THE WESTIES: Inside the Hell's Kitchen Irish Mob

by T.J. English ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 19, 1990

Familiar tale of urban crime and sleaze, but with a new cast of villains: the Westies, a gang of Irish-American hoods, contract killers, and loan sharks operating on Manhattan's West Side. English, a frequent contributor to the N.Y.C. weekly The Irish Voice, provides the background: a fast-paced tour through the last 60 or so years of New York criminal history with an Irish brogue--from the heyday of legendary Owney ""the Killer"" Madden and Mad Dog Coil, down to the diminished fortunes of the Westies operating during the 70's and 80's (the name, a convenient journalist invention). Then the tale: the rise and fall of Jimmy Coonan, the murderous son of a CPA who rises to challenge the local boss, Michael John ""Mickey"" Spillain, and eventually carves out a niche for himself and confederates in loan sharking, numbers running, labor racketeering, and his speciality, contract killing for the Mafia in which victims ""do The Houdini""--disappear. Based on extensive interviews--including over 100 hours with Mickey Featherstone, a psychotic killer, former close friend of Coonan, and now star witness for the prosecution--the author provides details of a number of stomach-turning dismemberments (Coonan had a sense of humor and did his work with gusto: one victim's fingers were frozen to provide fingerprints for a future murder), some potted sociology, and the appropriate literary cliches: blood always flows in ""rivers"" and sweats are always ""cold."" Eventually, the criminals are all in jail or dead, the cops are retired, and the movie of the week is probably being planned. As readable as a 352-page tabloid.

Pub Date: March 19, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1990

Categories: NONFICTION