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The Westies cover art

The Westies

By: T. J. English
Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
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Summary

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.

©2006 T. J. English (P)2017 Tantor

What listeners say about The Westies

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Skip the first chapter!!!

A stunningly-detailed recounting of the rise and fall of The Westies in New York's Hell's Kitchen from the '50s to 1980s.

The write has done his research in astonishingly details, as he is able to recount stories and events that would only be remembered by those who were in the situation at the time.

With a lot of supporting character, English helps you to identify each major player involved without getting too bogged down in explaining who has done what, while also keeping the narrative running.

The only downside is that he reveals the book (and Westies) climax in the first chapter, thereby colouring your view of the whole story. So skip the first chapter if you download this audiobook.

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7 people found this helpful

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Great

A real eye opener, I find this kind of crime book so engrossing. I have a bit of a morbid curiosity for mafia history and this didn't disappoint. It did however make me feel a little sick.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

What a book

Excellent listen from start too finish had me on the edge of my seat "bravo"

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3 people found this helpful

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Great listen

These types of books are often hit and miss but this is one of the good ones. The type of story that has you so interested you start Googling the real life characters to see what they looked like. Recommended.

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2 people found this helpful

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get this book

A really well written, well researched book and very enjoyable. I would recommend this to anyone

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1 person found this helpful

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Loved this

On so many levels I have enjoyed this book. Educational and really interesting.
Highly recommend and really enjoyed the narrator James Anderson Foster.

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1 person found this helpful

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Very good work

great audio book five stars from me.

Very interesting read about the Irish American mob.

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1 person found this helpful

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riveting

slow start but then it kicks of with an increditable, well researched , well written and narrated tale of a criminal gang I had never heard of.

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1 person found this helpful

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loved it

first audio book absolutely loved it. Would highly recommend this for anyone who likes this genre

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1 person found this helpful

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very interesting book on the Irish Mob

In a book market on organized crime dominated by The Mafia, this book on the Irish Mob is a welcome entry. Very well researched book that reads like a novel. Narration is very good.

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