by Howie Carr
First published 2011
Johnny Martorano lives two lives in Boston. By day he plays father to his children. By night he becomes the Winter Hill Gang's most feared killer. His alliance with Whitey Bulger turns deadly as bodies pile up across the city. Twenty murders later, Johnny faces a choice between loyalty and survival. Politicians and FBI agents who once protected him now abandon ship. The streets that made him rich become his hunting ground. Sports stars and entertainers still seek his company, drawn to his dangerous charm. But the federal government closes in. Johnny must decide whether to break his code of silence or spend his life behind bars. He serves twelve years for the killings that built his reputation. Radio host and crime reporter Howie Carr reveals the contradictions of a man who could be both nurturing parent and ruthless assassin.
Genres: historical-fiction, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, loyalty-vs-survival
Setting: Boston
Period: 20th-century
464 pages · Hardcover · Forge Books
Content warnings: violence