New Book: The Boston Mob Guide

Most people know who James "Whitey" Bulger is.

Lots of people know about some of his better known associates—such as FBI agent John "Zip" Connolly and Steve "The Rifleman" Flemmi—and that Bulger was leader of the Winter Hill Gang.

Beyond that, it's easy to get confused. You may, for instance, have interacted with people who think Winter Hill is in South Boston. It's sometimes reported that way in the national press, such as in a recent article in GQ Magazine about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's plans to make a movie about Bulger.

Then you've got your Johnny and your Jimmy Martorano (brothers), your Ilario Zannino and your Larry Baione (same person), your Paul Rico (an FBI agent) and your all-capital-letters RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), and your Howie Winter, also leader of the Winter Hill Gang, even though his name has nothing to do with the hill.

And that's just scratching the surface. If only there was a quick way for those of us not versed in the subject to learn about all these people and places.

The Boston Mob Guide

That's where a new book steps in. The Boston Mob Guide: Hit Men, Hoodlums & Hideouts is a thin, breezy, 150-word book that includes brief descriptions of the characters and locations related to Boston's mob history.

The authors, Beverly Ford and Stephanie Schorow, former colleagues at the Boston Herald who have covered the subject matter from various angles, have even chosen Somerville as the place to launch their book (see below). 

The book does not provide new revelations about Boston's mob scene. Rather, it's meant to be a "primer," explained Ford, an easy and quick way to learn the essentials.

"This is a book that would work great if you're going on a flight," she said.

Schorow talked about "how complicated this history gets," in describing why she and Ford felt such a book might be useful.

"The connections between the different hoodlums is often hard to follow," she said.

What's in the book?

The Boston Mob Guide does an admirable job laying out this complicated history in a straightforward manner. It's divided into five short chapters, including "The Men in the Mob," "Hangouts and Hideouts" and "Hits and Heists."

If anyone were interested in doing a walking or bike tour of mob locations in Boston, this guide might be a good place to start. Here in Somerville, the book includes a passage about , on Marshall Street in Winter Hill, which was the Winter Hill Gang's headquarters, and about the current site of the , which used to be , a hangout.

It also includes a chapter on Whitey Bulger, titled "All Roads Lead to Whitey," a quick 10-page summary of his history. Ford and Schorow were actually working on the book before Bulger's capture this summer. When he was captured, "We said, holy moly," said Schorow.

Finally, it includes a chapter titled, "Tinsel Townies: Boston Mobsters in the Movies," which "reach[es] out to people who know Boston through Hollywood," Schorow said.

The book also includes sections on some of Boston's older mobsters, such as Charles "King" Solomon, who's "our own Al Capone, if you will," said Schorow. Solomon, honest to goodness, is said to have uttered something like, "The rats got me" or, "Those dirty rats—got me," when he was shot to death at The Cotton Club in 1933, according to the book. The photo on the front of the book depicts his funeral. 

"We do hope that it is a lively read," said Schorow. "We wanted to cover a lot of area … focus in and make it reader friendly."

Not a glamorous subject

If it's a lively read, both Schorow and Ford want to be careful not to glamorize or romanticize the characters.

In talking about the movie chapter, for instance, Ford, who was a crime reporter at the Boston Herald, said she doesn't share the Tinsel Town view of Boston mobsters. "For me, I just see evil, wickedness," she said.

Schorow talked about the "dilemma" in writing an entertaining book about the subject. The people depicted are "not very nice people, [they were] murderous, violent, often out of control."

"We're not trying to glamorize them," she said. Nonetheless, "Whether we like it or not, organized crime has been part of the fabric of the Boston area."

Launch event in Somerville

The at the . Ford and Schorow chose the location due to its proximity to Winter Hill, they said.

For more information about the book, you can visit http://thebostonmobguide.wordpress.com/