<P>John Connoly and James "Whitey" Bulger grew up together on the streets of South Boston. Decades later, in the mid 1970's, they would meet again.  By then, Connolly was a major figure in the FBI's Boston office and Whitey had become godfather of the Irish Mob.  What happened next -- a dirty deal to being down the Italian mob in exchange for protection for Bulger -- would spiral out of control, leading to murders, drug dealing, racketeering indictments, and, ultimately, the biggest informant scandal in the history of the FBI.</P><P>Compellingly told by two <I>Boston Globe</I> reporters who were on the case from the beginning, <I>Black Mass</I> is at once a riveting crime story, a cautionary tale about the abuse of power, and a penetrating look at Boston and its Irish population.</P>