Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob [Hardcover]

Kevin Weeks (Author), Phyllis Karas (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 10, 2006

When James J. "Whitey" Bulger, currently on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list with a $1 million reward for his capture, ran the Irish mob in South Boston, no one was closer to him than Kevin Weeks. Weeks was Bulger's handpicked deputy, trusted confidante, and loyal partner for the last dozen years of Bulger's reign. He was there when Bulger carried out his hits; he dug basement graves when bodies needed burying; and he followed Bulger's instructions to lie low when tipped off that the Feds were moving in. Weeks was so trusted by Bulger that after Bulger went to ground, it was Weeks who met with him five times in New York and Chicago to give him new identification and the latest news. And the it was Weeks who ran the Bulger mob's rackets for five years until he was finally arrested. In 1997, nearly 20 years after Weeks began his association with Bulger, Weeks learned that his mentor in crime had been an FBI informant for 25 years, which went against everything mobsters held sacred. Although Whitey Bulger has been written about before, including a chapter in Paddy Whacked by T.J. English, no one at the top of his operation has ever talked, and the low-level street guys who have talked just haven't gotten it right. The only other person who knows the real deal is Stevie Flemmi, but with Flemmi serving a life sentence with no chance for parole, Weeks is the only one with the goods who is able to set the record straight. Kevin Weeks is now out of prison after serving five and a half years of a lifetime sentence, which was reduced after he testified that Bulger's FBI handler had tipped off Bulger to his impending arrest, revealed the location of numerous mob graves, and cooperated with absolute honesty. Weeks is the first person who has the real inside info, and he's willing to tell it all, what it was like on the inside, how they did business, the actual deals, the hits, and where the bodies are buried.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Weeks lands a knockout punch with this compelling look at one of the most intriguing figures in the American underworld.” (– George Anastasia, bestselling author of The Last Gangster )

“Rarely have the nuts-and-bolts of ‘the gangster life’ been laid bare in such shocking, unvarnished detail.” (– T. J. English, New York Times bestselling author of Paddy Whacked and The Westies )

“Mesmerizing and fascinating ... no organized crime fiction I have read has anything on this book. I couldn’t put it down.” (– Michael Palmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Society )

“…most interesting and accurate. When Weeks talks about Bulger, he’s got the goods and he makes clear the others don’t.” (– Boston Sunday Globe )

“Weeks has made his literary bones. He has credibility…” (– Boston Phoenix )

“Absorbing.” (—Deseret Morning News )

“Bulger has spawned a handful of books about his mayhem. So far, Weeks’ is the best. ” (– Cleveland Plain Dealer )

“A dazzling story...Brutal is the most revealing and chilling true crime story that I have ever read.” (– Julian Krainin, Producer of “Quiz Show” and “Something the Lord Made” )

About the Author

Kevin Weeks, 49, grew up in the Old Colony housing project in the Southern area of Boston, the fifth of six siblings and the youngest son. His two brothers attended Harvard, and Weeks was accepted into Harvard but chose not to attend. His childhood was full of books and boxing, the latter of which he used in his life as Whitey Bulger's right hand man. Weeks served five and a half years for his part in five murders and 29 counts of racketeering, money laundering, and extortion. Phyllis Karas is the co-author of two other books. She is a contributor to People magazine and an adjunct professor at the Boston University School of Journalism.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (March 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061122696
• ISBN-13: 978-0061122699
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 94 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Brutally Disgusting March 22, 2006

By Steve Landry

Format:Hardcover

I have read each book that has come out of the sordid, fetid story of South Boston, Massachusetts and master mobster Whitey Bulger's corrupt alliance with the FBI, including this latest and most useless scrpit by Bulger's errand boy, Kevin Weeks. Having grown up in the town during Bulger's reign of terror and knowing about the tales of terror as they occurred, I would simply advise people thinking of purchasing Mr. Weeks' book to save your money. If you do buy it, do what I did after reading the first one hundred pages or so. Throw it in the trash. As I read the book, or more precisecly, the half truths and outright lies in it, I realized I paid this fool blood money. For him to actually claim in the book that he is a borderline genius should have been my first clue to try to get my money back. A persistent reminder of what a weak minded coward this moran is, was his description of how he stood by and watched as the diminutive psychopath Bulger, strangled the life out of two young women. Weeks claims he was a champion prizefighter - never happened. He claims he was shot at by, and shot back at, his fellow gangsters - never happened. I could go on, but to save my time and your money, skip this one. Do not allow this fool and criminal, but most of all craven coward to earn a cent from living a life without contibution or honesty. If you are of a mind, send a check to the family of those two poor women he didn't have the balls to save.

40 of 49 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The title says it all- Brutal; but a good read. March 19, 2006

By kooky Kid

Format:Hardcover

Fascinating.As far as mob- true crime books go, this one is pretty good, the protagonist and the co-author Phyllis Karas collaborate on an extensive "memoir" from Kevin Weeks' POV. The background growing up in the Southie projects before busing and drugs is telling; the environment in the authors case was deeply colored by an extremely violent and coarse father with a hair trigger temper who was in fisticuffs ALL of the time, wacking his kids around without justification. Childhood innocence and safety being denied him, kevin becomes a soldier- a boxer and a thug who believes in the law of the jungle. Although purportedly a near genius with an 150 IQ, the emotional life of this amoral man is never developed- all he knows is that if some guy says screw you- that's justification to crack his head open. If he has to be told a second or third time, he's too stupid to live. The macho neanderthal perspective fits in perfectly with Whitey's (Jimmys) plan, Kevin is an aide-de -camp with his own sideline businesses , but mainly Kevin is like a personal bouncer for Whitey- a fascinating multidimensional psychopath with a touch of Robin Hood- (he once took part in LSD experiments during his early prison stint, perhaps this exacerbated his evil side.)

The one thing that the reader walks away with is that in this part of Boston and in this mileu, all the cops and robbers are in bed with each other-metaphorically of course. FBI, police, gangsters, and various thugs. What a cesspool! Kevin says throughout the whole book that it's always about money, not power- but in the end he's bankrupt; and he's telling all these tales of his businesses and how successful he could have been if he and Whitey went legit.Then again, in the "real" world when you lock horns with someone you cannot just shoot the guy through his eyeballs and bury him in the basement. Hello- it's call anger management, emotional maturity and lawfulness.These characteristics or lack of them qualify us as regular folks or as CRIMINALS. We don't have too many heros these days, but in these small corrupt factions where brutes unite, and of course in certain HBO series', most of the world will be shocked and amazed at the utter lack of scruples and the detached violence that was a way of life for criminals of this ilk.Next time you drive by a gated prison like Allenwood or Norfolk and you think, gosh, what would a person have to do to get a sentence in one of these places-if you read this book you'll get a glimpse.

The book was insightful of course, and closer to the truth of Whitey Bulgur than any other books in print.You don't have to worship Kevin Weeks to buy this book; and he's not going to be making red hot millions from his portion of the profits; everyone wants their story to be heard and he's no exception- so read it for yourself and make up your own opinion.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Less Truthful About the "Real" Whitey than Eddie Mac October 19, 2007

By mattyoh69

Format:Paperback

I'm an Irish-Catholic guy in his 40's who grew up in Boston in the late 60's and 70's. I've read Streeet Soldier and Brutal several times each, and I personally believe much more of what Eddie Mac has to say about the "real" Whitey, as opposed to the relatively reverant tone in which Weeks still speaks of Whitey. Sure, Eddie Mac and Weeks are both equally dangerous sociopaths, and will surely go to Hell (assuming it exists) for all the evil they inflicted on their fellow human beings over the years. Having said that, Weeks still seems to be loyal to Whitey, and probably knows exactly where he is hiding out these days. For that reason, I don't believe a word he says when he defends Whitey against allegations that he was a rapist, a child molester, etc. Eddie Mac definitely gives the reader more insight into what Whitey was really like...and isn't that why we all read these books, anyway?