Synopses & Reviews
I grew up in the Old Colony housing project in South Boston, a tough, working class, mostly Irish neighborhood. I went from being a Golden Gloves boxer to a bouncer in a popular Southie bar called Triple O's. I got into many fights, knocked out a lot of people, and got noticed by one person in particular. People paid him a great deal of respect, came to him with their problems. Sure, I knew who he was. I'd heard stories. He was tough. He could be vicious. He ran the rackets in Southie. His name was James "Whitey" Bulger, although I always called him Jimmy.
In 1982 I went with Jimmy full time. We became partners, running legitimate businesses and some not-so-legitimate businesses. Basically, we were gangsters. We took what we wanted. We shook down drug dealers, bookmakers, like that. What were they gonna do -- go to the police? We beat people up; shot and stabbed them. And we made people disappear -- permanently. We were smart -- experts at avoiding microphones and cameras. We made millions through extortion and loan sharking and protection. And if someone ratted us out, we killed him. We were not nice guys.
I was there when Jimmy went on the lam in 1994 and I was his contact after he'd left Boston for good. With Jimmy gone, I ran things. Shortly before my own arrest in 1999, I found out that Jimmy had been an FBI informant even before I entered the scene. My life was never the same.
When the feds finally got me, I found myself faced with something Jimmy would have killed me for -- cooperating with the authorities.
Do I have any regrets? Nah, not really -- only that I should have spent more time with my wife and sons. But I've got a second chance now, and I gotta tell what happened -- what really happened. It's a lot different from what you read in the newspapers.
I was brutally honest on the witness stand, and this book is brutally honest, too -- the brutal truth that was never before told. How could it? Only three people could tell the true story. With one on the run and one in jail for life, it falls on me.
Review
“Bulger has spawned a handful of books about his mayhem. So far, Weeks is the best. ” & #150; Cleveland Plain Dealer
Review
"Absorbing." --Deseret Morning News
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“Rarely have the nuts-and-bolts of ‘the gangster life been laid bare in such shocking, unvarnished detail.” & #150; T. J. English, New York Times bestselling author of Paddy Whacked and The Westies
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“Weeks lands a knockout punch with this compelling look at one of the most intriguing figures in the American underworld.” & #150; George Anastasia, bestselling author of The Last Gangster
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“…most interesting and accurate. When Weeks talks about Bulger, hes got the goods and he makes clear the others dont.” & #150; Boston Sunday Globe
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“A dazzling story...Brutal is the most revealing and chilling true crime story that I have ever read.” & #150; Julian Krainin, Producer of & #8220;Quiz Show & #8221; and & #8220;Something the Lord Made & #8221;
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“Weeks has made his literary bones. He has credibility…” & #150; Boston Phoenix
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“Mesmerizing and fascinating ... no organized crime fiction I have read has anything on this book. I couldnt put it down.” & #150; Michael Palmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Society
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“Absorbing.” & #151;Deseret Morning News
Synopsis
I grew up in the Old Colony housing project in South Boston and became partners with James "Whitey" Bulger, who I always called Jimmy.
Jimmy and I, we were unstoppable. We took what we wanted. And we made people disappear—permanently. We made millions. And if someone ratted us out, we killed him. We were not nice guys.
I found out that Jimmy had been an FBI informant in 1999, and my life was never the same. When the feds finally got me, I was faced with something Jimmy would have killed me for—cooperating with the authorities. I pled guilty to twenty-nine counts, including five murders. I went away for five and a half years.
I was brutally honest on the witness stand, and this book is brutally honest, too; the brutal truth that was never before told. How could it? Only three people could tell the true story. With one on the run and one in jail for life, it falls on me.
Synopsis
The former deputy, partner, and trusted confidante of James J. "Whitey" Bulger, head of Boston's Irish mob describes his more than twenty-year career at the side of the notorious fugitive and underworld boss, sharing inside details of the violence, crimes, intrigues, and murders of Bulger's crime empire. Reprint.
About the Author
Kevin Weeks is out of prison and living a clean life in Massachusetts.
Phyllis Karas is the coauthor of two previous books. She is a contributor to People magazine and an adjunct professor at the Boston University School of Journalism. She lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with her husband.