Badfellas

by PaulWilliams (Author)

• New

  Paperback
  2012

  $12.62

  Badfellas is the definitive account by Ireland's most respected crime writer and journalist, Paul Williams, of how organized crime evolved in Ireland over the past four decades.

  Drawing on his vast inside knowledge of the criminal underworld, an unparalleled range of contacts and eye witness interviews, Williams provides a chilling insight into the godfathers - and events - that have dominated gangland since the late 1960s.

  Until the explosion of paramilitary violence in the 1970s, Ireland was a criminal backwater. However, petty criminals with dreams of the big time were quick to emulate the ruthless actions of the subversives. Organized crime took hold in Ireland and soon armed robberies, kidnappings and murder became commonplace.

  After the introduction of heroin to Ireland by Dublin's Dunne family in the late 1970s, there was no going back. Badfellas traces how the hugely lucrative drug trade that then emerged led to the gang wars that have corroded communities and devastated countless lives. Badfellas describes in gripping detail the shocking depths to which the mobsters have sunk. Badfellas is essential reading for anyone who cares about keeping communities safe

• Used

  Hardcover
  2011

  $3.27

  Badfellas is the story of how Ireland lost its innocence and became a hotbed of gangsterism, murder and mayhem. Until the explosion of paramilitary violence in the 1970s, Ireland was a criminal backwater. However, petty criminals with dreams of the big time were quick to emulate the ruthless actions of the subversives. Organized crime took hold in Ireland and soon stories of armed robberies, kidnappings and murder dominated the news. After the introduction of heroin to Ireland by Dublin's Dunne family in the late 1970s, there was no going back. Since then the drug trade has become the most lucrative criminal activity in the state and Irish gangs are among the most sophisticated and deadly in the world. Badfellas is the definitive account of the growth of Irish organized crime by Ireland's outstanding crime journalist, Paul Williams. Drawing on his vast inside knowledge and an unparalleled range of contacts Williams provides a revealing insight into how Ireland's crime scene changed so rapidly, describes the shocking depths to which Irish criminals have sunk, explores how crime has corroded communities and destroyed families, and he examines the strategies other countries have used to tackle their criminals. Badfellas is essential reading for everyone who cares about Ireland.