Book review: Under And Alone – William Queen

A very close friend gave me this book for my birthday and being blessed with a 5 hour commute every day I was able to rattle through it in one day! The book is an autobiographical account by an undercover ATF agent who infiltrates an Outlaw Motorcycle Club in the US. To be more precise the agent infiltrates the Mongols MC who, according to the author were the most dangerous Outlaw bike club at the time.

It's difficult to be too objective about the book, it's very much a case of; Cop uses bait to get close to club, club likes cop, one club member hates cop and makes waves, cop rides waves and gets more kudos, cop becomes Chapter Vice President and testifies against club. The book isn't written particularly well and really doesn't offer anymore of an insight into MC club life than any other book, magazine, or blog. I thought it amusing how the author was utterly disparaging about the club members, their girlfriends and the fact they did drugs. Only to later allude to the fact he was running with the pack in every way including the drugs.

Don't get me wrong in terms of what the man achieved there is no doubt he was in it up to his neck. You couldn't help but feel the overbearing presence of Hollywood sensationalism as he describes events like stitching up his own hand or the domestic violence against some guys ol' lady (he has a penchant for the biker terminology). The style of writing floats between a Lee Child action novel and a John snow biographical piece but doing neither well.

There are too many references to the protagonist making peace and talking sense into these moronic gangsters. Averting violence at every turn… then later alluding to the violence he himself was involved in. The turmoil inside and the wrestling of his conscience is marred by yet more bragging about how they couldn't do without him and his medical training. To be frank I think the book fails to tell us that the agency had deliberately targeted a weak chapter of the club, based on the agent's descriptions of the bikes and the general goings on it seemed disorganised at the very least.

Personally I would have been more interested in more detail on specific events rather than the author trying to tell the story of his life. Constant references to the author being a good father became tiresome and moot because he clearly prefers the life his job offers him. All in, the entire book is pulp fact and can be read while having a crap. I think the reality would have been a far more brutal account and many would have welcomed it. In all probability the American audience would not have been able to stomach the thought of 'one of their own' doling out beatings, extorting money, running guns and any other criminal activity mentioned in the book.

The author also neglected to mention the purpose of the prospecting period and why it is so hard. The world of the Outlaw Motorcycle Club is as complex as it is secretive and this book does nothing to shed any light on the inner machinations of MC life. The charges brought to bear did not expose an international gun running operation or indeed any huge level of drug dealing, the Americans use the term 'nickel and dime' to describe the arrest criteria.

Would I recommend it? Only if you have a gap in your collection. I'm not knocking what the author achieved only his written version. Although I seem to be in the minority, if you read the reviews on internet bookshop websites they do not agree with me and rave about the book.

6/10