Under and Alone: The True Story of the Undercover Agent Who Infiltrated America's Most Violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang

by William Queen

Book Overview

In 1998, William Queen was a veteran law enforcement agent with a lifelong love of motorcycles and a lack of patience with paperwork. When a "confidential informant" made contact with his boss at the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400060842
• ISBN13: 9781400060849
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 270 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Fellow Retired ATF Special Agent

Bill Queen, whom I knew personally, has captured the essence of working undercover against outlaw biker groups. I also did numerous criminal cases against them, albiet much less deep undercover, long before Bill's brilliant effort. ATF management was even harder to work with back then. Many managers came from the old 'still bustin'" days of Eliott Ness with that same mentality. Bill's successful prosecutions are a tribute to the tenacity of he and the case agent, John Ciccone, who both overcame not only the obstacles of the criminal case, but overcame the obstructive "numbers" driven management. This book is a "must read" for law enforcement, their families, and anyone interested in going into the field. It's insight, honesty, and accuracy make it unique in a field often cluttered with "wannabes". Great job, Bill. Erik R.

A lonely vigil through America's murky back alleys

If there's a lesson that can be drawn from Queen's lengthy travels through the rough part of town, it's that life as a Federal Agent isn't what it's cracked up to be. As a people, we're bred on a steady diet of flashy police dramas (CSI, NYPD Blue, Law and Order, etc.). They do little to prepare the average cadet for what they're going to confront in the criminal tar pit that Billy Queen wades into. Undercover work, in general, is a fine way to ruin your marriage, wreck your nerves, and lose your sense of identity. Be prepared to sacrifice the life that you once had, and sadly witness the fallout that results. It's almost as if Queen suffers more than the people that he help put away. This is the fine print that the recruiters don't want you to read. Speaking from direct experience, undercover work is essentially an act of betrayal. You live with these people, eat with them, party with them, and then testify against them in court. An agent might take years to be accepted into the fold, and then have to dump it all over the side of the ship in the blink of an eye. It's bad enough that you lose contact with your old friends, now you've got to give up all of your new ones. Guess what? Now you don't have any friends. As Queen observes, it wasn't easy. There were actually times when he considered giving up his role as an ATF agent and crossing the line to the other side. I can't say that I blame him. His Mongol brethen often treated him with more respect, and genuine love, than his ATF handlers (who, more likely than not, saw Billy as an expendable "resource"). You're on your own, surrounded by a group of individuals who, by the standards of modern society, aren't much more than animals. It takes a very strong individual to survive the rigors of this sort of undercover work. Billy, man, I don't know where you are, but I have a feeling that you might read this review some day. Many thanks for pouring out your memories, and heart, onto the printed page. People like me will try very hard to pass on your words to the younger folks, so that they might understand, and appreciate, the plight of the under-paid government employee known as the ATF agent.

Uncompromising and Brutally Honest

A "great" book written by a true American hero. Queen exposes these bikers for what they are, criminals, family men, brothers, motorcycle enthusiasts and, most of all, too human. While some are absolutely evil, most seem to be guys who have been lured by the outlaw lifestyle and all its rewards without willing to accept its punishments as well. Remember, the motorcycle gang came into being primarily with true American heroes of WWII, looking for adventure after losing the pumped up lifestyle of war. William Queen goes under cover and remarkably infiltrates the Mongrol MC. Ultimately he becomes "patched in", a full fledged member of this criminal enterprise. The stories he tells are heartbreaking at times, brutal at others, but all the while Queen never lost sight of his goal of exposing them for what they do. He experiences what has become the all to often dilemma for these type of law enforcement agents. These are indeed his brothers and he is knowingly working to put them in prison for the rest of thier lives. Queen taps into his own sense of betrayal, outrage, sadness, and fear, as the investigation continues. Quite a remarkable investigation and a remarkable book.

to my old freind Billy St. John...

As the ex-wife of one of the main characters in the book, I can tell the readers that William Queen told the whole truth and nothing but the truth...it was 100% accurate and in no way exaggerated. Only on a few minor occasions did his recollection of events differ slightly from mine, but only the smallest and most unimportant of details. This book was amazing and well written - good job Billy! I cannot describe the feelings that ran through me as I read this book, as I read page after page of events that I remember like yesterday. I was also taken back to the phone call I got from Billy on May 19th, 2000, telling me who he was and what was happening. How I didn't belong with those people. Even though I had to re-live all the feelings of hurt and betrayal I felt the day my life changed forever, I am thankful now to be out of that life and where I am today. Not only was this man a hero in the eyes of many, but he changed my life. Billy, in the event you ever read this review, I just wanted you to know that.

ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY

Motorcycle clubs have been romanticized in this country for over fifty years and while 99% of them (and my brother-in-law is a member of a club) are decent, hard-working everyday guys and girls, it's that 1% that has always piqued the interest of the general public and the reason there were so many movies dealing with gangs like the Hell's Angels in the 1960's and 1970's. The public has an infatuation with them much like with the Mafia. Bill Queen is nuts...has to be to do what he did and live amongst these people for over two years, doing drugs and commiting crimes just to prove his worth to the gang. And he didn't just risk his life then, but even now he is a target for those he helped bring to justice. It is most interesting how Queen notes that these men are so much like the Mafia in that there is true love and friendship among the members, and yet they wouldn't hesitate to kill their own if they stepped out of line. It's a kind of almost hive relationship that most people just cannot fathom. Wow, what an incredibly riveting tale. Bill Queen certainly gives new meaning to the word guts.