Crime in Boston
Resources at BPL and beyond about crime in Boston
Antonio Repucci behind bars
Ducking the photographers
Man being arrested
Police at racetrack
Police on duty
Three lawmen pose in jail cell
Online Resources
- BPD NewsThe official website of the Boston Police Department.
- Crime Incident ReportsFrom Data Boston, a searchable and up-to-date index of incident reports.
- FBI- Uniform Crime ReportingReports and statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- Massachusetts Lawyers WeeklyHard copies are available on request at the Research Services desk on the 2nd floor of the Central Library.
- Crime LibraryWebsite featuring articles about crimes and criminals.
- Famous TrialsWebsite featuring well-researched write-ups of famous trials, including court transcripts and photographs, maintained by a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School.
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ArchivesResources for information about historical cases.
- Unsolved Mysteries of Boston by Leon NeyfakhArticle originally appearing in the Boston Globe on March 31, 2013
- True Tales of Murder and MayhemOriginally appeared in July 2014 issue of Boston Magazine
- Boston crime report 2014: Overall crime down but homicides up for first time in three yearsArticle appearing on Masslive.com
- City-Data.com, Crime rate in BostonOffers statistical information overlain on a map including sex-offender registry data.
- CrimeReportsOffers real-time crime data as well as an alert service.
- Emergency Radio Free (Police Scanner)For iOS devices, provides access to emergency radio feed.
- SpotCrimeCrime data aggregator using maps to pinpoint crime scenes and deliver alerts via multiple platforms.
- Boston Crime Books on AmazonBooks relating to Boston crime on Amazon.com.
- Boston Crime Books on GoodreadsLists of books relating to crime in Boston via Goodreads.
- Movie and TV titles on AmazonMovies and TV shows relating to Boston crime on Amazon.com.
- Movie and TV Titles on IMDbPopular Boston crime titles via the Internet Movie Database
BPL Resources
Burn Boston Burn by ISBN: 9781733340304Publication Date: 2019-08-16Over a two-year period in the early 1980s, 264 buildings were torched, intentionally set on fire, resulting in millions of dollars of damages and hundreds of injuries. This is the astounding true story of the deep conspiracy of 9 men, including 3 Boston cops and a Boston firefighter, determined to wreak havoc on the city and of the relentless investigators who uncovered what was termed 'the largest arson case in the history of the country.
Loved and Feared by ISBN: 9781949483062Publication Date: 2019-02-04During the 1950s and '60s, Buddy McLean had the reputation as the toughest man walking the streets of Boston. In the same time span, the young truck driver/longshoreman from Somerville began building a criminal enterprise. Years later, it became known as the Winter Hill Gang. In 1961, Buddy faced confrontation with the ruthless and violent McLaughlin brothers of nearby Charlestown. When he wouldn't concede to them, a feud started. More than sixty people died. This is his life story.
Wicked Victorian Boston by ISBN: 9781467137508Publication Date: 2017-07-31Victorian Boston was more than just stately brownstones and elite society that graced neighborhoods like Beacon Hill. As the population grew, the city developed a seedy underbelly just below its surface. Illegal saloons, prostitution and sports gambling challenged the image of the Puritan City. Author Robert Wilhelm reveals the sinful history behind Boston's Victorian grandeur.
Gangland Boston by ISBN: 9781493030361Publication Date: 2017-10-19Gangsters have played a shady role in shaping Greater Boston's history. While lurking in local restaurants or just around the corner inside that inconspicuous building, countless criminals have quietly made their mark on the city and surrounding communities. Drawing upon years of research and an extensive collection of rare photographs, author Emily Sweeney sheds light on how gang violence unfolded during Prohibition, how the Italian mafia rose to power, and how the Gustin Gang came to be.
Murder and Mayhem in Boston by ISBN: 9781626197978Publication Date: 2015-09-21Boston's history is checkered with violence and heinous crimes. In 1845, a woman lured into prostitution was murdered at the hands of her jealous lover who used sleepwalking as his defense at trial. A leg was found floating along the Boston Harbor, wrapped in a burlap bag that would later be connected to a woman who was brutally murdered and dismembered by her handyman. Christopher Daley explores the tragic events that turned peaceful Boston neighborhoods into disturbing crime scenes.
Boston Organized Crime by ISBN: 9780738576732Publication Date: 2012-01-30Boston Organized Crime explores the region's shadier side and takes a closer look at the mobsters and racketeers who once operated in the Greater Boston area. Drawing upon an eclectic collection of crime scene photographs, mug shots, and police documents, author Emily Sweeney takes readers on an eye-opening journey through Boston's underworld, from the bootlegging days of Prohibition to the bloody gangland wars of the 1960s.
The Boston Mob Guide by ISBN: 9781609494209Publication Date: 2011-10-27The capture of notorious mobster James "Whitey" Bulger closed an infamous chapter in Boston history. Yet the city's criminal underworld has a long and bloody rap sheet that stretches back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Boston journalists Beverly Ford and Stephanie Schorow reveal the underbelly of Boston through profiles of ruthless gangsters like Charles "King" Solomon, the Angiulo brothers, Joseph "The Animal" Barboza, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi and many more.
White Devil by ISBN: 9781940363790Publication Date: 2016-01-12The amazing true story of the only white man to rise to the top of the Chinese mafia. In August 2013, "Bac Guai” John Willis, also known as the "White Devil” because of his notorious ferocity, was sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking and money laundering. Willis, according to prosecutors, was "the kingpin, organizer and leader of a vast conspiracy,” all within the legendarily insular and vicious Chinese mafia.
Both Sides of the Line by ISBN: 9781610881692Publication Date: 2016-03-01High school players in a working class neighborhood of the 1970s gain desperately needed structure and guidance from Jack "Clyde" Dempsey, a scrappy, charismatic coach who seems like nothing more than a football geek. But "Coach" also happens to be the toughest guy on the streets of Boston, with a temper to match, and it's his secret life as a mob enforcer/collector that forces him to flee the country, becoming one of America's most wanted.
- Books by Lisa GardnerAuthor of the Detective D.D. Warren series.
- Books by Tess GerritsenAuthor of the Rizzoli & Isles series.
- Books by Rachel McMillanAuthor of the Van Buren and DeLuca Mystery Series
- Books by John F. DobbynAuthor of the Knight & Devlin series
- Books by George V. HigginsAuthor of "The Friends of Eddie Coyle"
- Books by Dennis LehaneAuthor of the Kenzie-Gennaro series, including "Gone, Baby, Gone" among others.
- Books by Robert B. ParkerAuthor of the book series upon which the TV show "Spenser: For Hire" was based.
The Truth Be Damned by ISBN: 9781480855939Publication Date: 2018-02-05When Alex Fischer receives a federal jury summons, she fears it is for the upcoming trial of mob boss, Sly Devaney. After she is vetted from over six hundred potential jurors, Alex is selected to sit in on the trial. As the lengthy trial begins, Devaneys attorney declares his client guilty of most of the charges in his opening statement, leaving Alex to wonder why the jury is there. Months of testimony reveal shocking acts of government treachery where murder is rewarded and the media is strangely quiet.
World Enough by ISBN: 9780727887337Publication Date: 2017-11-01The Boston club scene may be home to a cast of outsiders and misfits, but it's where Tara Winton belongs; the world she's been part of for the past twenty years. Now, one of the old gang is dead, having fallen down the basement stairs at his home. With her journalist's instincts, Tara senses there's something not quite right about Frank's supposedly accidental death.
The Last Longshoreman by ISBN: 9781535367530Publication Date: 2016-10-12Anthony "Tony" Costa grew up admiring his Uncle Dom-a made member of the New England mafia- so when Dom asks him to collect gambling debts from around the neighborhood, Tony is happy to help. Even after his uncle gets thrown in jail, he does his nephew a good turn from behind bars, getting him a job as a longshoreman on the Boston waterfront. The year is 1958, and Tony is only eighteen. His new job quickly teaches him what it will take to survive on the docks.
Fatal Odds by ISBN: 9781608091997Publication Date: 2016-08-02Danger escalates as Michael Knight and Lex Devlin enter into the defense of a Puerto Rican jockey charged with felony murder as a result of a fixed race at Bostons Suffolk Downs. As their investigation exposes the jockeys role, they become embroiled in a conflict between two Puerto Rican crime gangs.
The Kind Worth Killing by ISBN: 9780062267535Publication Date: 2016-10-04On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing very intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.”
Mission Hill by ISBN: 9781250075697Publication Date: 2016-05-03Abby Endicott is chief of the District Attorney's homicide unit in Boston. A member of Beacon Hill's elite, the prosecutor's office is not the prestigious job that would have been expected of her. One night, Abby is awakened very late by a phone call from her favorite detective, who reports that there has been a horrific murder but is vague about the specifics. When she arrives at the crime scene and discovers the identity of the victim, Abby knows the terror and tragedy are only beginning.
Serpents in the Cold by ISBN: 9780316323505Publication Date: 2015-01-20A serial killer stalks the streets of 1950s Boston--and two friends take it upon themselves to take him down. Like the city itself, lifelong residents Cal O'Brien and Dante Cooper are struggling to find their identities after World War II. Woefully unqualified, but determined to help, Cal and Dante take it upon themselves to track the killer--but their daunting quest takes on dangerous consequences when the trail leads them to the highest ranks of city government.
Prince of Thieves by ISBN: 9781416554905Publication Date: 2007-07-17Four masked men--thieves, rivals, and friends from the tough streets of Charlestown--take on a Boston bank at gunpoint. Holding bank manager Claire Keesey hostage and cleaning out the vault were simple. But career criminal Doug MacRay didn't plan on one thing: falling hard for Claire.
The 2010 movie “The Town” is based on this book.
- Boston Fire Department Reports (1870-1990)Also available in hard copy via the Research Services Department at the Central Library in Copley Square.
- Boston Police Department Reports (1885-2000)Also available in hard copy via the Research Services Department at the Central Library in Copley Square.
- BPL photos, Crime/Police: MiscellaneousA set of photos digitized by the BPL's Prints Department.
- Boston Globe (1872-1993) via Proquest This link opens in a new window
Searchable full-page and article reproductions back to the first issue on March 4, 1872. Coverage: Morning Edition only.
- Boston Globe (1980-Present) This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text articles for staff-written news items, feature stories, columns, and editorials for the Boston Globe. Coverage: 1980-present
- Criminal Justice This link opens in a new window
Whether studying to become a lawyer or law enforcement officer, paralegal, or for a career in Homeland Security, this collection rises to the challenge. Users will have access to hundreds of full-text journals.
- Harpers Weekly (1857-1912) This link opens in a new window
Complete digital editions of Harper's Weekly from 1857-1912. Search by full-text, subject heading, or Thesaurus-based index. Or browse by Table of Contents, theme, or date. Coverage:1857-1912.
In-library access only - New York Times (1851-2021) This link opens in a new window
The Historical New York Times collection offers both full page and article digital images in PDF format with searchable full text back to the first issue.
- New York Times (1985-Present) This link opens in a new window
Includes full-text coverage of the New York Times back to 1985. Updated daily. Coverage: 1985 - current.