Book Reviewed: Where the Bodies Were Buried: Whitey Bulger and the World That Made Him, by T. J. English

An intimate view of Whitey Bulger’s trial

This book examines the trial of Boston's notorious godfather Whitey Bulger. This is one among many books that came out during the life of the famous Boston outlaw, but this work doesn't add anything new to the stories we already know. The interviews were conducted by the author in a fashion similar to Bob Woodward-Carl Bernstein Watergate investigation. Whitey Bulger knew his trade well and he was good in using the law-enforcement in his favor. While working as an informant for the FBI, he fed them wrong information about his competitors in the Boston under world. He cleverly sized them up to his own advantage, and gaining immunity from prosecution by the law-enforcement. He achieved the kind of power and authority that Italian mafia took generations to achieve and solidify.

The 2014 documentary film "Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger" by Joe Berlinger also focuses on Whitey Bulger's trials. The 2015 film "Black Mass" starring Johnny Depp as Whitey Bulger chronicles Bulger's years as an FBI informant, and his manipulation of the agency to eradicate his rivals. The 2006 film "Departed" directed by Martin Scorsese is another film that focused on how FBI agent John Connolly and Massachusetts state trooper William "Billy" Costigan unwittingly helped Whitey Bulger. The Scorsese film is star-studded and highly rewarded by the Academy with numerous awards during 79th Academy Awards ceremonies.

The book is essentially a repetition of much published work and the material is already covered in the two Hollywood movies.