Where the Bodies Were Buried: Whitey Bulger and the World That Made Him
Written by T. J. English
Narrated by Mike Chamberlain
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
The New York Times bestselling author of The Westies and Paddy Whacked offers a front-row seat at the trial of Whitey Bulger, and an intimate view of the world of organized crime—and law enforcement—that made him the defining Irish American gangster.
For sixteen years, Whitey Bulger eluded the long reach of the law. For decades one of the most dangerous men in America, Bulger—the brother of influential Massachusetts senator Billy Bulger—was often romanticized as a Robin Hood-like thief and protector. While he was functioning as the de facto mob boss of New England, Bulger was also serving as a Top Echelon informant for the FBI, covertly feeding local prosecutors information about other mob figures—while using their cover to cleverly eliminate his rivals, reinforce his own power, and protect himself from prosecution. Then, in 2011, he was arrested in southern California and returned to Boston, where he was tried and convicted of racketeering and murder.
Our greatest chronicler of the Irish mob in America, T. J. English covered the trial at close range—by day in the courtroom, but also, on nights and weekends, interviewing Bulger’s associates as well as lawyers, former federal agents, and even members of the jury in the backyards and barrooms of Whitey’s world. In Where the Bodies Were Buried, he offers a startlingly revisionist account of Bulger’s story—and of the decades-long culture of collusion between the Feds and the Irish and Italian mob factions that have ruled New England since the 1970s, when a fateful deal left the FBI fatally compromised. English offers an authoritative look at Bulger’s own understanding of his relationship with the FBI and his alleged immunity deal, and illuminates how gangsterism, politics, and law enforcement have continued to be intertwined in Boston.
As complex, harrowing, and human as a Scorsese film, Where the Bodies Were Buried is the last word on a reign of terror that many feared would never end.
T. J. English
T. J. English is a noted journalist and author of the New York Times bestsellers Havana Nocturne, Paddy Whacked, The Savage City, and Where the Bodies Were Buried. He also authored The Westies, a national bestseller; Born to Kill, which was nominated for an Edgar Award; and The Corporation. His journalism has appeared in Esquire, Vanity Fair, Playboy, and New York magazine, among other publications. He lives in New York City.
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Reviews for Where the Bodies Were Buried
16 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is an account of Whitey Bulger’s trial, not a history of his criminal activities. As such, it sometimes is as exciting as a transcript; events are often retold as different witnesses testify. This does not make a page-turner. The author’s main purpose seems to be to excoriate the FBI and Justice Department for their epic wrongdoing in this case. Not that he is an apologist for Bulger, far from it. He also throws in a lot of well-deserved digs at Boston media for ignoring Whitey’s crimes, due to his brother’s political influence. Not the best book on Whitey Bulger, it is the latest, and worth reading if this whole saga has intrigued you.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well-written and researched. Somewhat subjective but that's okay. Overall a fair and accurate accounting. Having retired as a 35 year employee of the DOJ, a third of it in Boston, I can only share the jaded view of the author regarding the entity as a whole and the lawlessness of a few (as compared to the whole). I think that this episode is a portrayal of our government in general and the powers that be in all arenas of the USG in neglecting to act in "the greater good" for all and, instead, what's in it for me. However, I do recognize the many men and women who believe in their mission and try to make the world better.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I grew up just south of Boston, where any reference to "Whitey" didn't need to be followed by a last name. Even those of us who didn't know the details, knew Whitey was a notorious local mobster, loved by some and hated by others. This book unravels the tangled mess of mobsters, connections, and the various law enforcement agencies involved from start to finish in Whitey's criminal life.I found this to be an easy read, as far as writing style and the way the content is presented. But it's not a light or a quick read, nor could it be given the subject matter. The author provides a detailed account of events, with all the intricacies within the many relationships. We're taken into Whitey's life as his crimes become more blatant and brutal. Then we're taken through his trial, where witnesses relive the events.The corruption and complicity regarding the FBI's treatment of Whitey and his associates is, for lack of a better word, astounding. This, I think, is the heart of the story, because without that complicity, Whitey's criminal enterprise would never have gone on as it did.This book shines a spotlight on our government's practice of recruiting high-level criminal informants, of protecting them, and of the shroud of secrecy surrounding it all. For that reason alone, whether you care about Whitey Bulger or not, this book needs to be read and talked about. Until we demand changes, this type of atrocity will happen again and again, and will remain cloaked in government secrecy.