Witness for the Dead [Hardcover]

Michael Fredrickson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

Inspired by a true case in Boston, Michael Fredrickson's Witness for the Dead is a powerful and realistic new novel that will be this year's outstanding legal thriller. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is breaking apart Boston's Italian Mafia. The once powerful mob a lead by Larry "The Rabbit" is now in shambles. And the FBI has just brought in Arthur Patch, a young Boston restaurateur whose establishment is well known for its authentic Sicilian cuisine. Arthur might have information that will bring down Larry on a charge of loansharking.

But Arthur wants to cut a deal with the Feds, and that deal does not involve betraying The Rabbit." Arthur knows who the FBI's leading informant is, and backed by his lawyer, Jimmy Morrissey, Arthur threatens to let this information become public unless he is given leniency. Morrissey, acting on his own, lets the story slip to the press, and the resulting publicity is blistering. Heads will roll within the FBI and the Boston underworld. And the snitch is on the run.

The most powerful mobster in the underworld, and brother to the Governor of Massachusetts, Butchy Crimmins has brought down many powerful men in the Boston underworld. For years, the acknowledged head of the Boston Irish mob has been given free reign by his friends in the Bureau for information against his Italian Mafia counterparts who control parts of the city. That free reign gave Butchy freedom to kill, extort, steal, and kidnap-a reign of terror that has been deliberately ignored by the FBI in its war with La Cosa Nostra.

Now Butchy is on the run with his girlfriend, Mavis Reiley with the FBI, the District Attorney, and the criminal underworld of Boston all on his trail. The only way to bring Butchy down is to get Mavis to reveal her whereabouts. If she falls for the trick, who will get there first? And who, if anyone, will survive the collision?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A fugitive Irish mobster, an Italian Mafia boss and a cash-strapped restaurateur are among the many crooked characters in this savvy legal thriller exposing Boston's corrupt underbelly. Fredrickson's follow-up to his stellar debut (The Cinderella Affidavit) begins when the FBI subpoenas restaurant owner Arthur Patch to testify against Italian gangster Larry the Rabbit on charges of loan sharking. The Mafia has made it clear that Arthur's testimony against Larry would probably be the last words he ever speaks, but luckily, Arthur has secret knowledge that enables him to bargain with the Feds. With the help of his lawyer, Jimmy Morrissey, Arthur cuts a deal he agrees to remain silent about the collaboration between fugitive Irish mob boss Tommy Crimmins and the FBI, and in return the subpoena is thrown out. Morrissey, a down-on-his-luck guy, is in legal trouble himself, but the reporter on his trail agrees to kill a story about financial misdoings if Morrissey leaks the information about Tommy's link to the FBI. A media frenzy results and to support their denial of any wrongdoing, the FBI posts a handsome reward for Tommy's capture, prompting Arthur, Morrissey and former federal prosecutor Danielle Gautreau to join forces as bounty hunters. A clever, suspenseful and funny pursuit ensues until the final showdown between the Feds, the mob and Tommy ends with a bang. This one is a polished thriller with a multilayered plot and vivid characters, the whole package a winner. Agent, Sam Pinkus. (June)Forecast: This thriller distinguishes itself from the competition with its comic touch and clean styling. Fredrickson is clearly on his way up, and advertising in national media and legal publications will help build his readership.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Fredrickson's second novel, following his stunning debut, A Cinderella Affidavit (1999), features the Irish mob ratting out the Italian mob, cops spying on feds, lawyers leaking confidential client information--all sorts of shenanigans sure to keep the reader guessing. Arthur Patch, a Boston restaurateur, has a choice: either testify against a notorious loan shark or face arrest himself. Either way, he doesn't have the means to pay the thug back, so maybe it's best to have the government on his side. With the help of his cunning attorney, Patch conjures up a plan that would give him complete immunity: become a state's witness and threaten to divulge that the feds turned a blind eye to fugitive Irish gangster Tommy Crimmins, who continued operating his nefarious business after he snitched on his Italian colleagues. A cat-and-mouse chase ensues, where the chaser and the chased are intricately intertwined. Once you sort out all the characters, this based-on-a-true-story thriller packs a powerful punch. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312874472
• ISBN-13: 978-0312874476
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,072,068 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth it!!!, June 2, 2003

By 

LJ (South Carolina United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witness for the Dead (Hardcover)

This book is boring I did not like it even a little.. I would not and could not recommend it....I believe two words can wrap this book up tiresome & slow............

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is my first Amazon review, April 27, 2001

By 

Stephen Schaffran (Richmond, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witness for the Dead (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book! Fredrickson pioneers a new genre of fiction- a combination of super crime novel and a guide to regional cusine, Sicilian, in this case.

You can't think of this book without a reference to food, so I'd say it's like great meal with great company.

The plot moves with balance and rhythm from course to course, never hurried, never dawdling. Fredrickson is as unusual a prose stylist as he is a plot designer and so the words themselves provide rich spectrum of textures, tastes, and humorous surprises.

As for company, the key characters are literally unforgettable. Each is an interesting individual, yet recognizable as a participant in the rich anthropological stew that is modern Boston.

You won't want to put it down, but you won't want it to end.

Two final notes. One, this novel is a fictional treatment organized around a true story of FBI complicity in murder. Two, if you care about rescuing greyhounds, Fredrickson's Mavis is your Joan of Arc.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars sicilian steeplechase, July 10, 2001

By 

"donatdeux" (maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witness for the Dead (Hardcover)

raconteur's narrative style, epicure's pacing. more of a cyber bounty hunt, than a legal thriller. author's joy for language is apparent.