This is a great book even if your not into MC's. The book is a wild ride and very hard to put down for any length of time. What he did and how he did it make for a great story, as seen on the tv show Gangland.
The book is better

This book is a great read. There is never a dull moment from beginning to end. Very amazing how William Queen was able to infiltrate one of the most notorious motorcycle gangs of our time, even gaining compassion for some of the "patches" as he became attached while becoming a full member of the Mongols.

William Queen, ATF agent goes deep undercover into the Mongols motorcycle gang as Billy St John. Queen recounts his time as a prospect, getting full-patch in into the Mongols, holding Mongol officer status as secretary-treasurer and even vice-president of the San Fernando Valley Chapter. He does his best to steer away from committing crimes and has to come up with excuses on the fly as to why we can't participate so as not to jeopardize his standing as a federal agent. All the while putting up with early abuse and secretly recording conversations and gathering intel into the crimes committed by such clubs.

Queen becomes so entwined into the gang, that he begins having a hard time personally telling which life he wants, Billy St John or William Queen. After two and a half years, Queen finally has to drop the hammer to save his own descent. He's deeply touched by the events following his aunt's death in which the Mongols show more concern, condolensces, and care about Billy than any faction of his fellow ATF agents, even his partner Ciccone.

Unfortunately, while the book is very good, there is organization and topic coverage that is just too messy to warrant a higher rating. Do we really need to be inform that he "back his straight pipes up to the curb" every time he went somewhere? The first few chapters are just terribly disorganized and all over the place rather than using a better thought out background into the operation. You get tired of hearing him debate internally about throwing out the assignment when certain situations arise because it's a conflict of his law enforcement training (and rightly so).

Overall, this is a great story and should be read. However, the format of the book is low and needed better organization. I'd like to have learned more about certain gang friends of his and possibly more on the aftermath of the court cases on individuals like Red Dog and Evel. Great story, bad formatting. Good selection of photos included in the middle of the book too. Former Mongol member Ruben Cavazos' book Honor Few, Fear None: The Life and Times of a Mongol is easily counteracted by this telling of life as a Mongol.

This book is a very gripping and compelling look at undercover law enforcement work. It outs you in the boots of a veteran ATF agent who sacrificed his family life for over 2 years to hang out with one of the most violent motorcycle gangs around.

His close calls of being found out and tests before being fully "patched in" will keep you on the edge of your seat. This shows an inside look at undercover work and how it can play with your emotions and second guess your true identity. The struggles of interacting with his family and regular society and other police looking like a gangster and trying to keep his true identity hidden from his own gang keeps this story intense emotionally.

I looked forward to reading this book and finishing it each day at lunch but at the end of the book I didn't want the action to end.

This is a great story, what surprised me was that it was not one sided at all. He even recalls a time when police were, lets just say, not acting as they should be. Great read, took only a few days, I recommend it for anyone, law enforcement or not.

I really enjoyed the book. Being a member of the law enforcement community and also a Harley rider, it was hard to put down. A good read. Buy it.

This is a story every bit as fascinating as Donnie Brasco. Should also be a movie. Living undercover as a Mongel member for two years with those dirty drunken drug users had to be an awful extistence. Or maybe it was fun. However it was, it is a great read.

as with most books i've read, there is always something i see or hear that piques my interest in a topic/subject matter creating a domino effect that leads to obsessive reading. this seems to be the case here: "gimme shelter" led to sonny barger's "hell's angel" which led to the "gangland" television series and then to searching amazon.com for books about outlaw biker clubs, starting with "under and alone".

the first chapter of this book was such an effective teaser that it actually fooled me into believing the book was ghost-written due to the author not surviving his undercover assignment ... it worked, because i couldn't put it down.

the thought of a law enforcement officer having the courage to take such an assignment is one thing ... to follow through with that assignment and actually become a full-patched member of such an organization is simply amazing. even more impressive is the fact that queen does such an excellent job of taking the reader along with him ... a true "fly on the wall" perspective throughout the book.

every chapter contains moments where you feel as if queen wouldn't survive his assignment and you almost breathe a sigh of relief when oftentimes, a random moment of good fortune is all that saves him.

what makes "under and alone" such a good read is that the action never lets up ... it is nothing but a continuous series of battles: the battle to hide his true identity from a group in which every member is a potential murderer, the battle to portray himself as outlaw biker material yet not participate in criminal activity, the battle of being a father to his kids and maintain their safety during/after the assignment, the struggle of actually developing a fraternal relationship with men who he will eventually be sending to prison and the constant battle with the expected ineptitude of the agency responsible for keeping him alive. the best battle of all, however, is the continuous grief queen endures from one particular mongol ... "red dog".

i found myself constantly flipping to the pictures in order to place a face with the name of those mongols he writes about ... even "red dog".

the book left me with a feeling of apprectiation that there are people out there willing to do such dangerous work voluntarily. my only regret is that there is understandably no "where are they now" chapter because i would really like to know how certain mongols personally felt about queen and the success of his undercover work.

Billy Queen is clearly an amazingly smart and tough guy. His tale of inflitrating the Mongrols, moving from 'Hang Around' to 'Prospect' to Treasurere and then Vice President of the local chapter is fascinating and well written. And it will quickly disabuse you of any notion that the the Mongols are OK guys have chosen their own path. While some people may have been OK when they joined, Billy makes clear the gang and its members are all to happy to hurt and kill with little or no reason.

Things the book does really well: Give a feel for day to day life in the gang, outline historical background to the Mongols/Hells Angels flue, give a sense of Billy's double life- knowing his gang friends would kill him at the drop of the hat, and that a large chunk of ATF would rather see everything he'd risked his life for throw away then chance the smallest public embarrassment.

The things I found lacking: Would have to liked to know even more about the gangs structure and the relationship between the head chapter (Mother) and the local chapters, would have liked to see more detailed sketches on even more of the members. Still, these are pretty trivials issues.

If you are interested in motorcycle gangs this book is required reading.

We hear many stories of the bad things our law enforcement personnel perpetrate against criminals. Finally a book that shows how courageous some of them are. Bill Queen is one of them, and has rightfully received many accolades. He deserves everyone of them. His sacrifice was immense. I hope he finds the comfort he so deserves.

SA William (Billy) Queen's 2 1/2 years of investigating the Mongols motorcycle club as an undercover ATF agent is pure guts, grit, and courage. Of the many things Billy proved over the course of his investigation perhaps the most important was that such clubs CAN BE infiltrated by dedicated and well supported law enforcement officers.

This is a well-written, fast-paced page turner that once started simply cannot be put down until finished. Queen reveals both the Mongols and other outlaw motorcycle clubs for what they are behind all the media-hype romance...brutes on bikes whose only regard is for their own well-being and whose only respect is for their club patch.

Kudos to Billy Queen for riding the hard trail and bringing down some truly bad guys - his book is a testament to Honor, Loyalty, and Duty of the highest order in the circles of professional law enforcement.

I'd bet from reading this book that alot of these Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs have been and are currently being infiltrated at various levels,by undercover police.There seemed to be in the book, alot of paranoia among the Mongol members from government agents in their ranks.I'm glad that there are still police out there that will take such dangerous assignments.It took Queen about a year and a half to build up the Motorcycle Clubs' confidence and he actually rose to the position of Mongol treasurer.
I noticed however how alot of the poverty stricken Mongols rapidly gravitated toward Agent Queen and his "deep pockets" which would have aroused the suspicions of smarter type criminals,(if there even is such a thing)even considering Queen had been in the group for a year and a half.Too much money coming too fast that buys into about any criminal enterprise equals "STING".When something seems to be too good to be true it probably isn't.I admired the way Queen used the Mongols greed against them.Queen became sort of a "daddy" for them and their criminal enterprises and toward the end ,the Mongols seemed like kids asking for their allowance thus adding to their well deserved jail stints.You'd think one of the Mongols might have asked,"Wait a minute,Queen(or St. John) sells high-tech electronic equipment for an Avionics firm,maybe he's using some of it on us"But also remember how many stores are robbed right in front of a security camera with full lighting and witnesses.Greed is almost never rational though?
Most of the victims of these Motorcycle gangs are other motorcyclists(loner types) too often non-affiliated with a gang and therefore wide open to be a victim of groups like the Mongols.It greatly deflated my image of the fearless tattoed lone wolf cyclist, who challenges the world and its ideals.Probably from reading this book his"mission" ends rapidly as he is found dead or unconscious along the road and his bike confiscated by gangs like the Mongols.His hot-Harley honey also confiscated by the Mongols.Everyone talks about doing something about "bullies" but few to none ever do anything about them.Queen definitely did and it's good to know there are people like him out there.

I get that it takes a certain amount of ego and cockiness to pull off this kind of a sham, but how stressful a life like that must be! While I admire the undertaking Queen did, I did and still do keep asking myself why someone would want to do this. It seems like a heckofa lot of money was spent on this 2 year "investigation." American courts need to revamp the requirements needed for putting bad guys away. Miranda is just too expensive. This is a very unsettling book for me as a "victim" of our American justice (?) system, as a taxpayer seeing how money is doled out to investigations of this type that may or may not reap results, and at the absurdity put upon ATF agents in the whole keeping up the demeanor, but-you-can't-do-drugs-lest-you-go-to-the-hospital requirement. What a joke! It's like the good guys WANT the bad guys to keep harassing and brutalizing innocent victims by putting absurd stipulations/rules on the very folks trying to protect them.

This is one of those rare books I had to force myself to put down so I wouldn't read it all in one sitting... I read it in two. What a story!

This was an exciting book to read. If you are into undercover ops type stories I would recommend this one. I looked forward to picking up and continuing the story every chance I could until finishing it. If you are interested (for whatever morbid reason) in the motorcycle gang subculture, don't miss this one.

Could'nt put this book down. It does'nt matter who's side you're on with this book because the line between fades. Poor Billy must have been one messed up dude when this was over.

I received a hardcover copy of this book from my wife for my birthday and it was promptly thrown in the trash after I finished it. No kidding! I know my review will fly in the face of many of the overwhelmingly positive entries, but here goes...

I consider myself a typical citizen and I by no means am in favor of gang activity or criminal enterprises, but I wonder why the police and federal government sets such a high priority on targeting "motorcycle gangs." If it is not this gang, it is the Hell's Angels. Again, I consider myself an average law-abiding citizen and I'm unconvinced that this gang or the Hell's Angels are the root of all evil. I spent several years of my childhood in the Van Nuys area of the San Fernando Valley and as I recall many of the motorcycle groups, including the Hell's Angels, did positive things for the community -- this may come as a surprise to many readers.

Next, I looked at this undercover assignment in the historical context that it occurred (the late 1990's). To me it seems like a major folly. Too bad the ATF in particular and the Treasury Department in general didn't spend the money monitoring and getting into groups that would later attack our country with aircraft. The U.S Government was busy with taxpayer resources getting at a motorcycle gang, while missing a more important threat to our society.

Finally, I too am skeptical that the author never committed any acts that crossed the line while undercover. He admits that he didn't even know who he really was at times. When you play a role so completely, you completely become that role. I don't care what he says to the contrary.

I hope missing out on a segment of his childrens' life was worth it to him. On balance I don't think the taxpayers got their money's worth from this operation in light of 2001. If you are still compelled to read this book, check it out from the library.

Book was in excellent condition and it was a great buy. Great to do business with.

A interesting read, but makes you wonder how much was actual fact and how much was embellished. For cops and people who like to read similiar stuff, the reader will experience the fear, the adrenaline, and the excitement of an undercover agent.

Have you ever known how it feels to be totally alone and afraid for you life? Read Under and Alone, and you will know. William Queen, has done an incredible job of bringing his time as an under cover agent for the ATF to life on these pages.

He gave up three years of being with his family to do the unheard of, becoming a patched in member of the Mongols Motorcycle Club. Then to rise within the club to become an officer. Yet everyday was filled with the fear of being found out and murdered. His bravery and commitment towards the investigation is profound, yet you get the feeling that even though he did his job. He developed a personal relationship with some of the most dangerous people this country has every seen.

This is a must read book if you have ever been in or around the motorcycle life style, whether you are a weekend warrior or a true blue motorcyclist.

I enjoyed this book more than anything I've read in a long time. Most enjoyable book I've read since Shadow Divers.

What a great read. Fast paced. Great balanced detail. Very exciting twists and turns. Fantastic human insight, truly sympathetic.

Read it in a day, simply couldn't put it down.

Thrilled to learn they're making a movie out of this, possible with Mel Gibson in the lead.

Bill, thank you for sharing your amazing story.

didnt want to put it down. Queen is a great writer. Amazing story. very enjoyable

My dad is a hardcore Harley enthusiast, and former Motorcycle shop owner. He knows a lot about various OMGs from being in the business, but enjoys reading about them still. I bought this book for him several months ago, and he said it was one of the better OMG books he had read. I acquired the book several days ago, and sat down to read it. I had a hard time putting it down. William Queens infiltration of the Mongols was fascinating and exciting to read about. I really enjoyed how he didnt make these outlaws seem inhuman and unfeeling all the time. This truly was one of the best OMG books Ive read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with any interest in motorcycle gangs.

If you enjoy CSI, Law and Order, or have any connection to law enforcement, you will not be able to put this book down.

I loved it. The writing is crisp and concise, and the "plot" (aka, real events) move along quickly. Never a dull moment, and a heart-pounding glimpse into a world most of us will never enter (and probably shouldn't.) I only wish he would have included us (readers) in the moment he finally cut off the long hair and beard once his undercover stint was over.

This book is both informative and entertaining. Queen really takes you into the world of the "1%" Motorcycle clubs.

Brilliant book. Loved it!

William Queen is an exceptionally brave and dedicated man.

He's a lot more intelligent than his fellow Mongols but fits right in. He really brings out the cameraderie and love between the biker gangsters that is one of the main attractions of the life they lead despite their often thuggish and scummy behaviour.

Queen is also a very good writer considering his actual job is a law enforcement officer.

.... This is one of the most amzing true-crime books I have ever read. I read it less than 24 hrs becasue I couldn't put the book down. The situations Billy was in (and got out of) made the hair on my neck stand up. Queen delivers an amazing experience that really made me feel like I was with him in some situations. Can't wait for the movie.

Like a lot of red blooded guys I had fantasized (well, daydreamed anyway) about riding with an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.
C'mon, who out there hasn't?

After this book I am glad to put that fantasy away for good. And you will be too...but boy, what a voyeuristic ride you are in for.

The author puts you right there where you will smell the blood. Right there where you will feel the blows to your face and jaw. And right there while you quiver with fear as you are instructed to stab a poor fellow who just happened to walk in the wrong door - that of a biker bar.

You will also be suprised by the emotion the author conveys toward these people he stalks, yet finds himself feeling parental towards. Thru the author you find yourself rooting for the bad guys to somehow see the light.

But most of all the book will let you lay that outlaw fantasy to rest. So next time you pass a biker bar in Tujunga or East Los Angeles, just keep going...I will see you down the road at the Dairy Queen.

This book is about an undercover agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, William Queen, worming his way into full membership status of the vicious Mongols motorcycle club in an attempt to shut it down through convictions stemming from purchases of illegal weapons and narcotics. Although Mr. Queen's bravery is unquestionable, the end results just don't seem to justify the extreme time, effort and expense involved.

Although I thought the author left some questions and situations unanswered and unresolved, the book was entertaining and might make a good movie. What I especially enjoyed about the book was that it was not a one-sided affair. It was not a black-and-white good-vs-evil story. The book describes well the comraderie and human side of some of the Mongols as well as those of Mr. Queen. The best example of this was when Mr. Queen's mother died. The Mongols expressed their sympathy and showed respect to William en mass, while not a single ATF agent, even those with whom he had the strongest bonds, expressed an ounce of concern.

The book also showed the ATF's bureaucratic BS that William had to contend with while trying to remain undercover, do a job and stay alive and healthy. All this certainly depicts William's courage and focus. It's a shame that he did not receive the support from his own agency that he needed. To his ATF managers, William was nothing more than a number, a pawn to be thrown to the wolves if the investigation proved fruitless or went otherwise bad. His dedication and courage speaks volumes about his character.

The book is hard-hitting, direct and full of human issues. It describes well the danger and violence brought forth by gangs such as this as well as the innermost thoughts and feelings of those who try and stop them. It's a good read and one that you'll not want to put down.

This is one of the more interesting books I have read on 1%-er gangs. I also know through a reliable source that this is a very true to life book and events are as depicted.

Over all I really enjoyed this book...for entertainment purposes.
Parts of the story line conflicted. I do believe that if discoverd he would have been killed. I don't believe for a second that he did 28 months with out ever doing drugs seeing how drugs were such a HUGE part of this chapter's life style. I also believe that IF the HAMC really wanted to, they would have wiped out the mongols just like they took care of the Rock machine in Canada. It seems to me the chapter he was with were a bunch of total loosers hell.......most didn't even have a decient motorcycle. I dont think that chapter would have survived anyways with Drugs distroying them.

But like I said for an enjoyable read it is well written and I would recomend it, but dont think for a minute you will walk away with knowledge of 1% workings

A very interesting story of a different nature. I couldn't put it down! There were a lot of holes, though, where the author was unable to fill in the blanks due to a security kind of nature, I am sure. This book did give me an insight into the gang culture, and it is not a pretty sight. It also made me see that my job isn't as bad as I sometimes feel it is! To do what this cop did is a true act of incredible bravery. If you like reading true stories that show a different kind of life than most of us can imagine, this is it.

This was one of the best books I have ever read. I was immediately engaged in the book. I started reading it on a flight to Mexico. By the time I landed five hours later I had finished the book!

The book has everything: drama, excitment, action, and the unexpected.

I am not a huge book reader and LOVED this book. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!

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.

I couldn't put the book down. I can only imagine what kind of situations Mr. Queen went through that were not in the book. Both touching and sad, these guys really cared for their brothers and I can see where Mr. Queen had a difficult time with the operation. It is too bad everyday people can't create bonds like these guys had. I ended up wishing they didn't go down the way they did. I would highly recommend.

This is a book that will keep your attention from the first page to the last. It is a great read and I would highly recommend. Bill Queen did something most of us could never imagine doing. Infiltrating one the deadliest outlaw MC's in the west, and he lived to tell about it.

They ran drugs and trafficked in guns to fill the group's coffers; they got their kicks from assaults, gunfights, stabbings, and other hideous, random acts of violence. I still can't get over how he survived all that time under cover with out a scratch.
During his initial "prospecting" phase, Queen was at the mercy of crank-fueled criminal psychopaths who sought to have him test his mettle and prove his fealty by any means necessary, from selling (and doing) drugs, to arms trafficking, stealing motorcycles, driving getaway cars, and, in one shocking instance, stitching up the face of a Mongol "ol' lady" after a particularly brutal beating at the hands of her boyfriend.
A riveting story of a one-of-a-kind officer that takes you to the deepest and most dangerous part of undercover work. Highly recommended.

I bought this book for myself and a buddy of mine. After we both read the book we couldn't stop talking about the characters and the whole ordeal. I couldn't put the book down after the introduction page. I would read one chapter then find myself 3-4 chapters deep before I knew it.

It made me feel that I was reliving this man's experience and I was part of the excitement of his undercover realm.

I rate this book a 5 star rating, because the ease of reading the book and the gripping story that kept me captivated.

This man is truly a hero. This book tells the story of how he penetrated one of the most dangerous motorcycle gangs in the world (even became a full patch member and holding an office in the club) and brought many of them to justice. This story is phenomenal because it shows not only the bad side of these clubs, but also the love and loyalty that club members show each other. He could have portrayed his "brothers" in the Mongol gang as 100% evil. But he didn't. He was with them long enough to realize that some of them were really no different than he was. Some of them were closer to him than the people he worked with at the ATF. Bottom line, very very good book. Well written and extremely personal. I highly advise you to pick up this book. But once you pick it up, you won't even think about putting it down.

In a global economy of perhaps $5 trillion a year, fully another $2 trillion a year is illicit (see the book by Moises Naim of that title). This means not only that there is $2 trillion a year in illegal activities that include murder, rape, trade in women and children, and so on, but also that this $2 trillion is not taxed and therefore does not contribute to the social programs that are essential to keep a nation strong. Since motorcycle gangs are now global, vicious, and largely "out of control," the book struck me as helpful and worth reading.

It is worth reading, and there is no question but that the author risked his life, perhaps even ruined his life, by spending a long time penetrating the Mongols, arguably the most vicious (and unwashed) of the motorcycle gangs.

I put the book down with three thoughts:

1) There has got to be a better way to put gangs like this out of business. Cities have sanitation codes, there ought to be a way to keep people like this in remediation without having to risk officer's lives penetrating their gangs.

2) An awful lot of taxpayer dollars and a lot of very high-quality officer time went into this, at great personal risk, with relatively marginal results.

3) Gangs share a couple of similarities with terrorists: they have access to very high-powered lawyers and a great deal of money when they need it; and law enforcement is ham-strung by out of date laws and conventions that insist on treating out and out ruthless "Mongols" with the same rules used for more civilized members of society. I cannot but help conclude that we ought to have a "no holds barred" option on gangs in the same way that we now have a no holds barred option on terrorists.

William Queen spent 28 months undercover with the Mongols motorcycle group - feared more than Hells Angels. His bravery and "street intelligence" are incredible. Drugs, illegal weapons, gang-rape, witness intimidation, brutal beatings, and motorcycle theft were the gang's most common unlawful activities.

Introduction to the group was via an informant who wanted to get back at the Mongols; unfortunately, the informant also let the Mongols know what she wanted to accomplish, leading them to suspect Queen. To gain stature and prevent being exposed as an ATF agent, he had to fake snorting meth, and appear ready to participate in a gang rape (luckily the intended victims did not show up). Final acceptance required passing a background check using his Social Security #, VA records, last five years' W-2 forms, criminal records, high-school records, and relatives - in this case all made up by the ATF.

Queen reported several instances of the gang's criminality and brutality: 1)A fellow prospective member who changed his mind about membership had to play Russian roulette to get out. 2)Members wanting out had to have their Mongol gang tattoo burned off. 3)One member had been convicted of child molesting his sister's children - because she turned him in he was plotting to kill both her and the children. (Queen managed to thwart those crimes.) 4)Another member, unable to redeem his pawned motorcycle, wanted to kill the pawn shop owner (again Queen was able to avoid this crime).

Shortly after becoming accepted, Queen became chapter Secretary-Treasurer, replacing the functionally-illiterate incumbent. This afforded Queen (and the government) detail about the group's activities that otherwise would not have been available.

Queen paid a steep price for his undercover status - not only did he have to risk his life daily and subject himself to a highly destructive lifestyle (drinking, fighting, fast riding), his girlfriend dropped him, he missed many opportunities to be with his sons, and ultimately they were moved far away from him as part of a protective relocation.

The prosecutorial rewards, unfortunately, were not commensurate, in my opinion: Seventy illegal firearms, two kilos of cocaine, significant amounts of marijuana and meth, and 53 convictions. (Queen only elaborates on one sentence - "Red Dog" - one of the worst members - received only a three year sentence.) This is not a criticism of anyone - just the depressing reality of how difficult it can be to attack organized crime.

Two years later, the Mongols and Hells Angels gangs met in Laughlin, NV - and two people died. Unfortunately the Mongols did not go out of business - no fault of Queen's. I only wish we had applied his talents to anti-terrorism!

I think the book itself could have been much better written. But, for the subject it's covering, it is probably one of the best books written.
I cannot think of any other book that covers one of the very hardcore 1% clubs so well.

Fascinating. As a 99%er, it was eyeopening. Maybe Queen has saved me from harm. To realize that these kind of violent gangs frequent places local to my home where I would think nothing of dropping by was educational. I knew nothing about colors, and I know people who know Mongols. I've had people point them out to me. I had no idea. Thanks, Bill.

This was actually a very good book. It is the donnie brasco of biker gangs. It gave tons of insight as to what undercover life is like and the tolls it takes on the police officers involved. I know Special Agent Queen is regretfull of the time it took and the sacrafices he had to make, but after reading this I think he did a great job, and should rest easy at night knowing that he sacraficed so many others wouldn't have to.

This was a great book. Realistic honest hands on experiences. WEll written. First hand experience without the BS.

One has to admire the guts of William Queen - delving into a horribly violent and crazy Motorcycle Gang for two years to collect evidence to use against them. The writing is fast paced and the book is a quick read (4 or 5 hours tops). I found it a fascinating look at a totally different culture - the biker mafia culture. It was sometimes very scary and I can't believe that William Queen last two years. He made a great sacrifice (more than I would have asked for) to clean up the streets. Overall, a must read.

The most important thing that can be said is that the reader is almost sure to be entertained, even to the extent that he will be unable to perform other tasks until he has finished a chapter. The writing style is straightforward and believable and describes the kind of sensational gangsterism and criminality that American pop culture constantly tries to synthesize.

Eventually you start feeling like subject Billy Queen, as the constant criminal activity, violence, and drug/alcohol abuse start to wash over you and hardly register. But Queen manages to make each episode fresh and exciting, building to his being fully patched in as a member of the club despite several near-deadly misses.

The only quarrel I have with the book is that Queen is reluctant to admit mistakes or indiscretions that he committed during his 28 months in the club. Spending that much time in such a hardcore criminal organization was sure to entail some drug use, gang beatings, etc. that he was forced to participate in. And also, as hard as he tried, he must have made some bad decisions. He mentioned many dicey situations, but he always seemed to miraculously escape from having to do anything illegal or immoral. If that was actually the case, then he truly had a guardian angel watching over him.

Although I wish he had been more level in his reporting, "Under and Alone" still is a fantastic, believable read that gives a real glimpse into the criminal underworld that we love to romanticize.

This book was a great window into the world of undercover agents and the stresses of their job. Queen's assignment was clearly one of the most dangerous ones to be taken on and he's lucky he lived to tell about it. You'll find yourself finishing the novel not long after you started it, it's a page-turner for sure.

You can't help but feel for Queen when he's missing his "real" family, yet dealing with the low-life biker gang members on a daily basis. As another poster suggested, I suspect Queen left out much of the illegal activities he was involved in while with the Mongols, obviously b/c of his position. My only complaint about the novel is that it wasn't longer. I enjoyed his stories very much and I'm sure there were many he left out ~ considering he was with the gang for 2 years.

Other reviewers are wrong, he did not give all biker gangs a bad name, merely the ones who run criminal enterprises.