crime and criminals

Those who get a little too wrapped up in "The Sopranos" should read books like "The Westies" every now and then just to remind them of what havoc real life organized crime can inflict. The book chronicles the rise and fall of the Irish gang of the same name that was every bit as bloodthirsty as John Gotti's more famous crew. The gang occupied New York City's since regentrified Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Mystery author Lawrence Block effectively used the Westies lore in creating the character Mickey Ballou in the Matthew Scudder private detective series. The fictional Ballou could be Jimmy Coonan or Mickey Featherstone, the real life chieftans of the gang, who were known for dismembering victims and dumping their bodies in the East River.

"The Westies" is a brutally violent story and one that makes good reading for anyone who likes real life organized crime stories. The prose and the reporting are a cut above average for this type of book.

T.J. English has a way about his books. Like BORN TO KILL, about a Vietnamese street gang making a name amongst NYC Chinatown gangs, English always finds a subjec to tell his story through, making his books, like THE WESTIES read better than a Newsweek article (not necessarily written in a poetic way, but the story structure is awesome). Though his subject is almost always a turncoat, so to speak, he still maintains a feel of currency to his book. Here, in the Westies, despite the almost predictable ending, the book flows beautifully, if brutal in the process. The Westies, not a real name of this Irish Mob, were an interesting sidebar to the mob scene in the 70s, and part of 80s. Unlike their Italian counterparts, they featured a less-organized, but more violent approach to their ways. And this is where English always shines, displaying violence as well as anyone. The violence comes off as so real, that you can't discount it. This is not watching a movie. Speaking of which, the movie "State of Grace" is loosely based on this story, but the movie should be ignored at all costs. And if for some reason that is your introduction to reading this book, then let English erase your visual memory with one that is more vivid. An absolute must for true crime fans, and even for those who don't count themselves as one.

There's not a lot more to say that other reviewers haven't already said, except that while reading this book, it would be wise to remember that most of the information comes from Featherstone himself - and so, the book largely portrays this vicious killer and mob rat as a victim who had little choice in his actions.