First published 2006
T. J. English traces the complete history of Irish American organized crime across nearly two hundred years. The author examines how Irish gangsters built criminal empires from the earliest street conflicts in New York and New Orleans through modern FBI investigations. English profiles legendary figures including Mike "King Mike" McDonald, who controlled Chicago's underground operations, Big Bill Dwyer, who dominated New York bootlegging during Prohibition, Mickey Featherstone, the Vietnam veteran who led the Westies gang, and James "Whitey" Bulger, the untouchable Boston crime boss. The narrative covers bootlegging operations, union corruption, territorial wars between rival gangs, and law enforcement efforts to bring down these criminal organizations. English demonstrates how Irish American gangsters shaped the broader landscape of American organized crime and reveals their central role in the nation's criminal underworld.
Genres: history, 20th-century, crime, non-fiction, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, true-crime
Setting: New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Boston
Period: 19th Century, 20th Century
496 pages · Paperback · William Morrow Paperbacks