Choices: You Make 'em You Own 'em: The Jerry Tillinghast Story

by Joe Broadmeadow, Jerry Tillinghast

In a remarkably personal and intimate account, Jerry Tillinghast, one of the most popular characters from the first season of Crimetown, talks about his life and the choices he made. Battling alongside his brothers on the streets of Providence. Enlisting in the United States Marine Corps,fighting in Vietnam, and becoming a victim of the politics of that war. Returning to Providence an angry young man and his choice to hang with the wiseguys. His reputation as a "feared mob enforcer" and the effect on his family.Meeting Raymond L.S. Patriarca and how he came to embrace him as a father figure.His brushes with the law and the two most infamous cases he is forever linked to, Bonded Vault and the George Basmajian Homicide Silent no more...

Genres: Nonfiction

267 pages, Paperback

Published October 23, 2018

About the author

Joe Broadmeadow retired with the rank of Captain from the East Providence, Rhode Island Police Department after twenty years. Assigned to various divisions within the department including Commander of Investigative Services, he also worked in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and on special assignment to the FBI Drug Task Force.

Joe is the author of seven books; three novels based on his experiences as a police officer, Collision Course, Silenced Justice, and A Change of Hate, a Y/A novel, Saving the Last Dragon, and three non-fiction books; Choices: You Make 'em You Own 'em written with Jerry Tillinghast, UnMade: Honor Loyalty Redemption written with Bobby Walason, and It's Just the Way It Was: Inside the War on the New England Mob and other stories written with Brendan Doherty former superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.

Joe also writes for two blogs, The Writing of Joe Broadmeadow (http://www.joebroadmeadowblog.com) and The Heretic and the Holy Man (www.thehereticandtheholyman.wordpress...) and as a guest columnist for the Providence Journal and GoLocalProv.com.

When Joe is not writing, he is hiking or fishing (and thinking about writing). Joe completed a 2,185-mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in September 2014. After completing the trail, Joe published a short story, Spirit of the Trail, available on Amazon.com in Kindle format.

Joe lives in Rhode Island with his wife Susan.

Reviews

[James Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads more like a podcast than it does a book. The narrative constantly jumps around, has points of repetition of stories, and goes off on tangents. What saves this book from being unreadable is the fact that Jerry's story is so compelling, and that it draws you in. You find yourself liking Jerry.

I listened and enjoyed the first season of Crimetown, and this book does do a good job of not being to overlapping with the story told there. That being said, there is a decent amount that could be cut from the last third of the book. (Which was 254 pages FYI) It feels more like an oral history than a book.

This is a read for someone interested in Jerry because of Crimetown, or someone who has a deep interest in organized crime, not the casual reader.

[Katherine Hebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

With better editing, this could have been sensational.

[JEFFREY ALTZNER · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had me skipping pages with boredom

I could not stay interested, may e it's me, maybe I'm bored with crime genre. Subject clearly was not as smart as author makes him out to be. The only reason this book was written was be ause he is the only one left alive from that era of thuggery before cell phones and security cameras. I never met anyone that was in the wrong place at wrong time more than this guy Jerry.

[CHARLES · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choices was wonder...difficult to. Put down...held my interest from beginning to end..Loved it!! highly recommended!! You won't be disappointed!!

Wonderful...difficult to put down..held my interest from beginning to end...Author did an amazing job..

Loved it!! Highly recommend...you won't be disappointed..
Susie T.

[geraldine bertoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I choose this rating as it was a great bopk and wriiten like jerry was talking to u. Easy to read and verry interesting

[staci sabitoni]

Very interesting book, growing up in RI and personally knowing Jerry makes it even more interesting

[Angela Grout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting inside story.

Well written story telling the tale of what we only know as rumors. Or what I thought was rumor. 😉

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story- not much different from Crimetown. The book is riddled with typos and grammatical errors.