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The Boston Mob Guide: Hit Men, Hoodlums & Hideouts
Boston journalists Beverly Ford and Stephanie Schorow navigate the backrooms and seedy hangouts throughout the real story of Boston's gangster past.
The capture of notorious mobster James "Whitey" Bulger closed an infamous chapter in Boston history, yet the city's criminal underworld has a long and bloody rap sheet that stretches back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Ford and Schorow reveal the underbelly of Boston through profiles of ruthless gangsters like Charles "King" Solomon, the Angiulo brothers, Joseph "The Animal" Barboza, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi and many more who carried out deadly hits and lucrative heists.
The capture of notorious mobster James "Whitey" Bulger closed an infamous chapter in Boston history, yet the city's criminal underworld has a long and bloody rap sheet that stretches back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Ford and Schorow reveal the underbelly of Boston through profiles of ruthless gangsters like Charles "King" Solomon, the Angiulo brothers, Joseph "The Animal" Barboza, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi and many more who carried out deadly hits and lucrative heists.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 27, 2021
I wanted to like this because generally these photo books have a lot of neat historical images with text telling about the images. Unfortunately, this particular book was tedious to get through, even though the topic was interesting.
Text written in passive form made some spots difficult to read and follow. There were way too many "see this page" or "jump to this location" due to the disorganized manner in which the information is presented. It was broken into five main chapters with the bulk of the information in chapter two about the actual people involved. However, there was no logical order to the presentation. The Mobsters were not in alphabetical order, they were not in birth order, they were not in height of "popularity", they were not in in "gang" association order... basically, they were random and all over the place making it difficult to follow without a lot of flipping back and forth on pages. Also, because of the lack of any order there were a lot of duplicate information further adding to confusion and more page flipping...It was very disruptive to the flow and figuring out what was actually going on between the different Mobsters versus the FBI agents that were turned, versus the ones that were not, versus which people were associated with which others during which time periods. This could have been organized MUCH better.
It also referenced other books within the text taking sections from the books...it's one thing to do research and another to just take chunks of that text. May as well read the original, maybe it would make more sense.
I did enjoy the images and the subject matter, too bad the writing needed a lot of help.
Text written in passive form made some spots difficult to read and follow. There were way too many "see this page" or "jump to this location" due to the disorganized manner in which the information is presented. It was broken into five main chapters with the bulk of the information in chapter two about the actual people involved. However, there was no logical order to the presentation. The Mobsters were not in alphabetical order, they were not in birth order, they were not in height of "popularity", they were not in in "gang" association order... basically, they were random and all over the place making it difficult to follow without a lot of flipping back and forth on pages. Also, because of the lack of any order there were a lot of duplicate information further adding to confusion and more page flipping...It was very disruptive to the flow and figuring out what was actually going on between the different Mobsters versus the FBI agents that were turned, versus the ones that were not, versus which people were associated with which others during which time periods. This could have been organized MUCH better.
It also referenced other books within the text taking sections from the books...it's one thing to do research and another to just take chunks of that text. May as well read the original, maybe it would make more sense.
I did enjoy the images and the subject matter, too bad the writing needed a lot of help.
February 19, 2012
Matt Damon recently told GQ that he would be teaming up with Ben Affleck to do a film about Whitely Bulger. Shortly thereafter, Mark Wahlberg announced that he hoped to secure exclusive rights to the story from Bulger. If you're the kind of person who loves to be out in front of major news and Hollywood stories, The Boston Mob Guide by Beverly Ford and Stephanie Schorow is an absolute "Must Read."
Not only does the book cover a detailed account of Whitey's Greatest Hits, it also puts his life into context by giving a biography of all of the major players in the New England organized crime scene. Some set the stage for Whitey's lifestyle as founding members of local mobs. Others served as partners in crime, while others were his enemies. The book's alphabetical bio section makes it easy to reference a wealth of interesting facts about these colorful characters.
If you're planning a trip to the area, The Boston Mob Guide also includes specific details on favorite hangouts,hideouts, hits and heists. If the pictures aren't enough for you, exact addresses are included.
The final chapter talks about area mobsters in the movies. Comparisons to the upcoming films will undoubtedly abound.
As Whitey Bulger's case comes to trial, and the Hollywood circus hits the multiplex with a star-studded double feature, I'll be the go-to guy in my circle of friends. If you thought The Godfather series and Scarface made for interesting conversations, I strongly recommend gearing up for the real thing by reading The Boston Mob Guide.
Not only does the book cover a detailed account of Whitey's Greatest Hits, it also puts his life into context by giving a biography of all of the major players in the New England organized crime scene. Some set the stage for Whitey's lifestyle as founding members of local mobs. Others served as partners in crime, while others were his enemies. The book's alphabetical bio section makes it easy to reference a wealth of interesting facts about these colorful characters.
If you're planning a trip to the area, The Boston Mob Guide also includes specific details on favorite hangouts,hideouts, hits and heists. If the pictures aren't enough for you, exact addresses are included.
The final chapter talks about area mobsters in the movies. Comparisons to the upcoming films will undoubtedly abound.
As Whitey Bulger's case comes to trial, and the Hollywood circus hits the multiplex with a star-studded double feature, I'll be the go-to guy in my circle of friends. If you thought The Godfather series and Scarface made for interesting conversations, I strongly recommend gearing up for the real thing by reading The Boston Mob Guide.
January 13, 2019
A solid reference book covering many years of the Boston underworld. Does repeat itself occasionally, but only helps to place people and places in reference to each other. Fascinating for someone who grew up in Massachusetts and wants more insight into this subject. I still have as many questions as I have answers, but it is a great start.
November 25, 2025
I love Stephanie Schorow is one of the best authors of Boston History today. This book is very entertaining. There isn't a story in there that I would call new but she tells the story in such a clear and direct fashion that you feel like you have a new understanding of the events. I would love to see her find an area and drill down on it. I would read it.
January 11, 2019
A good helping hand to understanding the Boston Mob.
This book goes into great detail of the mobsters. Still was hard keeping them all straight. Would have liked it in time order better.
This book goes into great detail of the mobsters. Still was hard keeping them all straight. Would have liked it in time order better.
June 27, 2019
Knowing nothing about Boston's mob, this book was really interesting to read. The authors wrote that all roads of crime lead to Whitey Bulgar, and that couldn't be more true.
November 1, 2025
The best A-z of this subject. People places. Events. The links & the photographs. Fascinated with Whitney Bulger is a long time guilty pleasure. I found the photographs quite amazing
August 10, 2013
Authors Beverly Ford and Stephanie Schorow have assembled a quick-moving 160-page book that puts recently captured fugitive James "Whitey" Bulger into his historic and geographic context. In addition to Bulger and his underworld cronies in the infamous Winter Hill Gang, the authors examine the major players and events in the New England Mafia, as well as various Irish gangsters and other shady characters who have called the Boston region their home.
The authors, both accomplished Boston-area journalists, acknowledge that much of the local underworld history has been covered in other chronicles, biographies and even autobiographies and they suggest that their book be employed as a "scorecard to use while getting to know the players."
It actually is a good deal more than a mere scorecard. The Boston Mob Guide is a concise retelling of major Boston-area gangland occurrences in light of recent developments. It includes the life stories of the major underworld players and abundant black and white photographs of relevant people and places. All in all, it is an enjoyable and informative primer on Boston organized crime for a general readership market.
The authors, both accomplished Boston-area journalists, acknowledge that much of the local underworld history has been covered in other chronicles, biographies and even autobiographies and they suggest that their book be employed as a "scorecard to use while getting to know the players."
It actually is a good deal more than a mere scorecard. The Boston Mob Guide is a concise retelling of major Boston-area gangland occurrences in light of recent developments. It includes the life stories of the major underworld players and abundant black and white photographs of relevant people and places. All in all, it is an enjoyable and informative primer on Boston organized crime for a general readership market.
July 8, 2014
This book serves very well as a quick reference book to a good number of Boston crime figures. That said, the section on all mob figures combined is about as large as the content on Whitey Bulger. There are a million books on Bulger at this point. If you want to write a book on him, that's fine, but call it "Whitey and other Boston Mobsters," not "The Boston Mob Guide." There are two pages on Charles Solomon - arguably the most powerful mob boss in Boston's history.
The sources are also kind of shotty. There aren't many secondaries, and one of them is a Howie Carr book. Not exactly top notch research.
The sources are also kind of shotty. There aren't many secondaries, and one of them is a Howie Carr book. Not exactly top notch research.
May 5, 2012
Solid background. Read before other gangland books.
October 28, 2013
Review to come.
January 10, 2017
good reference book
all the facts are here as published in the local papers. interesting reading when they are all combined in one book
all the facts are here as published in the local papers. interesting reading when they are all combined in one book
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews