Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal

            I chose to read Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil’s Deal by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill as my non-fiction book. I have always been fascinated by big mobsters and wondered if this book would give me a new perspective into their lives. There has also been some news on Whitey Bulger, so this book seemed like a perfect fit.

            This novel is centered on the relationship between James “Whitey” Bulger, the godfather of the Irish Gang in South Boston and John Connolly, an FBI agent looking for his big break during the late 1970’s up until late in the 90’s. It is interesting how this pair met. The introduction to the novel shares that Connolly and Bulger actually grew up in the same building and knew each other as young boys. Now to get to the main point, Bulger becomes an informant to the FBI, reporting on his main rival: the Italians. This leads into how Steve Flemmi got involved. He is known as the man with connections, especially with the Italians. Both mobsters gained protection from their own crimes, eventually leading them to rise in status and power while eliminating their main opponents.

            John Connolly had always watched others rise in the fame of their informants. While reading this book, it was very prevalent that he wanted the pride and status of upholding an important mobster. What made the novel unique was that the authors clearly felt that the FBI was using the partnerships for their own personal gain. An example is when Bulger almost lost his protection because he was target in a major FBI investigation in a horse race fixing in 1978. With the help of Connolly, Bulger managed to escape untouched with the help of Connolly and his supervisor, John Morris. Another is when Connolly tipped off Flemmi about a bug in their old meeting place in the Southie (South Boston). These are only two of the plethora of help that Connolly provided for Bulger and Flemmi, breaking informant rules to maintain his “status”.

            I like how this novel told about the softer side of Whitey Bulger. Everyone thinks that he is this ruff and tuff gangster, yet he is a person as well. I learned that he loved his mother and lived with her until his death. He liked to work out and keep himself clean and presentable. He enjoyed having coffee with friends. Little tidbits such as these were sprinkled in the text, and made it more personal.

            Currently, Bulger was put on trial and found guilty of 11 of the 19 murders as well as extortion, money laundering, drug dealing and weapons possession. I didn't even know that his trial was taking place until I saw it on the news and recognized his name. It was just another connection to this novel.

            Overall, I found that I enjoyed this novel more than I thought. It was written more like a story with plot and kept my attention going. I learned a lot about the mobs in Boston and how Whitey Bulger rose to become one of America’s top gangsters. I would recommend this book to anyone willing to give it  a try.