Black Mass

Whitey Bulger, The FBI, and a Devil's Deal

By: Gerard O'Neill, Dick Lehr

Narrated by: John Rubinstein, Christopher Evan Welch

Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

In this gritty New York Times best-seller, the true story of a crooked deal between the FBI and the Irish Mob is exposed. By providing a penetrating look into the mean streets of mid-1970s South Boston, the author shows how two kids from the neighborhood cross paths again years later, ending in the biggest informant scandal in FBI history.

©2012 Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill (P)2012 Recorded Books

Excellent!

Well written and performed. Of all the books out there on Bulger, this is one of the best.

Liked it ....for awhile

Gangsters, cops, FBI, dames and dolls. Good guys (who weren't), bad guys (depending on circumstance and outlook at any moment). Enjoyed it for awhile - 'til it got too long, too much the "same old". Did finally finish the last chapters after several months hiatus. Humanity finds a way to disappoint.

The damage of the insider threat

What does it look like when a member of the legal community shifts his/her allegiance to a criminal power? I give you John Connoly.

Nearly 30 years of criminal activity in South Boston was actively defended by FBI agents. This book thoroughly examines the history as told by two Boston reporters. Research conducted includes eye-witness reports, grand jury testimony, and FBI records. Some may call this book dry. For me, the insights and realities were delivered in a way that was both exciting and informative.

I read this book as another view of what insider threats can do to a person, an organization, and in this case, an entire community. The FBI reputation was devastated. South Boston's very anatomy was changed forever. The criminal underworld gained unprecedented ground.

Informative and Well Done

Where does Black Mass rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Above average

Who was your favorite character and why?

Whitey because he was what every lover of organized crime books wants to read about

What about John Rubinstein and Christopher Evan Welch ’s performance did you like?

It was well done and well read. That seems like something all audio books have, but it is NOT.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nothing exreme. Just well done.

Loved this book!

I thought this book was not only captivating, but enjoyable, well thought out, and informative. I am obsessed with crime stories and I loved this book. I will be listening to it again. The authors did a fantastic job!

WAY BETTER THAN THE MOVIE!!!!

Great performance! The detail was incredible when compared with the movie. You walk out of the theatre thinking that the F.B.I. were heroes... and then.... you read the book. Bulger was the Devil, and the F.B.I. we're his right hand. it's amazing how bad Hollywood is at creating a movie, that is based off of a book/true story. They have the script, plot, beginning, middle, and end, and still manage to completely destroy the story..

The narrative was incredible, much credit to the authors for sorting through 30 years of events, tens of thousands of court documents, news articles, and interviews into a novel that captures your interest from the first page on. Instead of going the Hollywood route, and forcing their opinion on the story, and recreating the wheel, they took the time and effort to tell the story as it actually happened.

Amazing read!

It's amazing and incredible how a criminal managed to get the FBI under his thumb and use them to become one of the most notorious gangsters in history!

Interesting story told by a great narrator.

The story is well told by the authors but the narrator keeps you coming back.

Shameful story

What did you like best about Black Mass? What did you like least?

I liked the history of it and the detail of corruption that was laid out.

What did you like best about this story?

That most of the corrupt FBI agents ended up in prison

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I liked the different voices, he did a really good job at this.

Do you think Black Mass needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Nope. It really ends to me when Whitey goes to prison....and Connelly.

I never got past the second chapter.

just the facts this book is a man reading basically history and not a very exciting way narrators tone did little to help this
information because it couldn't be considered a novel.

Really enjoyed this book.

Came to this book after seeing the film black mass. enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the film.

Black mass

Fantastic account of the winter hill gang . What surprised me the most was how long he got away with it . Worth a look .