Book review: "Hunting Whitey"

There's something about Whitey.

The story of Whitey Bulger, the Boston mobster and murderer whose 1994 disappearance prompted a 16-year international manhunt, is almost irresistible. 

To be clear, Bulger was a scumbag of the highest order. He's suspected of killing 19 people (convicted of 11), many in brutal fashion. He ran an organized crime operation in South Boston that hijacked trucks, sold guns and extorted money from local businesses and residents. He was once behind only Osama Bin Laden on the FBI's Most Wanted list.

Still, you don't have to like him to enjoy his story. In the 2020 book "Hunting Whitey" authors Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge give us a tale of a clever and dangerous criminal on the run, dogged detectives in pursuit, and a fair bit of drama as the cops close in on their prey.

I liked the way the authors told the parallel stories of the detectives, often frustrated from pursuing dead-end leads, with that of Bulger and girlfriend Catherine Grieg living on the run, first in Louisiana, then in Southern California.

Though long criticized for failing to catch Bulger, the authors show that the FBI does deserve credit for the key breakthroughs in the case: They tracked down a photo of Grieg in plastic surgery records and used that in a TV "wanted" ad that prompted a key tip.

Sherman and Wedge bring a journalistic approach to the story, filling the story with details of Bulger's ugly life. Their interviews with individuals such as Whitey's brother Billy Bulger add fresh elements to the story.    

Still, "Chasing Whitey" seems to peak with Bulger's capture.  The book bogs down in excessive detail during the trial portions, where so many crimes are recounted and dissected that they eventually blur together. With little doubt about the outcome of the trial, there is no suspense.

Sherman and Wedge also often lose focus. They pointlessly tell us the life stories of the various detectives involved the manhunt (the cops are hard-working, yes, but I don't need to know where they went to high school). They spend much more time than necessary on the staffing issues at Bulger's final prison. They needlessly devote 10 pages to describing the man who killed Bulgar in prison, a thug who's just not that interesting. 

You know what is interesting? Whitey Bulger. If you're writing a book about Whitey Bulger, keep the focus on  him. 

Also, why are there no pictures (at least in my edition)?  At one point, the authors note that Whitey looks so much like his brother Jackie that a picture of one could be used to make fake IDs for the other. It would have been nice to see pictures of both, as well as many of the other characters.

Also, since this is a book with a lot of characters, some kind of roster or guide to them at the start of the book would have been nice.