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Killers
Whitey Bulger is gone from Boston, but Bench McCarthy is here to take his place.
Bench McCarthy is a thug's thug, a hitman, an underworld jack-of-all-trades running his own mob out of Winter Hill in Somerville while simultaneously handling "wet work" for Sally Curto, a half-demented, totally obscene mob boss.
After years of gangland peace, Bench and Sally suddenly find themselves clay pigeons for unknown hit crews coming at them from every direction. The motives are as murky as the hitmen themselves, but all roads seem to lead back to the State House, where corrupt pols are battling over a bill to legalize billions of dollars' worth of new casinos.
In order to stay alive as he puts an end to the uprising, the wisecracking Bench must set aside his objections and enlist the help of Jack Reilly, a dodgy ex-cop turned private investigator. The hunter has become the hunted.
"Killers" is a thrilling ride through the dark underbelly of Boston crime and politics that could only have been written by the man novelist James Ellroy calls "the Bacon-Banging Boston Bossman"-Howie Carr, the newspaper columnist on whom Whitey Bulger first put out a contract and then called as a defense witness during his 2013 murder trial in Boston.
Bench McCarthy is a thug's thug, a hitman, an underworld jack-of-all-trades running his own mob out of Winter Hill in Somerville while simultaneously handling "wet work" for Sally Curto, a half-demented, totally obscene mob boss.
After years of gangland peace, Bench and Sally suddenly find themselves clay pigeons for unknown hit crews coming at them from every direction. The motives are as murky as the hitmen themselves, but all roads seem to lead back to the State House, where corrupt pols are battling over a bill to legalize billions of dollars' worth of new casinos.
In order to stay alive as he puts an end to the uprising, the wisecracking Bench must set aside his objections and enlist the help of Jack Reilly, a dodgy ex-cop turned private investigator. The hunter has become the hunted.
"Killers" is a thrilling ride through the dark underbelly of Boston crime and politics that could only have been written by the man novelist James Ellroy calls "the Bacon-Banging Boston Bossman"-Howie Carr, the newspaper columnist on whom Whitey Bulger first put out a contract and then called as a defense witness during his 2013 murder trial in Boston.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 15, 2015
20 people are currently reading
520 people want to read
About the author
Howie Carr
17 books44 followersHowie 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.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 24, 2019
This was my first read from the author Howie Carr, just found this to be way too slow for what it's about, even reads slow and just hate that the 1st person telling of the story switches by the character.
Should have started with a prologue, that tells the story of Sally Curto's nephew getting shot at the door. Never got into the story, didn't like any of the characters and my first and last read from this author. Also feel this is one where the author, should pay the reader for wasting the time it took to slog through this one and 'Killers' is one you'll want too pass on.
Should have started with a prologue, that tells the story of Sally Curto's nephew getting shot at the door. Never got into the story, didn't like any of the characters and my first and last read from this author. Also feel this is one where the author, should pay the reader for wasting the time it took to slog through this one and 'Killers' is one you'll want too pass on.
August 6, 2025
This was just ok for me. Set in Boston’s world of hard crime, it is told from two perspectives: an Irish gang lord and a retired policeman turned PI who works for shady politicians. Told in alternating chapters, I had a hard time keeping straight whose perspective it was as their voices weren’t really distinct. Those two tough guys grew on me though, and I was rooting for them both by the end.
Recreational Anger reading challenge -Day Of Anger: a 📖book with a weapon on the cover
Recreational Anger reading challenge -Day Of Anger: a 📖book with a weapon on the cover
May 25, 2017
This book is utter garbage. Both in the content and the execution. First pure filth, racist, misogynistic, and much more utter crap. Second the switch from two different first person could have worked except both protagonist (anti-protagonist) seriously who is the good guy in this novel, are exactly the carbon copy of each other. It could have been multiple personalities in one person. If they hadn't switch every other chapter I would have no idea who I was suppose to following. No redeeming qualities in any of the characters. Very hard to finish, I kept picking it up to finish to see how in the world this book made it on the best sellers list. I assume he paid someone off. I keep it around if I ever need something to start a fire with.
December 12, 2015
This book had its moments along with some high praise from notables but in the end it dragged for me and just wasn't that well written and presented.
January 9, 2018
A very involving, fast-paced story of Boston organized crime post-Bulger, Howie Carr's "Killers" shouldn't have trouble finding an audience already familiar with the works of Dennis Lehane and Chuck Hogan.
The book is split into about forty-five short-ish chapters, switching back and forth between two first person POV's. They are:
Jack Reilly, a private eye, dirty (but not extraordinarily so) ex-cop, who used to run errands for the mayor. Nowadays he's barely staying afloat, using an ex-girlfriend Globe reporter as a source of information, doing odd research jobs.
Bench McCarthy, at one point a mid-level gangster who's status has risen due to lack of competition. He's a junior partner of sorts with Sally Curto, the number one mob man ever since the capture of Whitey Bulger.
You can feel the desperation felt by these three characters as they go through their daily routines, Reilly trying to make a buck, McCarthy trying also to make a buck and also dodge bullets, and Curto, the Dinosaur with difficulty adapting to changing times.
The story involves a new casino deal about to be approved in the state Senate. Someone starts capping gangsters, and it looks suspiciously like a case of don't-put-your-money-here-this-is-gangland. There's tons of violence, witty dialogue, and minor characters with names like Fat Vinny and Hole In the Head.
I've read some criticism on this site regarding the author's views. All I know about Howie Carr is he's a novelist who's written a damn good gangster book, and that he's a conservative talk radio host. Maybe some of the, er, abrasive views held by the book's two narrators comes from a place in Mr. Carr's heart. I suppose it's possible. But these comments, whether on racial or sexual topics, are also very much in line with their characters: a gangster and a morally flexible private eye. These are bad guys, folks, and if they came across any nicer, the writing wouldn't come across as authentically as it does.
The book is split into about forty-five short-ish chapters, switching back and forth between two first person POV's. They are:
Jack Reilly, a private eye, dirty (but not extraordinarily so) ex-cop, who used to run errands for the mayor. Nowadays he's barely staying afloat, using an ex-girlfriend Globe reporter as a source of information, doing odd research jobs.
Bench McCarthy, at one point a mid-level gangster who's status has risen due to lack of competition. He's a junior partner of sorts with Sally Curto, the number one mob man ever since the capture of Whitey Bulger.
You can feel the desperation felt by these three characters as they go through their daily routines, Reilly trying to make a buck, McCarthy trying also to make a buck and also dodge bullets, and Curto, the Dinosaur with difficulty adapting to changing times.
The story involves a new casino deal about to be approved in the state Senate. Someone starts capping gangsters, and it looks suspiciously like a case of don't-put-your-money-here-this-is-gangland. There's tons of violence, witty dialogue, and minor characters with names like Fat Vinny and Hole In the Head.
I've read some criticism on this site regarding the author's views. All I know about Howie Carr is he's a novelist who's written a damn good gangster book, and that he's a conservative talk radio host. Maybe some of the, er, abrasive views held by the book's two narrators comes from a place in Mr. Carr's heart. I suppose it's possible. But these comments, whether on racial or sexual topics, are also very much in line with their characters: a gangster and a morally flexible private eye. These are bad guys, folks, and if they came across any nicer, the writing wouldn't come across as authentically as it does.
September 24, 2024
A very enjoyable book by a extremely talented author. Howie Carr can be found commenting weekly on the radio on political and social media events. He is witty and always engaging. Well, the same can be said for this volume in which he creates a fictional environment involving a host of criminal characters living in the Boston area. Boston is Howie Carr's domain and he knows it well and writes a entertaining story with a potential cassino the reason for attempted and completed street murders. The author doesn't meet a beat and the story moves along quickly with clarity and suspense. I liked the writing style and like many folks I find stories on organized crime worth a serious look. You should give this volume a read; I plan to peruse other of author Carr's literary works.
December 14, 2017
Set in Boston, this is an insider’s look into the Boston Mob and equally corrupt political system. The story follows Mobster Bench McCarthy and disgraced Private Investigator Jack Reilly as they try to make sense of a number of violent attacks surrounding the licensing of a casino. Mr. Carr’s in-depth knowledge of the political games and the gangsters of Boston’s underside makes for a realistic story that hold back no punches.
January 3, 2018
Decades ago, Peter Maas distinguished himself as a non fiction writer specializing in organized crime who successfully crossed over into fiction with some memorable novels in the Mafia genre. With “Killers,” Howie Carr proves that he too is capable of cranking out a similarly mixed body of work, and while he might not yet (or ever) rise to the level of the great Peter Maas, he's certainly proving himself a worthy contender and torch carrier.
I didn't have very high expectations for this book, mainly because I was turned off by the gratuitous title and cover, which turned out to be unworthy of the enjoyable and well constructed content. Carr splits his “main character” into two similar guys who take turns narrating in alternating chapters. One guy picks up where the other leaves off and it's often so seamless that it can be briefly confusing as to who is narrating, but this is intentional and the confusion is always cleared up within the first couple of paragraphs. I found this to be a clever device that worked very well and had some unique advantages over an alter-ego type of approach. The effect is a basket-tight narrative that propels itself through short chapters that keep the pages turning as the action unfolds. Snappy, witty dialogue and clever turns of phrase season the dialogue and leaven the dark storyline with humor. It's a fun and entertaining read from start to finish.
Carr's dissection of Boston's Democratic machine is superb. Uninitiated readers might find his cynicism to be overwrought, but when it comes to Boston, truth is stranger than fiction. Just in the brief time it took me to read this book, two scandals erupted there, one of which involved a 113 count indictment of state senator using his office as a criminal enterprise and another involving the president of the state senate resigning over a sex scandal. Carr knows Boston as well as anybody and it's a treat to have him as a tour guide through the cities neighborhoods, institutions, and underbelly.
I've noticed that other reviewers denounce him for being politically incorrect. Carr clearly enjoys knocking down sacred cows and his politically incorrect observations are refreshing. And funny.
Carr will continue to be known mainly for his non fiction, and he might have a hard time topping his books on the Bulgers and John Martarano, but solid, entertaining fiction like “Killers” has distinguished him as a versatile, well rounded writer worthy of the distinction as an heir to Peter Maas.
I didn't have very high expectations for this book, mainly because I was turned off by the gratuitous title and cover, which turned out to be unworthy of the enjoyable and well constructed content. Carr splits his “main character” into two similar guys who take turns narrating in alternating chapters. One guy picks up where the other leaves off and it's often so seamless that it can be briefly confusing as to who is narrating, but this is intentional and the confusion is always cleared up within the first couple of paragraphs. I found this to be a clever device that worked very well and had some unique advantages over an alter-ego type of approach. The effect is a basket-tight narrative that propels itself through short chapters that keep the pages turning as the action unfolds. Snappy, witty dialogue and clever turns of phrase season the dialogue and leaven the dark storyline with humor. It's a fun and entertaining read from start to finish.
Carr's dissection of Boston's Democratic machine is superb. Uninitiated readers might find his cynicism to be overwrought, but when it comes to Boston, truth is stranger than fiction. Just in the brief time it took me to read this book, two scandals erupted there, one of which involved a 113 count indictment of state senator using his office as a criminal enterprise and another involving the president of the state senate resigning over a sex scandal. Carr knows Boston as well as anybody and it's a treat to have him as a tour guide through the cities neighborhoods, institutions, and underbelly.
I've noticed that other reviewers denounce him for being politically incorrect. Carr clearly enjoys knocking down sacred cows and his politically incorrect observations are refreshing. And funny.
Carr will continue to be known mainly for his non fiction, and he might have a hard time topping his books on the Bulgers and John Martarano, but solid, entertaining fiction like “Killers” has distinguished him as a versatile, well rounded writer worthy of the distinction as an heir to Peter Maas.
May 16, 2021
this book was so good I read three times.
Well many people will ask, What was so good about the book?
I will say the it was a very interesting story, with no down time, always kept the reader intrigued, wanting more, what they call a page turner.
Great job, one in a million, but I haven't read near that many books just yet.
Hope you enjoy as much as I did to all those that choose to read. 👍👍👍👏
Well many people will ask, What was so good about the book?
I will say the it was a very interesting story, with no down time, always kept the reader intrigued, wanting more, what they call a page turner.
Great job, one in a million, but I haven't read near that many books just yet.
Hope you enjoy as much as I did to all those that choose to read. 👍👍👍👏
September 1, 2021
This is the first time I have written a review. That's how bad this book was. It's one of those books that plods along painfully. At page 200 I threw in the towel. Shame on me for wasting so much time. The style (first person narrative which switches between two main characters) is irritating. Ultimately I realized I did not give a damn about either and pitched it out.
September 11, 2019
Hard book for me to get into. And, I hate to admit it, but it took me a while to figure out what was going on every other chapter! Liked the snappy dialogue, but the criminal protagonists did not win me over.
February 6, 2018
Fun read but a bit repetitive and takes quite a while to get up to speed. Ambitious style in moving from one narrator to another in alternating chapters but meh.
August 24, 2019
It was ok but I get most (most, not all) of the inside jokes because I grew around this. I know the 108mph speeding pol is based on facts. I wonder how much of the other stuff is too?
July 30, 2022
Carr’s obvious conservative views distracted from an already slow plot and about 100 pages of decent action. Unfortunate because this could have been a decent book.
August 11, 2024
This was not a good read one of the very few books I did not finish.Did not like that the 1st person narrative switched between 2 of the main characters, found it confusing to say the least.The book was very slow this will be my first and last book by this author.
February 27, 2017
being from Boston, this is so uncomfortable to read. he uses awkward terms that simply aren't done, and name dropping streets with their full names (there are almost no main roads here th at go by full names. it's obnoxious) and naming a bar 3 or 4 times on one page (thanks, I figured out where we are by now). Basically it seems he's trying too hard with this book. once you become numb to the awful writing style, it's pretty enjoyable but very, very over seasoned with local (fake) terminology that makes him seem a tourist from LA who has never been to this city in his life, despite being genuinely from boston apparently.
October 28, 2015
Killers by Howie Carr failed to walk that fine line between hard-boiled and cliche-ridden. While that is certainly a difficult line to walk, this book stood out in the cliches used. Usually the worn cliches are the tried and true tough guy type of talk that made the original era of hard-boiled stories so memorable. Current works in this genre have to balance using some of the same comments, or at least similar, without becoming a parody of the genre.
Well, this fell short of even being a parody of the genre. Instead, it was a parody of that "news" channel from Fox. Worn out, tired and disproved rhetoric in a story of this type not only slows the action but also dumbs the book down to an unbearable level.
No doubt his fans will like it for the bigoted comments whether they like the genre or not. After reading the book I had to look up who this joker is and then I understood. Oh well, at least he calls it fiction, O'Reilly would likely have claimed a role in it and called it journalism.
Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.
Well, this fell short of even being a parody of the genre. Instead, it was a parody of that "news" channel from Fox. Worn out, tired and disproved rhetoric in a story of this type not only slows the action but also dumbs the book down to an unbearable level.
No doubt his fans will like it for the bigoted comments whether they like the genre or not. After reading the book I had to look up who this joker is and then I understood. Oh well, at least he calls it fiction, O'Reilly would likely have claimed a role in it and called it journalism.
Reviewed from a copy made available through Goodreads First Reads.
January 14, 2016
Howie's second novel is a big improvement over Hard Knocks. There are lots of hilarious barbs about Massachusetts politicians, especially a thinly veiled reference to our 'extinguished' former Lt. Governor, Tim Murray (aka 'Crash Murray, aka 'The Pillsbury Doughboy'). Howie still has a way to go before he reaches George V. Higgins territory, but Killers is a fun book to read if you enjoy Crime Fiction.
December 20, 2015
Noir hilariousl!
Venal corrupt muderous gangsters, cops,politicians and journalists ( ok lawyers judges parole offices and other public servants)
The LCN guys can't get good help in their outdated enterprises because the wise guys move to towns like Saugus so their kids don't have to go to Boston Public Schools. Lots of fun you just root for the bad guys to win
Venal corrupt muderous gangsters, cops,politicians and journalists ( ok lawyers judges parole offices and other public servants)
The LCN guys can't get good help in their outdated enterprises because the wise guys move to towns like Saugus so their kids don't have to go to Boston Public Schools. Lots of fun you just root for the bad guys to win
December 17, 2015
Excellent suspense, great understanding of the mob today. Good characters and development. Two different from two different worlds come together and help each other. Two cultures solve the mystery.
November 12, 2016
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not just one noire tough guy, two noire tough guy main characters in one book. I hope Carr writes more books about Bench McCarthy and Jack O'Reilly.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews