Gilligan The Mob Boss Who Changed the Face of Organized Crime

A revelatory biography of notorious Irish criminal John Gilligan.

John Gilligan is one of the most notorious and hated criminal figures in Irish history.

His name is indelibly etched in the national psyche a quarter of a century after he crossed the line to organize the execution of the fearless, high-profile journalist Veronica Guerin. Gilligan's motive for the assassination was, in the words of the prosecution at a subsequent murder trial, 'the necessity of having to protect an evil empire'. At the time Gilligan was one of the most powerful and feared godfathers in the country who controlled a colossal drugs empire and the underworld's most dangerous mob.

Gilligan tells the story of a young man's rise through the ranks of gangland following his journey from petty thief to public enemy number one. He was part of the generation of young criminals - like the General, the Cahills, the Hutches - who ushered in the phenomenon of organized crime in Ireland and became household names in the process.

Paul Williams is Ireland's leading crime writer and one of its most respected journalists. For over three decades his courageous and ground-breaking investigative work has won him multiple awards. He is the author of eleven previous books and has also researched, written and presented a number of major TV crime series. His first book, The General, was adapted for the award-winning movie of the same name by John Boorman. He writes for the Irish Independent.