Slaughter in the Streets

“[A] gritty, true-crime narrative…with hard-edged prose and a total absence of cheap moralizing…[A] stark and gripping account.”—Kirkus Reviews

"The historical fact that the city of Boston has seen more than its share of this breed – boxers who became intertwined with the criminal underworld – is the literary gold that author Don Stradley mines so beautifully in this book. There are moments of triumph in the ring, and some failures; Stradley is right to focus as much on the boxing careers (often misbegotten) of these men as well as their criminal associations and habits."—T.J. English, from the Foreword

From the pages of Slaughter in the Streets: When Boston Became Boxing’s Murder Capital...

Frankie spent the final seconds of his life the way James Cagney might’ve in an old Warner Bros crime drama: he stumbled down the hallway and into the office of an attorney who had leased space in the building. A female stenographer who had been at her desk filling out Christmas cards looked on in horror; the sound of guns a moment earlier had shattered the holiday mood, and now she was confronted by the sight of Frankie in the doorway, blood gushing from his wounds. Without saying a word, he walked in and sat in a chair. Then he pitched forward, dead.

In Slaughter in the Streets, Don Stradley masterfully unfolds the story of how Boston became "boxing's murder capital." From the early days of Boston's Mafia, to the era of Whitey Bulger, Stradley tells the fascinating stories of men who were drawn to the dual shady worlds of boxing and organized crime.

Boston was once a thriving boxing city. And it was also host to an ever-expanding underworld. From the early days of Boston's Mafia, to the era of Whitey Bulger, many of the city’s boxers found themselves drawn to the criminal life. Most of them ended up dead. Slaughter in the Streets tells the violent and often tragic story of these misguided young men who thought their toughness in the ring could protect them from the most cold-blooded killers in the country.

Slaughter in the Streets: When Boston Became Boxing's Murder Capital is the third in the Hamilcar Noir series. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.

Foreword: T.J. English

Chapter 1: The Shooting Gallery

Chapter 2: Phil Buccola: Boston’s Beloved Mob Boss

Chapter 3: Boxing Booms in Boston

Chapter 4: Tommy Sullivan: Everybody’s Pal

Chapter 5: Eddie McLaughlin: They Called Him Punchy

Chapter 6: Joe Barboza: The King of East Boston

Chapter 7: Tony Veranis: The Tough Guy

Chapter 8: Rocco DiSeglio: Gambling Man

Chapter 9: Rico Sacramone: A Stylish Fighter

Chapter 10: Sammy Lindenbaum: Boxer, Bandit, Abortionist

Chapter 11: Eddie Connors: The Man Who Knew Too Much

Chapter 12: Tommy Tibbs: The Journeyman

Chapter 13: Paul Raymond: Heavyweight Homicide

Chapter 14: Johnny Pretzie: Sharkey’s Boy

Chapter 15: Frankie MacDonald: South Boston’s Hope

Chapter 16: Ghosts of Winter Hill