Hitman: The Untold Story of Johnny Martorano, Whitey Bulger's Enforcer and the Most Feared Gangster in the Underworld

by Howie Carr, To Be Announced

Martin Scorsese's The Departed barely touched his story, but radio talk show sensation, crime reporter, and Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr takes us into the heart of the life of Johnny Martorano. For two decades, Martorano struck fear into anyone remotely connected to his world. His partnership with Whitey Bulger and the infamous Winter Hill Gang led to twenty murders, for which Johnny only served twelve years in prison. Carr also looks at the politicians and FBI agents who aided Johnny and Whitey and at the city of Boston, which they so ruthlessly ruled. But most of all, Carr depicts Johnny--the most fascinating crime figure Carr has ever encountered. A plethora of paradoxes, he was Mr. Mom by day and man-about-town by night. Charismatically colorful, he was as charming as he was frightening. After all, he was, in the end, a hitman.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Biography, Crime, History, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

11 pages, Audio Cassette

First published February 1, 2011

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

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories of the Mafia, Irish Mob, and the Winter Hill Gang, are stories of death, loyalty, betrayal, secrets and corruption. In Howie Carr's fascinating novel Hitman: The Untold Story of Johnny Martorano: Whitey Bulger's Enforcer and the Most Feared Gangster in the Underworld, the crime world is described in such great detail, you feel as if you are part of it. The story is about the life of one of the most feared gangsters and Whitey Bulger's enforcer, Johnny Martorano. The novel accounts all of the murders, bonds, and secrets of the World of the Mob. Howie Carr uses interviews with Johnny Martorano, and information after sitting in on trials, to create this maserpiece.
The novel starts out in a courtroom in Miami on September 17,2008. Johnny Martorano is sitting on the witness stand waiting to be grilled by the prosecutor. The former Whitey Bulger enforcer is being cross-examined in the murder trial of a corrupt FBI agent
John "Zip" Connolly. During the cross-examination Johhny answers confidently, without hesitation. He knows what he is talking about and he knows he is telling nothing but the truth. As he is being grilled by the prosecutor, he describe what life was like in the world of Crime.
Johnny Martorano was born "John Vincent Martorano" in Cambridge, MA on December 13,1940. Growing up, Johnny was a parochial school student, and an avid football player and fan. He was probably the last person that anyone thought would become a gangster. Growing up to middle-class parents, he always learned that nothing comes free, and if you want something, you have to work for it, and that you never ever rat somebody out. Those were two morals that he carried for the rest of his life. Johnny's father owned a restaraunt named Luigi's, which afterhours, was a common place for off-duty cops went looking for a good time. Johnny got involved with crime after gaining ties with people in the underworld. Once he was in, he could never get out.
This book talked about a lot of the killings that Johnny Martorano had done, and what his relationship was like with other mafiosos. During his time in the mob, he formed a relationship with Stevie Flemmi, and Whitey Bulger; both are godfathers to Johnny's two sons. There were also descriptions of the Mafia head Jerry Anguilo and Martorano's hate filled relationship with him. Admist Carr's descriptions of the crime world, Johhny put in his own personal accounts of what life was like and how he had a job and it had to be completed. He was responsible for killing people who were in the way; no questions asked. As time went on, and as the Mob evolved, Johnny started to realize who Whitey and Stevie truly were, and needed to get out. Johnny became a fugitive and fled to Florida with his family. He was eventually arrested and sentenced to 12 years in prison. After being released he came back to his hometown and is currently residing there with his family.
The reason why i chose this book was for many reasons. I have always been fascinated with the Mob and the stories behind it. I have previously read "The Black Mass," and was looking for something with the same topic to read. The Mob is a very complex and interesting place, and I love learning about it. On a more personal note,I have a connection with one of the people mentioned in the book was the head of the Italian Mob and La Cosa Nostra Jerry Anguilo. Jerry Anguilo, when he was alive, owned a house on the other side of the island in Nahant, MA where I also have a house. When Anguilo came home from prison, out on our boat, we were able to see his coming home party. Also after his funeral, we were able to see the reception that followed. Though I obviously did not know him, I always wanted to learn more about his world, and his relationship with Whitey Bulger.
I definitley learned a lot from this book and I am really happy that I chose it to read. Especially after Whitey Bulger's capture, my eagerness to learn more about the Mob flourished and led me to this book. I would definitley recommend this book to anyone, especially those who like to learn about the Mob like me. It was a great informational and gripping read.

[Danny Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutal and Ruthless

This is a fabulous account of the bloody Boston mafias and the story of Whitey Bulger, and to a lesser extent, his POS brother the politician who lives like a king still. It's amazing how many dirty cops and politicians were in bed with these ruthless killers, and more amazing how they were basically unaccountable for scores of horrific hits and murders and now live freely and "retired." Great job by the author telling a convoluted story. If you enjoy mafia history, this book is for you.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of very good information in this book, however, if you are newer to the history of the Boston mob scene, there are a ton of names and places and events and not a ton of organization of info (it does meander chronologically), so for a newbie to this subject it would probably be confusing. Excellent research and first hand input from JM.

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is so much information available about Whitey Bulger that this book risks being left in the middle of the pack. The fact that Bill O'Reilly endorsed the book was a major handicap for this reader. There is the occasional jab at the Democrats; but maybe I am overly sensitive after seeing O'Reilly's name on the cover.

Carr writes very clearly and illustrates the book with many unique images. It is one of the few sources available on the Boston Irish gang wars of the 1950s-1960s. It is a little ironic that so much of the violence was perpetrated by only a small handful of thugs. This book is one of the few sources that shows readers what a gang war is really like. It is not an army vs. an army. It is one small cabal of gunmen looking for members of the rival group. The only other book that shows this is Joe Bonanno's autobiography.

Because the book is based on John Martorano, it is understandable how the book is organized chronologically. It makes the most sense; but it also is handicapped by the scattered references to Martorano's involvement in the rackets. In dealing with the Campbells in Roxbury, it is almost certain that he was involved in business aside from his taverns. There are hints that he was involved in prostitution, narcotics, loan sharking, fencing stolen goods, and other crims; but those are not really discussed.

The generally democratic structure of the Winter Hill Gang also seems unlikely. 5-6 partners or 5-6 guys. It is difficult to understand the organization of the Winter Hill gang, much less how they shared their profits. The fact that Martorano does not describe his activities other than murder, makes the reader wonder how he contributed to the group. Then again, there are so many books on the market about how difficult it is for hoodlums to live while running from the law. However, Martorano appears to have had no difficulty and that is with Bulger and Flemmi as the only guys making money in Boston. Something does not sound right.

Finally, there is the small issue of Martorano spending a chapter defending his decision to turn informant. After Gravano's sweetheart deal, it is hard to imagine that the feds decided Martorano had to serve 14+ years for his crimes when they could only prove minor charges with 5-year-sentence guidelines. The reader should wonder what other crimes were coming down the pike towards Martorano. The duplicity among the gangsters was not so unusual except for Bulger and Flemmi talking to the FBI. What is unusual is how many of them were cooperating witnesses.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and 1/2 stars out of 5. Having lived in Boston for a number of years during part of the period covered in this book, I found this to be an intriguing read. Lots of interesting details about various well-known criminals. My major complaint with the book is the author's failure to give more background on many of the characters discussed at length. Other than Martorano, you'd think many of these scumbags just appeared out of nowhere. But Carr's biggest failure is not taking the time to describe the local settings more. I kept thinking that if I were a reader unfamiliar with Boston, I wouldn't be able to picture in my mind what most of these locales were like. What do the neighborhoods LOOK like, what kind of a feel do the streets have? What other kinds of people lived nearby? It could have been a far better book with those things included, but maybe Carr just doesn't have the talent for that.
Also, while he is deeply critical of many of these men and women, as most people would be, he takes it too easy on Martorano himself. Maybe that's because of his cooperation with the author, but still, this is a man who murdered 20 people. He's not someone to be admired.
Nevertheless, it was still an entertaining book to read. And the many mugshots are quite interesting to see as well.

[Dick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The true story of an organized crime enforcer in the Boston-area mob scene including the Winter Hill Gang with Whitey Bulger, Rifleman Stevie Flemmi, Cadillac Frank Selemme and others. The book was of special interest to me because I'm familiar with many of the towns and cities discussed. Incredibly amazing story about how many people were murdered by these people, the crimes in which they were involved, and the corruption of public officials including agents the FBI, and some officials with the Boston Police Dept. and Massachusetts State Police.

[Amanda Haydock · Rating 1 out of 5]

I technically didn’t even FINISH this book. After three weeks and only making it through 200 pages (very slow for me) I finally decided to throw in the towel.

The author bounces around timelines so often it’s hard to keep up. Then, he throws in people for two pages and never brings them up again. Or worse, brings them up 50 pages later and expects the reader to remember the two pages he wrote about the person 5 chapters ago.

The story itself was interesting but the way it was delicate was what ruined it for me.

[Richard]

A great, detailed account of Johnny Martorano, Whitey Bulger's protege and one of the busiest hit men in the mob. Sort of a principled sociopath, martorano only whacked the guys that deserved it :-) Carr details these events along with the nefarious dealings of the Bosotn office of the FBI now well documented as the protectors of Whitey Bulger and Stefie "The Rifleman" Flemmi who's reign of terror lasted for ~30 years. Good fellas, good times.

[Mila Pool · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a couple of things in the book that I researched that are not true which was saddening because you expect to read a book from a journalist and instead you get a tool but its only a great book because Johnny chose him and there is a lot of information straight from him. I would never read another Howie Carr book.

[James P Grillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Descriptive History

Plenty of detail regarding the Winter Hill, Boston mafia, and criminal behavior of the FBI. Good history of organized crime in Boston.

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

American pop culture has been so saturated with gangster worship for so long that we sometimes forget, not just how evil most of these guys are, but how sad, unimaginative. Imagine that your life's greatest ambition was a nice pinky ring and a Cadillac, and that you were willing to kill someone you've known for thirty years, or to spend life in prison, just to have these baubles and trinkets. And when you're not murdering your friends, you're pressuring hardworking men and women (usually of your own ethnic descent) to give you money for "protection," sometimes until your victims fall into financial ruin.

Howie Carr's "Hitman," doesn't change my view of the Mob, but man does it reinforce it. Meet Johnny Martorano, a New England wise guy (though never made in any of the Five Families) who perfectly straddled the worlds of ornery Irish organized crime and the Italian crime world, and somehow emerged as one of the last men standing in a bloody, multi-decade-long feud. Even more miraculous than this man not being dead or in jail is that he doesn't even consider himself a hitman. Most of his killings were not official contracts, but were farmed out to him by the Beantown-based Winter Hill Gang. He was usually given some money afterwards, but price was never discussed up front, and most of the hits were carried out matter-of-factly, with very little brutality or torture (as opposed to the hits carried out by former-buddy-turned-foe James "Whitey" Bulger).

In "Hitman," Martorano comes across as a sad, strange character, an overly-loyal bear of a man whose moral code, while warped, is consistent. He hated rats and killed them on behalf of his friends, only to later discover that his supposed friends were the biggest rats of all. He would have liked to have had the chance to kill his turncoat friends, but he found himself in jail, so he instead used the one weapon he had, in the form of the federal government. He informed against his cohorts, supposedly to keep them from damaging anyone else with their testimony. His rationale? "You can't rat on a rat." Hell, maybe it's true. Recommended in any case, with photos.

[Eric Keating · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about someone who was great at being unknown. We grew up knowing Whitey and Kevin pulling up alongside the local tavern after last call and the fights and congregation spilled out to Old Colony Ave with a stare from Whitey we’d all slowly walk away no matter what we were in to. John Mortarano? I never heard of him until he testified against John Connolly, disgraced FBI agent convicted of giving Whitey a license to kill going as far as to give the names of informants to the gang
I will say out of that group of professional criminals Johnny and Kevin I have more respect for. This book is great and Howie Carr details just a sample of the horror John Mortorano rendered due to manipulation by Whitey who I had the least respect for killing women and that and his being an informant is why he was murdered in the most gruesome manner
Highly recommend

[Robmgooch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography was of special interest to me because my mother worked as a cocktail waitress at El Sid's the bar directly next to Marshall Street garage. She told me stories of interacting with the Winter Hill gang. Martorano was always in her words a kind soft-spoken bookie. He was a generous tipper. In addition, she told me of the payouts to the Somerville, MDC, and Cambridge police departments each week. Although this book was of acute personal interest, I found Howie Carr's writing unfocused and too biased to be a great read. A narrative that wandered between minor hoodlums, an obvious right-wing political slant, and a too-glossy portrayal of Martarano make this a disappointing read. I would suggest Black Mass as a better introduction to this topic.

[Tom Mahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great accounting of the Boston organized (and disorganized) crime world. All the gangs from the Mullens to the Winter hill gang, to "In town" as the mafia was known, and others are all brought to light. Every notable "hit" gets a good telling. The Boston papers called them all mafia killings, whether they were done by the Irish crews or the actual mafia, or independents. Whitey Bulger and even his "crooked dwarf" brother Billy are included too. This was a fascinating read, and not to be missed.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I wasn't sure if I would like this book but once I started, I couldn't put it down. It is strange to say you can find a book about a hitman funny but some of the court testimony of the mobsters will make you burst out laughing. Carr captures the absurdity of the mob life wonderfully and with impeccable detail. Loved it.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Whitey Bulger and Steve Flemmi and the Winter Hill gang from the perspective of Johnny Martorano a hitman who killed 20 people and turned government informant once he found out that Whitey and Flemmi had been FBI informants during the whole time he knew them. Ok book but it drags a bit.

[Trey Pound · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where do I start? The author has been sucking d*ck for clout since before my mother was born. He gave this Somerville mutt/rat a voice which spewed tales all throughout this book. Even up to today Howie has been screaming to anybody who will listen that Whitey buldger tried to kill him. You're not impressing anybody being a victim. You're a coward who talks sh*t from your Herald suburb.

[Donny Aiken · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK read. Interesting and depressing since I'm from Boston. I can only take so much from criminals . This was written before Bulger was caught and died so at least there was light at the end of the tunnel . Now if only his brother would keel over.
I never knew what the "underground" numbers game was , before the lottery. Ridiculous that people would play that. Morons.

[Jamie Yomtov · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first it was a little confusing because there are so many people within the book, but I was able to get the hang of the author’s writing and realized I couldn’t get hyper focused on any one person. The book had so many facts and really told the story the Winter Hill Gang and other Boston Gangs. A great piece of nonfiction.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories in this book felt disjointed in the early charters, but became more focused. It always continues to amaze me how politician who were friendly with the Bulgers had no repercussions to their careers. I'm looking at you John Kerry and Michael Dukakis.

[Dena DiMarzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Great on audio book. Rifleman next

Love it. It was well written. Loved the where are they now list. Can't wait to listen to rifleman and the other weasel whitey.

[Jai · Rating 4 out of 5]

an intriguing look at many layers of Boston corruption.

[Andy Klein · Rating 2 out of 5]

This barely held my interest. Typical biography of a mob hitman with all the gory details.

[Bluegrassfan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got about halfway through this book, it is just about one murder after another with little background.

[Andrew Shepherd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like it should be called Boston history 60s through the 80s. Learned a lot.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting side-stories and an interesting couple of characters. But the flow wasn’t amazing and I found myself distracted constantly during it. Parts were solid, some food, but mostly meh to even kind of bad.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book in December as my car book to read while my daughters were in dance. I generally read any organized crime book that I can get. I have read a few books about Whitey Bulger and his lot, and picked this one up to go with them. It always interests me to discover how people get involved in things, and reading about Johnny Martorano was very illuminating.

[Janellyn51 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Play you got to pay. Sooner or later, you're going to pay. One way or the other, maimed, jailed, dead and, time permitting, buried. I've lived in Somerville for, it will be, 36 years in November. I was blissfully unaware of this stuff at the time. A lot of it happened before I got here, but even then, I marvel at how unwittingly you could wind up somewhere that they hung! Anyway. I'm with the guys from the Herald, if you didn't know all the stuff, he seems like a really nice guy. The thing is, he isn't picking any bones about what he did or why he did it. he had a code. I'm not saying it's right, but next to fucking Whitey and Flemmi.... he had a code, his own brand of morals. You play you got to pay, and if you're going to live that kind of life, you can't be surprised. It's funny to think he first lived right around the corner from me! I still haven't processed half of the crappy stuff they did, and just the other day I read where Salemme got arrested for the murder of the Channel guy, who's body they found in RI a few months ago, that's been missing for, I forget but, over 20 years. And of course, they got Whitey, and he's all wah wah, I'm old give me a break....and Billy Bulger? I can not get over how, you just can't trust anybody, the cops, the FBI. I was talking to my Uncle, who was an MDC cop, mounted police in the Blue Hills in the 60's, and he said something about me living in Cambridge...I said, I don't live in Cambridge I've lived in Somerville for over 30 years, he's 82 now, he says, Somerville! Jesus, you know what we used to say about Somerville? Put a fence around it and give em all 10 to 20! I do think Howie Carr did a great job on the book. And, I'm sorry, but that call me cupid thing was adorable.

[Alisa Hedden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Johnny Martorano (Whitey Bulger’s hit man), his life story. But it is also the story of Jimmy “the Bear” the Bennett brothers, Stevie Flemmi, Nicky Femia, Barboza, Indian Al, and the entire history of the gang, mob, mafia wars of Boston from 1959 into the 90’s. This is a tale of bargains made with the other gangs, hits gone wrong (and right), informants, crooked cops, politicians and FBI agents. And it tells the story of how it all fell apart. As Johnny explains, it doesn’t count if you rat on a rat. And Whitey Bulger was a big rat. This doesn’t glamorize the Mafia, or the gangland battles, this book tells the truth frankly with no glossing over the details of the innocents accidently killed in botched (or successful) hits. Loyalty is a fleeting thing. In this world it can be a brief as the space between one sentence and the next. I received this book for review purposes.

[Donny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. I thought Carr's first book The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century was a better read. I felt this book for the 150 pages was confusing an all over the place. Don't get me wrong it was not a bad read, but you needed to keep track of all the names in Boston's underworld in 1950's - 1960's. However the 2nd half of the book was great. It really got into Whitey Bulger's overthrow of the established crime families and gangs in Boston. Pick it up, especially now that Whitey Bulger has been captured.