This was an unexpected Christmas gift from my wife. I didn't know much about Whitey Bulger, but who doesn't like a good true life mafia yarn?
I dug in and emerged 3 or 4 days later. It was a page-turned, for sure. Two reporters authored a very well-researched account of Whitey Bulger, the FBI agents who handled him, and the Italian mob. The issue with the book is that it kinda read like a research paper. They didn't manage to weave a tale anywhere near as masterful as the likes of Erik Larson. Black Mass is more a listing of "this happened then this happened." They tell it in a way that's at least easy to comprehend, because it could quickly have gotten off the rails with so many double-crosses, betrayals, and Italian names flying back and forth.
It's definitely a fucked up story and a huge black mark on the FBI for having a process that could sustain such treachery and lawlessness for so many years. It's a bummer of a tale.
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