The Friends of Eddie Coyle (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Friends of Eddie Coyle, published in 1970, was the debut novel
of George V. Higgins
, then an Assistant United States Attorney
in Boston
.
The novel is a realistic depiction of the Irish-American underworld
in Boston. Its central character is the title character Eddie Coyle, a small-time criminal and informant.
The relentless realism and unglamorous nature of the characters in "Eddie Coyle" was in sharp contrast to some other gangster novels of the era, particularly Mario Puzo
's The Godfather
, which later would be adapted into the popular movie of the same name (1972).
The novel was an instant success, with Higgins receiving praise from Norman Mailer
as "the American writer who is closest to Henry Green
. What I can't get over is that so good a first novel was written by the fuzz."
Elmore Leonard
said that The Friends of Eddie Coyle was the best crime novel ever written, though Higgins hated being classified as a "crime writer". According to Leonard, “He saw himself as the Charles Dickens of crime in Boston instead of a crime writer. He just understood the human condition and he understood it most vividly in the language and actions among low lives.”
The fictional murderer is an ex-con named Dillon, who set up the failed truck hijacking for which Coyle was to be sent back to prison. Dillon owned a bar and was a freelance contract killer. The fictional Dillon was also an informant, shown both protecting and promoting his own interests by funneling information about his underworld competition to the police. Columnist and reporter Howie Carr
stated, "In other words, Dillon appeared to be a prototype of the gangster that James J. Bulger would become," although the novelist whose book the movie is based on, just before his death, denied that he had based Dillon on Bulger. (Billy O'Brien was murdered by Johnny Martorano
, a hit man for the Somerville, Massachusetts
-based Winter Hill Gang
.)
During the making of the movie in the Boston area, actor Robert Mitchum
(who was cast as Eddie Coyle) was interested in meeting the local gangsters as part of his research into the part. Journalist George Kimball, a sportswriter on the Boston Herald
at the time, claimed that Mitchum wanted to meet Whitey Bulger and was warned against it by Higgins. Kimball claims that the two did actually socialize, though there is doubt that a meeting between Mitchum and Bulger ever took place. What is known is that cast member Alex Rocco
, a native of Somerville, introduced Mitchum to local Irish-American gangsters of his acquaintance, including Howie Winter
of the Winter Hill Gang that Bulger belonged to. (Born Alexander Petricone, Jr., Rocco was a hanger on of the Winter Hill Gang who had been held for questioning in the murder of Charlestown Mob
member Bernie McLaughlin, an incident that had touched off the Boston Irish Gang War of the 1960s. After being released from jail, Petricone left Boston for Los Angeles in 1962, where he became an actor.)
. The novel has also been faithfully adapted into a stage play by Bill Doncaster. A staged reading was held on Nov. 14, 2010 in Somerville, MA, and Stickball Productions will hold a full production in December, 2011, at Oberon, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA.
printed a 40th anniversary edition of The Friends of Eddie Coyle under the Picador imprint
in 2010.
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
of George V. Higgins
George V. Higgins
George V. Higgins was a United States author, lawyer, newspaper columnist, and college professor. He is best known for his bestselling crime novels. His full name was George Vincent Higgins, but his books were all published as by George V. Higgins. ACtually, his full name was George V...
, then an Assistant United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
The novel is a realistic depiction of the Irish-American underworld
Irish Mob
The Irish Mob is one of the oldest organized crime groups in the United States, in existence since the early 19th century. Originating in Irish American street gangs of the 19th century — depicted in Herbert Asbury's 1928 book The Gangs of New York — the Irish Mob has appeared in most...
in Boston. Its central character is the title character Eddie Coyle, a small-time criminal and informant.
The relentless realism and unglamorous nature of the characters in "Eddie Coyle" was in sharp contrast to some other gangster novels of the era, particularly Mario Puzo
Mario Puzo
Mario Gianluigi Puzo was an American author and screenwriter, known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather , which he later co-adapted into a film by Francis Ford Coppola...
's The Godfather
The Godfather (novel)
The Godfather is a crime novel written by Italian American author Mario Puzo, originally published in 1969 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian Mafia family based in New York City and headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia...
, which later would be adapted into the popular movie of the same name (1972).
The novel was an instant success, with Higgins receiving praise from Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
as "the American writer who is closest to Henry Green
Henry Green
Henry Green was the nom de plume of Henry Vincent Yorke , an English author best remembered for the novel Loving, which was featured by Time in its list of the 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.- Biography :Green was born near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, into an educated family...
. What I can't get over is that so good a first novel was written by the fuzz."
Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...
said that The Friends of Eddie Coyle was the best crime novel ever written, though Higgins hated being classified as a "crime writer". According to Leonard, “He saw himself as the Charles Dickens of crime in Boston instead of a crime writer. He just understood the human condition and he understood it most vividly in the language and actions among low lives.”
Sources
The character Eddie Coyle bore an uncanny resemblance to ex-convict William (Billy) O'Brien, one of James J. "Whitey" Bulger's old bank-robbing associates who had been murdered in 1967, three years before the book's publication. O'Brien, like Coyle, had just been arrested and the newspapers reported that O'Brien's associates were concerned that he might become a turncoat. O'Brien's slaying was never solved, nor was Coyle's.The fictional murderer is an ex-con named Dillon, who set up the failed truck hijacking for which Coyle was to be sent back to prison. Dillon owned a bar and was a freelance contract killer. The fictional Dillon was also an informant, shown both protecting and promoting his own interests by funneling information about his underworld competition to the police. Columnist and reporter Howie Carr
Howie Carr
Howard Louis "Howie" Carr, Jr. is an American journalist, author, and conservative radio talk-show host based in Boston with a listening audience rooted in New England.-Radio:...
stated, "In other words, Dillon appeared to be a prototype of the gangster that James J. Bulger would become," although the novelist whose book the movie is based on, just before his death, denied that he had based Dillon on Bulger. (Billy O'Brien was murdered by Johnny Martorano
Johnny Martorano
John James Vincent Martorano also known as "Vincent Joseph Rancourt," "Richard Aucoin", "Nick," "The Cook" and "The Executioner" and "The Basin Street Butcher" , is a former hitman for the Winter Hill Gang in Boston, Massachusetts who has admitted to 20 gang-related killings.-Early life:Johnny...
, a hit man for the Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
-based Winter Hill Gang
Winter Hill Gang
The Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...
.)
During the making of the movie in the Boston area, actor Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
(who was cast as Eddie Coyle) was interested in meeting the local gangsters as part of his research into the part. Journalist George Kimball, a sportswriter on the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
at the time, claimed that Mitchum wanted to meet Whitey Bulger and was warned against it by Higgins. Kimball claims that the two did actually socialize, though there is doubt that a meeting between Mitchum and Bulger ever took place. What is known is that cast member Alex Rocco
Alex Rocco
Alex Rocco is an American actor. His roles have ranged from comedy to playing gangsters in Mafia movies.-Early life:...
, a native of Somerville, introduced Mitchum to local Irish-American gangsters of his acquaintance, including Howie Winter
Howie Winter
Howard Thomas "Howie" Winter is an American mobster. He was the second leader of the infamous Winter Hill Gang.-Early life:...
of the Winter Hill Gang that Bulger belonged to. (Born Alexander Petricone, Jr., Rocco was a hanger on of the Winter Hill Gang who had been held for questioning in the murder of Charlestown Mob
Charlestown Mob
The Charlestown Mob was an Irish Mob group in Charlestown, which figured prominently in the history of Boston for much of the 20th century....
member Bernie McLaughlin, an incident that had touched off the Boston Irish Gang War of the 1960s. After being released from jail, Petricone left Boston for Los Angeles in 1962, where he became an actor.)
Adaptations
The novel was faithfully adapted into a 1973 movieThe Friends of Eddie Coyle
This is an article about the movie. For information about George V. Higgins' 1970 novel, go to The Friends of Eddie Coyle .The Friends of Eddie Coyle is a 1973 crime film starring Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle. Directed by Peter Yates, the screenplay was adapted from the novel by George V. Higgins...
. The novel has also been faithfully adapted into a stage play by Bill Doncaster. A staged reading was held on Nov. 14, 2010 in Somerville, MA, and Stickball Productions will hold a full production in December, 2011, at Oberon, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA.
Editions
Macmillan PublishingMacmillan Publishers (United States)
Macmillan Publishers USA, also known as Macmillan Publishing, is a privately held American publishing company owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than 30 others....
printed a 40th anniversary edition of The Friends of Eddie Coyle under the Picador imprint
Picador (imprint)
Picador is an imprint of Pan Macmillan in the United Kingdom and Australia and of Macmillan Publishing in the United States. Both companies are owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
in 2010.