It's men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell's Kitchen its name. In the mid-1970s, these two longtime friends take the reins of New York's Irish mob, using brute force to give it hitherto unthinkable power. Jimmy, a charismatic sociopath, is the leader. Mickey, whose memories of Vietnam torture him daily, is his enforcer. Together they make brutality their trademark, butchering bodies or hurling them out the window. Under their reign, Hell's Kitchen becomes a place where death literally rains from the sky. But when Mickey goes down for a murder he didn't commit, he suspects his friend has sold him out. He returns the favor, breaking the underworld's code of silence and testifying against his gang in open court.
From one of the writers behind NYPD Blue and Homicide: Life on the Street comes an incredible true story of what it means to survive in the world of organized crime, where murder is commonplace.
Download and start listening now!
"
Normally, when one thinks of gangster culture, people like Capone and Gotti and the Gambino family come to mind; or in other words, Italians and the Mafioso. This is mainly due to Hollywood, which is why when i came across The Westies, I had to read it, because i was aware of the Irish mob but didn't really know any of their stories.
I'm glad i did because the thing that makes The Westies such a good read isn't the disturbing violence of the Hell's Kitchen Irish mob and how they'd make bodies disappear, but the surprising humanity of one player in particular: Mickey Featherstone. This is really his story and how he went from Coonan's right hand man, to stool pigeon, to a new man redeemed of his past. I recommend this Audio book to any fan of true crime, mobster tales, and stories of redemption. "
—
Ian (4 out of 5 stars)