)
Media reviews
From Judas Iscariot to Linda Tripp, there have been few figures more reviled than the double-crossing informer. Jews recite a daily prayer imploring God to deny informers any hope of redemption in the world to come. Among the Irish, there is no lower form of life. Sean O'Callaghan, who informed
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against the I.R.A., wrote that he had been brought up to believe that it would be ''better by far to be a rapist, a murderer, anything but an informer.'' Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member goose114
Black Mass is the true story of James "Whitey" Bulger and Stevie Flemmi's work as informants with the Boston FBI. Whitey Bulger and Stevie Flemmi became FBI informants giving information on the Italian mafia and other organized criminals. Special Agent John Connolly was the handler for both Bulger
I knew nothing about this case before I read this book. I was shocked that such an alliance between members of the mafia and the FBI could lead to such a breach in information. The FBI agents, particularly Connolly, seemed to be caught up in the idea of hanging with such "powerful" people and were willing to put others in danger in order to remain where they were. This case illuminates the problems with how the FBI handled informants and was the reason for major revisions within the FBI.
The authors managed to take a complex long-term story and make it easy to understand. There were times that I became bored with all the background, but overall it aided in the telling of the story. This story was one that showed how the mafia worked while Bulger was in it and showed how law enforcement deals with organized crime cases. There were moments of suspense and thrill in this true story that will have any reader caught up in the double life of Whitey Bulger, Stevie Flemmi, and John Connolly.
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and Flemmi. Connolly along with other FBI agents and law enforcement officials became involved in a twisted web of lies in order to protect Bulger and Flemmi. By doing so Bulger and Flemmi were "free" to move up the mafia chain, eliminate opposition, and move about Boston with a seemingly untouchable attitude. The alliance between the FBI and Bulger and Flemmi begins to crumble when the lies can no longer hold up in a criminal case brought against Bulger and Flemmi. I knew nothing about this case before I read this book. I was shocked that such an alliance between members of the mafia and the FBI could lead to such a breach in information. The FBI agents, particularly Connolly, seemed to be caught up in the idea of hanging with such "powerful" people and were willing to put others in danger in order to remain where they were. This case illuminates the problems with how the FBI handled informants and was the reason for major revisions within the FBI.
The authors managed to take a complex long-term story and make it easy to understand. There were times that I became bored with all the background, but overall it aided in the telling of the story. This story was one that showed how the mafia worked while Bulger was in it and showed how law enforcement deals with organized crime cases. There were moments of suspense and thrill in this true story that will have any reader caught up in the double life of Whitey Bulger, Stevie Flemmi, and John Connolly.
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LibraryThing member piefuchs
A highly readable true crime version of the Whitey Bulger story - a plot that is truly better than fiction. A quick and worthy read.
LibraryThing member crnfva
Engrossing and scary, the story of the pact between FBI and Irish Mafia in Boston crosses twenty years of corruption, extorsions, murders.
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
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
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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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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LibraryThing member karenmerguerian
I thought this was fascinating and it was terrifying, too. It was hard for everyone in law enforcement to imagine how Whitey Bulger and Steve Flemmi were able to operate with such impunity in Boston during the 1980s--but it was because the FBI protected them. FBI agent John Connolly was star-struck
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with the wiseguy informants he was supposed to be handling, meanwhile the residents of South Boston were shaken down, drugged, and extorted and no one would stop the crime. It's true this book is journalism, written by Boston Globe reporters, but the material is so good it's engrossing even with minimal literary embellishment. Show Less
LibraryThing member mikewick
A quick, easy read about the ties between Whitey Bulger, head of the Irish Mob in Boston, and the FBI. Written by two staff writers from the Boston Globe, this book takes on the difficult task of drawing together testimony and the FBI's secret files (as well as reading between the lines) in order
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to show how the FBI colluded with one of the most notorious gangsters in Boston. While it can be dry at times, the facts serve to strengthen the argument that Whitey Bulger was the one controlling his relationship as an informant--quite literally getting away with murder while drawing down threats presented from La Cosa Nostra in New England and members of his own crew by informing on their crimes and misdeeds. Show Less
LibraryThing member spacecommuter
I should like this! It's a book with true crime, mind-blowing intrigue, violence, unimaginable corruption of values that ought to be inviolable, and platters and platters of Italian food. What's not to like?
Quite a bit, unfortunately. The series of articles that ran in the Boston Globe - the meat
But with Whitey in the news, it's good to read, even if it's got some slow bits.
Quite a bit, unfortunately. The series of articles that ran in the Boston Globe - the meat
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of the book - actually appears in the middle, starting with a chapter called Murder, Inc. (at least that's the first one I recognized). The beginning is a long, slow buildup added to flesh out the book. If you can survive the opening chapters, and keep track of the characters involved (the author annoyingly alternates between last names, first names, and mob names, tripling the number of things you have to memorize just to follow along), you'll certainly know everything there is to know about how Whitey Bulger neutralized every law enforcement agency that set out to bring him down.But with Whitey in the news, it's good to read, even if it's got some slow bits.
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LibraryThing member Maya47Bob46
The book for anyone who wants to understand this chapter in Boston history. I re-read it after James "Whitey" Bulger was arrested and it was still excellent. It would be interesting if they wrote a follow-up about the trial and all the legal manuvering.
LibraryThing member KristySP
Whitey Bulger is a bad man.
The writing style was rather cheesy and melodramatic at times, but the story was very interesting.
The writing style was rather cheesy and melodramatic at times, but the story was very interesting.
LibraryThing member rmkelly
My daughter gave me this book for Xmas because of my interest in Irish-American history. I was really impressed with the legwork these former reporters did in order to get the story, and even more impressed with the even more extensive legwork that the detectives and policemen needed to do in order
A fascinating look at how the good guys and the bad guys operate.
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to curtail the activities of Whitey Bulger and his many partners in crime.A fascinating look at how the good guys and the bad guys operate.
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LibraryThing member BellaFoxx
Black Mass has been sitting on my bookshelf for quite a while, I was looking for a third book about Jimmy “Whitey” Bulger written by Dick Lehr, I have “Whitey” and have been trying to find “Underboss”. Then I saw the movie “Black Mass” (starring: Johnny Depp and Benedict Cumberbatch
In 1988 Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill started to write a story for the Boston Globe about the Bulger Brothers, Jimmy and Billy. One was Boston’s most powerful criminal and Billy was the most powerful politician (which some might say is the same, but hey he never killed anyone, that we know of). In the course of the investigation, they discovered that Jimmy Bulger seemed to be made of teflon, since 1965, while he climbed the ranks of Boston underworld from street soldier to boss, he had not been arrested, not once. He seemed to know when the authorities were closing in on him. He knew about wiretaps. Some in law enforcement felt ‘the fix was in’ even so far as ‘the FBI had secretly provided him cover all these years’. But there was no proof. Mobsters hated informants, this was the world Whitey Bulger lived in. In the end however, the FBI had to come clean, Bulger and Flemmi (Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi) had been informants for over 20 years.
The first meeting between John Connolly, FBI agent and Jimmy Bulger was in 1975, Flemmi was already an informant at this time, had already experienced the protection the FBI could offer, he was never questioned about his criminal activities, even the murders he may or may not have committed. When asked, he told Bulger “Go talk to him.” The deal was made, and the fix was in. There is more to this story than two mob guys being informants and more FBI involvement than one agent covering up. Connolly covered Flemmi and Bulger, other agents covered him. There was a massive head in the sand approach to what was going on. The truth started to come out in 1997, 10 months later after sworn testimony and the opening of secret FBI files the Boston FBI office was revealed to be a gigantic stack of shit. This book tells it all.
Detailed with extensive documentation this books read like a too good to be true Godfather book, except its true, and it’s fascinating. I recommend this to true crime fans in particular fans of mafia books.
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as the Bulger brothers and Joel Edgerton as John Connolly, former FBI agent) was scheduled to be released in September 2015. I decided I had to read the book before I saw the movie, which I desperately want to see (I haven’t seen it yet, I have seen “Pawn Sacrifice” and “Steve Jobs”).In 1988 Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill started to write a story for the Boston Globe about the Bulger Brothers, Jimmy and Billy. One was Boston’s most powerful criminal and Billy was the most powerful politician (which some might say is the same, but hey he never killed anyone, that we know of). In the course of the investigation, they discovered that Jimmy Bulger seemed to be made of teflon, since 1965, while he climbed the ranks of Boston underworld from street soldier to boss, he had not been arrested, not once. He seemed to know when the authorities were closing in on him. He knew about wiretaps. Some in law enforcement felt ‘the fix was in’ even so far as ‘the FBI had secretly provided him cover all these years’. But there was no proof. Mobsters hated informants, this was the world Whitey Bulger lived in. In the end however, the FBI had to come clean, Bulger and Flemmi (Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi) had been informants for over 20 years.
The first meeting between John Connolly, FBI agent and Jimmy Bulger was in 1975, Flemmi was already an informant at this time, had already experienced the protection the FBI could offer, he was never questioned about his criminal activities, even the murders he may or may not have committed. When asked, he told Bulger “Go talk to him.” The deal was made, and the fix was in. There is more to this story than two mob guys being informants and more FBI involvement than one agent covering up. Connolly covered Flemmi and Bulger, other agents covered him. There was a massive head in the sand approach to what was going on. The truth started to come out in 1997, 10 months later after sworn testimony and the opening of secret FBI files the Boston FBI office was revealed to be a gigantic stack of shit. This book tells it all.
Detailed with extensive documentation this books read like a too good to be true Godfather book, except its true, and it’s fascinating. I recommend this to true crime fans in particular fans of mafia books.
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LibraryThing member Briars_Reviews
I picked up Black Mass because I saw the movie (which I didn't enjoy, by the way). I wanted to read some more non-fiction books and also some more books that were turned into movies. Johnny Depp did a great job as Whitey Bulger, so why not pick up the book? It seemed like it should be good.
For me,
I found this book too slow. The content is really cool, especially how it follows the FBI through all of this. It was really intriguing and I can see why so many people would enjoy a book like this. For me, it's just too slow and didn't have enough of the other side of the story. It felt way too slow and factoid than actual story.
One out of five stars.
For me,
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it wasn't. I don't normally venture into these kinds of books so it fell flat for me. That was the point on why I read it (expand those horizons, ya know?), but it did exactly as expected.I found this book too slow. The content is really cool, especially how it follows the FBI through all of this. It was really intriguing and I can see why so many people would enjoy a book like this. For me, it's just too slow and didn't have enough of the other side of the story. It felt way too slow and factoid than actual story.
One out of five stars.
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Subjects
Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Fact Crime — 2001)
Language
Original language
English