New Book Chronicles the Fascinating Story of Gangsters of Boston

This coming June 6, Boston will experience, no doubt, what will be organized crime's “Trial of the Century” when the infamous Whitey Bulger stands trial for murder. But before Whitey Bulger, Boston had such intriguing gangsters as Adam Worth, Daddy Black and Tony Pino.

Now, with the timely publication of Gangsters of Boston, we have the first comprehensive account of three centuries of thug life in the city where America began. Through court records, interviews, newly uncovered police documents and other information sources, Gangsters of Boston tells the incredible story of the city’s underworld. In chilling new detail, veteran Boston journalist George Hassett reveals the legendary crime stories of Boston – from Prohibition to the Mafia to the Irish Gang War and to the infamous Whitey Bulger.

The forgotten chapters of Boston gang history are also covered – from the role of street gangs in the American Revolution to Chinatown’s infamous Tong Wars to the murder of numbers king Daddy Black. It’s all here, every neighbourhood, every era and every gangster. This is a brutal Boston of warring gangs, hit men and paranoid mob bosses. Dive bars, fugitive hideouts and mob dens populate this world and Gangsters of Boston is a first class tour.

With more than fifty crisply told tales of thieves, kingpins, vicious street gangs and corrupt cops, be prepared to see the Athens of America in a new light. Boston gangsters featured include Detroit Red (Malcolm X), The Winter Hill Gang, Joe Kennedy, King Solomon, Gennaro Angiulo, Larry Zanino, The Flemmi Brothers, Campbell Brothers, Darryl Whiting AKA God, Franklin Hill Giants, Tony Johnson, Corbet Street Crew, and, of course, Whitey Bulger.

Boston, Massachusetts-based George Hassett has worked as a newspaper reporter and editor in the Boston area for publications such as The Boston Phoenix, Somerville News and Cambridge Chronicle. His crime reporting has also appeared in national magazines such as FEDS and ASIS and he has been interviewed as an expert on Boston organized crime for television and radio specials.