Ratman: The Trial and Conviction of Whitey Bulger

by Howie Carr

With a $2 million reward on his head, James "Whitey" Bulger was the most-wanted fugitive in America for sixteen years when he was captured by the FBI in June 2011. Two years later, this Boston organized-crime boss went on trial in his hometown. In his latest book, The Trial and Conviction of Whitey Bulger , New York Times bestselling author Howie Carr chronicles the trial of this notorious mob boss, who was charged with nineteen murders. Carr also shares accounts of a uniquely personal nature, including testimony from one of Bulger's hit men, who Whitey ordered to kill Carr in the driveway of his home. Despite Bulger's attempts to keep this Boston Herald columnist and radio talk-show host out of the courtroom by listing him as a defense witness, the judge allowed Carr to cover the trial, putting readers in the front row at one of the most entrancing murder trials in recent history.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, History, Crime

336 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2013

About the author

Howie Carr is a columnist for the Boston Herald and hosts a radio talk show syndicated throughout New England. He is the New York Times bestselling author of the true crime biographies The Brothers Bulger and Hitman, and author of the crime novel Hard Knocks. In 1985, Carr won a National Magazine Award, and in 2008 he was elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame. He lives in suburban Boston with his wife and their three daughters.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/howiecarr
http://www.facebook.com/howiecarrshow

Reviews

[Dr.Peter]

Excellent closure !! easy read kind of funny in parts, best if youv'e read all of his books on Whitey

[noreast_bookreviewsnh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ratman: The trial, conviction, and murder of Whitey Bulger by Howie Carr
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The final chapter in the Life of notorious gangster and RAT 🐀 Whitey Bulger. An in depth look is provided on the trial and crimes of Bulger and his cohorts and his relationship with the FBI in Boston. After reading the details of decades of disgusting criminal activity, one is glad that Whitey met his end in prison the way he did; beaten to death with a padlock in a sock by another gangster in prison for murder much like Whitey.
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#bookstagram #books #reading #read #boston #massachusetts #whiteybulger #politics #howiecarr #howiecarrshow #rat #history #criminalminds

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read, and informative.

thanks to my dad for the signed copy.

[Chris Birdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know about Catholics, talk to the Pope. If you want to know about Whitey Bulger and the Winter Hill Gang, ask Howie Carr. Ratman is the current book from Howie Carr. It covers the capture and trial of the greedy psychopath who terrorized the Boston area for many years. Howie Carr tells it like it was, and he should know. As a newspaperman in Boston, Howie Carr followed and wrote about the brothers Bulger with their tentacles reaching into the police department, State Police, FBI and politics. Even when his life was threatened, Howie Carr persisted. In this last chapter of the Bulger saga, Howie Carr shows Bulger for what he is, a Rat.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always liked Howie Carr's journalism - he did a good job of exposing the "hacks" in state government and his hatred of the two Bulger brothers (Billy and Jim) was well documented. However this book just didn't do him justice - it came across as vindictive and at times provincial (not many non-Bostonians would of "the corrupt midget" or who Louisa Day Hicks was). On the plus side, it was a detailed and thorough reporting of the Whitely Bulger trial and the cast of witnesses proved once again truth is stranger, much, much stranger than fiction.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've read any of Howie Carr's other books on Whitey Bulger, like I have, than most of the stories related in this book will come as nothing new. I would say the most interesting part of this book was the account of the Bulger's defense teams bizarre strategy during the trial. It almost seemed they were conceding all of his criminal activity and spending their time trying to convince the jury he wasn't guilty of being an FBI Informant.

[Anna Domestico · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ratman was an interesting book, since I had not yet read anything about Whitey Bulger. I was somewhat familiar with the case because I spent a summer of commutes listening to his trial on NPR. However, I just didn't feel familiar with any of the people or the murders. Carr was too interested in getting his revenge on Bulger, proving that he was evil with some blown out language. I get this, since Carr was once on Bulger's hit list as well. Definitely informative. Worth the train read.

[Joseph Patchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous encapsulation of the trial of the grand rat and the last of the classic organized crime kingpins.

[Aprille]

Stupid..all I gotta say..

[Jocelyn Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read other books by Howie Carr. Quick good read. Like the paper and the radio. He is fine in small doses.

[Laura]

A bit repetitive and clearly rushed to print. You can get quickly burned out reading true crime - they can be too similar.