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The Westies  By  cover art

The Westies

By: T. J. English
Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
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Publisher's summary

It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. In the mid-1970s, these two longtime friends take the reins of New York's Irish mob, using brute force to give it hitherto unthinkable power. Jimmy, a charismatic sociopath, is the leader. Mickey, whose memories of Vietnam torture him daily, is his enforcer. Together they make brutality their trademark, butchering bodies or hurling them out the window. Under their reign, Hell's Kitchen becomes a place where death literally rains from the sky. But when Mickey goes down for a murder he didn't commit, he suspects his friend has sold him out. He returns the favor, breaking the underworld's code of silence and testifying against his gang in open court.

From one of the writers behind NYPD Blue and Homicide: Life on the Street comes an incredible true story of what it means to survive in the world of organized crime, where murder is commonplace.

©2006 T. J. English (P)2017 Tantor

What listeners say about The Westies

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The Westies

thoroughly researched and comprehensive account of a remarkable period in the history of crime in NTC

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I enjoyed it alot it if you are from NYC

It ls a must read or listen too. If you are from NYC you will enjoy how describe Hells Kitchen past and what it become today

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incredible

one of the best accounts of old time gangs and gangsters I have ever read.

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2 people found this helpful

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Fascinating!

The Irish were every bit as violent as their Italian counterparts, maybe even more so!

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Documentary that reads like a novel.

This history of Hell's Kitchen and the Irish immigrants that formed an organized crime dynasty is well told, with great detail, and without politicization. The reader can form their own opinions as the events unfold. I especially like the follow up at the end that gives the reader closure on the participants.

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4 people found this helpful

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Very good narrator, absorbing true story

If someone were to write this tale as a novel I would not have believed it. incredible research.

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Fascinating story

If you are a fan of non-fiction mafia or organized crime stories, this is a must listen to book. Delivery was good with a true reading of the book. The story was a bit biased towards Mickey but perhaps not undeserving.

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Solid True crime history...

I enjoyed this. Yet it felt a little back or a little disconnected for me. I read a lot of true crime and I like it when it's much more in your face. More emotionally connected. This felt like just the facts. All that being said, this is good.

Good narration.

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Redemption

I feel like today's justice system is built more to scorn wrong doers rather than rehabilitate them and offer some form of redemption. In Mickey Featherstone's case you can see when one is given the chance they can achieve it.
I am a fan of T.J. English and this is another fantastic saga of the old gritty streets.

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frightening

it is just crazy how psychotic individuals like this just walk around executing people with such deference to life and ignorance of the effects!

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1 person found this helpful