Dick Lehr

Dick Lehr is a professor of journalism at Boston University and an accomplished author specializing in investigative nonfiction. He gained prominence for his work as a reporter at the Boston Globe, where he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and earned numerous awards for his investigative journalism. Lehr is best known for his Edgar Award-nominated book "The Fence: A Police Cover-up Along Boston's Racial Divide," which examines a notorious case of police brutality. He also coauthored the New York Times bestseller "Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI and a Devil's Deal," winner of the Edgar Award, and its follow-up, "Whitey: The Life of America's Most Notorious Mob Boss."

Before transitioning to academia, Lehr spent nearly two decades at the Boston Globe, serving as a legal affairs reporter and member of the Spotlight Team. His background as an attorney informs his meticulous approach to uncovering systemic corruption and crime. His works often explore themes of justice, institutional failure, and organized crime, blending rigorous research with compelling narrative storytelling. A John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, Lehr brings both scholarly rigor and real-world reporting experience to his writing.

Lehr resides outside Boston with his family and continues to write and teach, contributing to the field of investigative journalism through his books and academic work. His critically acclaimed publications have solidified his reputation as a leading voice in true crime and investigative nonfiction.
Non-Fiction Books
# Title Year
1 The Underboss: The Rise and Fall of a Mafia Family 1989
2 Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob (With: Gerard O'Neill) 2000
3 Judgment Ridge (With: Mitchell Zuckoff) 2003
4 The Fence: A Police Cover-up Along Boston's Racial Divide 2009
5 Whitey: The Life of America's Most Notorious Mob Boss 2013
6 The Birth of a Nation: How a Legendary Filmmaker and a Crusading Editor Reignited America's Civil War 2014
7 Christopher Winter: Dizzyland: 20 Years in Germany 2016
8 The Birth of a Movement: How Birth of a Nation Ignited the Battle for Civil Rights 2017
9 Trell 2017
10 Dead Reckoning: The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took on Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor 2020
11 White Hot Hate: A True Story of Domestic Terrorism in America’s Heartland 2021
Spotlight On James 'Whitey' Bulger Books
# Title Year
1 Whitey and the FBI (With: Mitchell Zuckoff, Gerard O'Neill, Shelley Murphy) 2011
2 Whitey's Fall (With: Kevin Cullen, Gerard O'Neill) 2011
3 The Bulger Mystique (With: Kevin Cullen, Gerard O'Neill, Christine Chinlund) 2011