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Betrayal
Robert Fitzpatrick, a stellar FBI agent, recounts how he relentlessly pursued gangster Whitey Bulger. In his crusade to bring Bulger to justice, Fitzpatrick faced not only Bulger but also corrupt FBI agents, along with political cronies and enablers from Boston to Washington who, in one way or another, blocked his efforts at every step.
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First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 26, 2015
I wanted to get a different perspective on the Whitey Bulger story before seeing the movie Black Mass. This account had very little to do with Bulger ... The focus was the FBI agent and his battle with the agencies in charge of taking Bulger down. Looking forward to the movie though!
December 20, 2015
Betrayal: Whitey Bulger and the FBI Agent Who Fought to Bring Him Down by Robert Fitzpatrick (Forge Books 2011)(363.2509) was a serious disappointment. I was actually looking forward to this; I've followed the Whitey Bulger case for years and was excited to hear that this book was coming out. Unfortunately, I found it unreadable. There was no continuity to the story whatsoever. This is what was, I suppose, referred to as "yellow journalism" in the early twentieth century. Hopefully someone else has or will write Whitey Bulger's story. My rating: 1.5/10, finished 10/13/12.
January 13, 2012
BETRAYAL: Whitey Bulger and the FBI Agent who Faught to Bring Him Down
Reviewed by Russ Ilg
Jon Land and Robert Fitzpatrick have combined to bring to paper the greatest “nonfiction novel” I have had the honor to read. The story of how the FBI protected and sheltered one of the most vicious and deranged killers in history is beyond what any fiction writer could scarcely imagine as a storyline and what Truman Capote had in mind when he coined the phrase in the wake of In Cold Blood. The story begins when Robert Fitzpatrick was transferred to the Boston Office of the FBI to do what he had done his whole career: close. And he was transferred to Boston to fix a broken office and reign in the problems there, just as he had done in Miami office with the ABSCAM investigation on top of his roles in the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination and civil rights murders and bombings in the 60s in Mississippi.†
This book is such a page burner that I had to stop and see if the sun was still up. I simply could not put it down. It grabs you from page one and leads you on the ride of your life, and on that ride you will be brought to your knees in fear as to how corrupt the Justice Department and FBI were in this case. Officials in both simply sat back and allowed an Irish Boston gangster named Whitey Bulger to do whatever he wanted as long as they thought he was giving them info on New England’s Italian mob. And Bulger played them to the very end.
This will go down as one of the blackest eyes the FBI has ever received, Through his tireless work, Robert Fitzpatrick tried to make everyone up to the assistant director and head of the Organized Crime unit in Washington understand that they were being conned by one of the greatest con men in history. †The FBI was so sure that Whitey Bulger was giving them what they needed they did everything they could to stop Agent Fitzpatrick from doing his job to the point that he finally had to leave the only life he had known and loved and respected and honored his whole career.†
The recent capture of Bulger in June did not at all close one of the darkest chapters in the storied history of the FBI. Soon he will go on trial for at least nineteen murders, most of which were committed while working for the FBI and at least a dozen after Fitzpatrick recommended his tenure as an informant be ended. The Bureau did serve up one of Whitey's handlers, John Connolly, who was convicted and sent to prison for accepting bribes and, more recently, accessory to the murder of one Fitzpatrick’s own informants who could have given Bulger up once and for all.
This book is a huge read, providing an inside look as to how bad things can get and how many people’s lives are thrown away toward what is believed to be the greater good. Some reports link Bulger to over forty murders in total—think about the national manhunts that have been authorized for far, far less than that.†The great part is that after reading the book you’ll be primed to follow the next chapter in this true story in what promises to be one of the highest profile murder trials in Massachusetts history when Whitey’s day of reckoning finally comes in April.
I had the great honor of speaking to Robert Fitzpatrick for about thirty minutes on the phone and learned even more of the inside story and also the fact that for quite awhile after leaving the FBI he was in constant fear for his life. The fact that this novel-like tale is real, that it actually happened, makes it in my mind one the best thrillers ever written along with one of the most disturbing books, as it confronts us with the overriding question of how could this happen? Fitzpatrick supplies no easy answers; sometimes just posing the question is enough.
Reviewed by Russ Ilg
Jon Land and Robert Fitzpatrick have combined to bring to paper the greatest “nonfiction novel” I have had the honor to read. The story of how the FBI protected and sheltered one of the most vicious and deranged killers in history is beyond what any fiction writer could scarcely imagine as a storyline and what Truman Capote had in mind when he coined the phrase in the wake of In Cold Blood. The story begins when Robert Fitzpatrick was transferred to the Boston Office of the FBI to do what he had done his whole career: close. And he was transferred to Boston to fix a broken office and reign in the problems there, just as he had done in Miami office with the ABSCAM investigation on top of his roles in the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination and civil rights murders and bombings in the 60s in Mississippi.†
This book is such a page burner that I had to stop and see if the sun was still up. I simply could not put it down. It grabs you from page one and leads you on the ride of your life, and on that ride you will be brought to your knees in fear as to how corrupt the Justice Department and FBI were in this case. Officials in both simply sat back and allowed an Irish Boston gangster named Whitey Bulger to do whatever he wanted as long as they thought he was giving them info on New England’s Italian mob. And Bulger played them to the very end.
This will go down as one of the blackest eyes the FBI has ever received, Through his tireless work, Robert Fitzpatrick tried to make everyone up to the assistant director and head of the Organized Crime unit in Washington understand that they were being conned by one of the greatest con men in history. †The FBI was so sure that Whitey Bulger was giving them what they needed they did everything they could to stop Agent Fitzpatrick from doing his job to the point that he finally had to leave the only life he had known and loved and respected and honored his whole career.†
The recent capture of Bulger in June did not at all close one of the darkest chapters in the storied history of the FBI. Soon he will go on trial for at least nineteen murders, most of which were committed while working for the FBI and at least a dozen after Fitzpatrick recommended his tenure as an informant be ended. The Bureau did serve up one of Whitey's handlers, John Connolly, who was convicted and sent to prison for accepting bribes and, more recently, accessory to the murder of one Fitzpatrick’s own informants who could have given Bulger up once and for all.
This book is a huge read, providing an inside look as to how bad things can get and how many people’s lives are thrown away toward what is believed to be the greater good. Some reports link Bulger to over forty murders in total—think about the national manhunts that have been authorized for far, far less than that.†The great part is that after reading the book you’ll be primed to follow the next chapter in this true story in what promises to be one of the highest profile murder trials in Massachusetts history when Whitey’s day of reckoning finally comes in April.
I had the great honor of speaking to Robert Fitzpatrick for about thirty minutes on the phone and learned even more of the inside story and also the fact that for quite awhile after leaving the FBI he was in constant fear for his life. The fact that this novel-like tale is real, that it actually happened, makes it in my mind one the best thrillers ever written along with one of the most disturbing books, as it confronts us with the overriding question of how could this happen? Fitzpatrick supplies no easy answers; sometimes just posing the question is enough.
April 5, 2012
As a journalist born and bred just south of Boston, I followed the Whitey Bulger saga closely and even had a hand in breaking a big story or two about the mobster and his corrupt allies in the Boston Bureau of the FBI.
But Betrayal by Robert Fitzpatrick and Jon Land spills details about the decades-long case that even I had never heard.
Fitzpatrick, a poor kid who grew up to be a tenacious FBI agent, was the man top bureau officials handpicked to get to the bottom of accusations that FBI agents had protected the mobster, tipping him off when the Massachusetts State Police got too close and even looking the other way when he committed murders.
Land, a veteran crime novelist and a native New Englander, was put together with Fitzpatrick to help him spin the tale.
The story takes the reader along as Fitzpatrick blows the lid off the long-hidden web of drug-dealing, hijacking, murder, and official malfeasance.
The result is a book that is not to be missed by those who have followed the famous case for years, as well as for those who didn’t.
But Betrayal by Robert Fitzpatrick and Jon Land spills details about the decades-long case that even I had never heard.
Fitzpatrick, a poor kid who grew up to be a tenacious FBI agent, was the man top bureau officials handpicked to get to the bottom of accusations that FBI agents had protected the mobster, tipping him off when the Massachusetts State Police got too close and even looking the other way when he committed murders.
Land, a veteran crime novelist and a native New Englander, was put together with Fitzpatrick to help him spin the tale.
The story takes the reader along as Fitzpatrick blows the lid off the long-hidden web of drug-dealing, hijacking, murder, and official malfeasance.
The result is a book that is not to be missed by those who have followed the famous case for years, as well as for those who didn’t.
May 16, 2021
A good book with a lot of facts, figures, and personal experience from an FBI agent. A true look into corruption within the legal system.
March 16, 2017
This book is more of an autobiography of an embittered FBI agent than it is an account of the take-down of Whitey Bulger. Not that I think "embittered" is a reason to discount Fitzpatrick's version of the events.
What does give me pause is the public information on Fitzpatrick, who recently pled guilty in Federal Court to multiple counts of perjury, based upon his testimony given in a criminal trial. In reading one newspaper account, I was struck by how immaterial it seemed to me that the statements were that furnished the basis for the charges against him. But I can't really judge without knowing the details and the issues at the trial.
Before I ever learned about Fitzpatrick's guilty plea, I was a bit turned off by the surprising number of self-serving digressions in this book. At the same time, when all the returns were in I had no trouble understanding why he might have been overly concerned with selling himself and "tooting his own horn." Moreover, it isn't hard to believe that he ultimately became the target of a Federal Government smear campaign and that his guilty plea was simply the result of a decision to salvage some peace in his remaining years.
The reader of this version of the book is Michael Prichard. For me, he would make credible anything he reads.
What does give me pause is the public information on Fitzpatrick, who recently pled guilty in Federal Court to multiple counts of perjury, based upon his testimony given in a criminal trial. In reading one newspaper account, I was struck by how immaterial it seemed to me that the statements were that furnished the basis for the charges against him. But I can't really judge without knowing the details and the issues at the trial.
Before I ever learned about Fitzpatrick's guilty plea, I was a bit turned off by the surprising number of self-serving digressions in this book. At the same time, when all the returns were in I had no trouble understanding why he might have been overly concerned with selling himself and "tooting his own horn." Moreover, it isn't hard to believe that he ultimately became the target of a Federal Government smear campaign and that his guilty plea was simply the result of a decision to salvage some peace in his remaining years.
The reader of this version of the book is Michael Prichard. For me, he would make credible anything he reads.
September 30, 2018
Very interesting read having watched The Departed.
October 26, 2012
“Betrayal” is a nonfictional account of the ultimate apprehension of one of the most controlling gangsters in Boston, Massachusetts’ history. Fitzpatrick and Land relate true details of what is referred to as, “…one of the greatest failures in the history of federal law enforcement.”
According to evidence and testimony, the Boston division of the FBI was home to continual corruption, including leaks by federal agents. Typically, when we think of the FBI, we think of those sworn to uphold the law and keep our citizens safe. Robert Fitzpatrick vowed to bring to an end the reign of terror that was running rampant. Whitey Bulger and Stephen Flemmi practically owned the FBI. On the roster as ‘top echelon informants’ (TEs), they were practically untouchable.
John Connolly and John Morris, among several others, exalted the status of these TEs for their own gain, while even more turned a blind eye to what was going on. Because of inaction and the blatant immorality, several informants were not only murdered by Bulger and Flemmi, but tortured before their deaths. According to the authors, almost everything done to fight Bulger and Flemmi was disclosed. Information vital to the apprehension and arrest of the mobsters was leaked by Connolly and other agents, thereby causing the deaths of the informants that were powerful enough to put an end to Bulger and Flemmi’s period of power and static hold on the FBI.
Fitzpatrick fought tooth and nail to close Bulger and Flemmi as TEs and for his work, he was labeled a piranha by the upper tier of the FBI. He even reported the SAC of the office and for doing so, ended up being investigated himself. He ultimately left that office and soon thereafter, retired.
But still Fitzpatrick hung on. He wanted justice for the victims and wanted Bulger, Flemmi and all of the corrupted agents to pay.
A well-written, factual book that will stun its readers with the depth of the corruption many thought impossible.
Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “One Major Mistake”
According to evidence and testimony, the Boston division of the FBI was home to continual corruption, including leaks by federal agents. Typically, when we think of the FBI, we think of those sworn to uphold the law and keep our citizens safe. Robert Fitzpatrick vowed to bring to an end the reign of terror that was running rampant. Whitey Bulger and Stephen Flemmi practically owned the FBI. On the roster as ‘top echelon informants’ (TEs), they were practically untouchable.
John Connolly and John Morris, among several others, exalted the status of these TEs for their own gain, while even more turned a blind eye to what was going on. Because of inaction and the blatant immorality, several informants were not only murdered by Bulger and Flemmi, but tortured before their deaths. According to the authors, almost everything done to fight Bulger and Flemmi was disclosed. Information vital to the apprehension and arrest of the mobsters was leaked by Connolly and other agents, thereby causing the deaths of the informants that were powerful enough to put an end to Bulger and Flemmi’s period of power and static hold on the FBI.
Fitzpatrick fought tooth and nail to close Bulger and Flemmi as TEs and for his work, he was labeled a piranha by the upper tier of the FBI. He even reported the SAC of the office and for doing so, ended up being investigated himself. He ultimately left that office and soon thereafter, retired.
But still Fitzpatrick hung on. He wanted justice for the victims and wanted Bulger, Flemmi and all of the corrupted agents to pay.
A well-written, factual book that will stun its readers with the depth of the corruption many thought impossible.
Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “One Major Mistake”
June 2, 2012
Whitey Bulger's exploits first hit my radar in one of my college classes "Urban Crime and Politics" and Bulger was only a minor player in a book we were reading about South Boston "Southie". However, the professor had taken a special interest in the exploits of Whitey Bulger and he became a main topic of debate during the course. At the end of that course, I was given "Black Mass" by my professor, which led me to read "Street Soldier" and most recently, "Hitman". When I saw "Betrayl" in the bookstore, I just couldn't resist. This book was far different than the other books I have read, as they have been from the criminal's point of view. This book is entirely from the point of view of Robert Fitzpatrick and his experience in the FBI. I honestly don't know he survived his time in Boston without having a coronary. It is unbelievable the amount of corruption that was going on at the time, that has really only come to light in the past few years. I first learned of the rumors in 2002 and it's amazing to me that court cases were still going on in the past two years. When Whitey was finally arrested, I thought it would be a bigger deal...but I really haven't heard much about it. If you ever been curious about what was going on in Boston in the early 80's...read this book. You won't be disappointed. Not to mention, you will learn about all of the other interesting experiences Fitzpatrick had outside of the Bulger drama. What an exceptional man...I wish we had more people in the world like him.
November 7, 2023
The book reads, essentially, like a very long "I told you so!" Early in his assignment to Boston, Fitzpatrick determines the FBI should not be using Bulger as an informant. This hardly is a difficult determination as the FBI manual itself says someone like Bulger clearly is not suitable. After several years of working in the corrupt Boston FBI, Fitzpatrick moves on. A couple decades later, a bunch of court cases establish that the FBI should not have used Bulger as an informant. Fitzpatrick also includes some autobiographical information, mostly focused on his childhood (which was difficult). That, essentially, is spun into 250+ pages.
The organization of the book is catastrophic. There's almost no intelligible chronology - events in the 1980s are presented before events in the 2000s but that's about it. The entire book reads somewhat like an oral story told over several sessions (each session becoming a chapter). A bunch of appendixes reproduces official documents which demonstrate Fitzpatrick was basically right.
I'm not sure how, but the book manages to turn a true story of FBI and gangsters into a really long, really boring, really confusing read. Title aside, the book really has fairly little to do with Bulger.
The organization of the book is catastrophic. There's almost no intelligible chronology - events in the 1980s are presented before events in the 2000s but that's about it. The entire book reads somewhat like an oral story told over several sessions (each session becoming a chapter). A bunch of appendixes reproduces official documents which demonstrate Fitzpatrick was basically right.
I'm not sure how, but the book manages to turn a true story of FBI and gangsters into a really long, really boring, really confusing read. Title aside, the book really has fairly little to do with Bulger.
January 1, 2012
This book was a Good Reads First Read contest win.
Wow I read this hole book several weeks ago and I realized at the end that this was a true crime novel. I guess that shows how much I pay attention to the outside of the cover and what the media says about a book. I honestly thought this was going to be about someone's (the authors) opinion about Whitey Bulger.
This book goes in to some detail about how Agent Fitzpatrick tried to capture Bulger. How Fitzpatrick had to deal with learning about his corrupt fellow agents. How Fitzpatrick was one of the few agents that would not be corrupted.
This is the first True Crime book I have read but it will not be the last. This was great reading.
The bunnies and I give this book 4-Carrots.
Wow I read this hole book several weeks ago and I realized at the end that this was a true crime novel. I guess that shows how much I pay attention to the outside of the cover and what the media says about a book. I honestly thought this was going to be about someone's (the authors) opinion about Whitey Bulger.
This book goes in to some detail about how Agent Fitzpatrick tried to capture Bulger. How Fitzpatrick had to deal with learning about his corrupt fellow agents. How Fitzpatrick was one of the few agents that would not be corrupted.
This is the first True Crime book I have read but it will not be the last. This was great reading.
The bunnies and I give this book 4-Carrots.
January 23, 2012
Author Robert Fitzpatrick sheds light on the FBI's use of informants in the 1980s to combat organized crime. With a history of successful outcomes in Miami and Memphis, Fitzpatrick is called to Boston to deal with the case of one informant whom he believes should be "closed down". He does not accomplish this task until long after his retirement as an expert witness--and by writing this book.
The injustices perpetrated by the informants highlighted in this narrative (under the FBI's watchful eye) are detailed as Fitzpatrick specifically chronicles his involvement in bringing down Whitey Bulger and the personal toll his work took. This is a must-read!
The injustices perpetrated by the informants highlighted in this narrative (under the FBI's watchful eye) are detailed as Fitzpatrick specifically chronicles his involvement in bringing down Whitey Bulger and the personal toll his work took. This is a must-read!
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May 14, 2017Corrupt federal law officers and politicians? Say it isn't so, Toto! A former agent gives a brief summary of his life leading into his role in the Whitey Bulger investigation. I was hoping Mr. Fitzpatrick would delve into who protected a fugitive Mr. Bulger for thirteen years until his arrest in 2008. That question remains unanswered. I also recommend Howie Carr's "Hitman" for additional reading on this subject. - Michael O.
March 27, 2012
The integrity of FBI agent Robert Fitzpatrick, ultimately is brought to light despite corruption in the FBI, and the gangsters who subverted it. We can only see Mr. Fitzpatrick as an example of what was right about the FBI, and wish that more people such as he prevailed more often against the corrupt among us. Good job Mr. Fitzpatrick. The book was a great read.
February 29, 2012
The story of Whitey Bulger and the Boston FBI is interesting, but even that couldn't make up for the awful writing. Subject-verb disagreement? Check. Homophone mix-ups? Yep. Weird sentence fragments? Oh, yes. It's obvious a copy editor was never even in the same room as the manuscript.
October 12, 2012
Shocking and educational read! My heart goes out to Fitzpatrick... who was sent into the lion's den and clawed at everytime! As he states if only HQ would have listened.... lives would have been saved!
January 21, 2013
I enjoyed this read. I had heard of Whitey Bulger and his capture, but never really understood the story. This book reviews his life; but more than that it describes the corruption of FBI agents and politicians on the east coast of the USA who enabled his criminal career. Fascinating.
October 9, 2015
I had to stop listening to this book. I was completely intrigued by the description and then the narrator started talking and I almost fell asleep. His monotone, dining voice killed this for me. I'll try to locate a copy of the book form and give it a try.
May 11, 2016
it was OK as a thriller, but it's a work of fiction, just this month Fitz pled guilty to 6 counts of perjury relating to the items covered in this book. This is a self-agrandizing piece of propaganda. Not recommended.
February 13, 2012
Sounds like he fought the good fight, but too pedantic for me...
November 20, 2014
More about agent and corruption in FBI Boston office, than about Whitey Bulger.
November 27, 2024
Very technical and if you have no interest or follow true crime? Hard pass..
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews