Rat Bastards : Life and Times of South Boston's Most Honorable Irish Mobster

John "Red" Shea was a top enforcer in South Boston Irish "Godfather" Whitey Bulger's mob for the last ten years of Bulger's reign, responsible for overseeing Bulger's multi-million dollar narcotics empire.

He was a cold-blooded, lethal enforcer and loyal hit man and climbed through the ranks of Bulger's empire quickly.

When caught and faced with harsh prison time, Shea did not rat out his mob compatriots but held fast to the Irish code of silence.

He honored the traditions of his neighborhood and his culture, and so even today in Boston, Shea is upheld as an icon and a rare man of honor.

At age 39, Shea has now completed his 12-year federal prison sentence and is living on the right side of the law, but he will not apologize for his past.