Under and Alone

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

By: William Queen

Narrated by: Don Leslie

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, offering to take an agent inside the San Fernando chapter of the Mongols (the scourge of Southern California, and one of the most dangerous gangs in America), Queen jumped at the chance, not realizing that he was kicking-starting the most extensive undercover operation inside an outlaw motorcycle gang in the history of American law enforcement. Nor did Queen suspect that he would penetrate the gang so successfully that he would become a fully “patched-in” member, eventually rising through their ranks to the office of treasurer, where he had unprecedented access to evidence of their criminal activity. After Queen spent 28 months as “Billy St. John,” the bearded, beer-swilling, Harley-riding gang-banger, the truth of his identity became blurry, even to himself.

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.

Yet despite the constant criminality of the gang, for whom planning cop killings and gang rapes were business as usual, Queen also came to see the genuine camaraderie they shared. When his lengthy undercover work totally isolated Queen from family, his friends, and ATF colleagues, the Mongols felt like the only family he had left. “I had no doubt these guys genuinely loved Billy St. John and would have laid down their lives for him. But they wouldn’t hesitate to murder Billy Queen.

”From Queen’s first sleight of hand with a line of methamphetamine in front of him and a knife at his throat, to the fearsome face-off with their decades-old enemy, the Hell’s Angels (a brawl that left three bikers dead), to the heartbreaking scene of a father ostracized at Parents’ Night because his deranged-outlaw appearance precluded any interaction with regular citizens, Under and Alone is a breathless, adrenaline-charged read that puts you on the street with some of the most dangerous men in America and with the law enforcement agents who risk everything to bring them in.

©2005 William Queen (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"His story is tight, suspenseful, and unstoppable." (Bookmarks Magazine)

"[A] harrowing, turbocharged account of undercover life....The strength and white-hot intensity of the writing make this read like a movie." (Publishers Weekly)

"Under and Alone is the dangerous and fascinating true story of an undercover ATF agent and the psychological price he was made to pay for his courageous work.” (Joseph Wambaugh, best-selling author of The Onion Field)

Another great book by Queen!

Would you consider the audio edition of Under and Alone to be better than the print version?

Haven't read it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Queen of course. He's the main man!

What does Don Leslie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is terrific!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes many. There were some laughable moments. Also sad when his mother dies and amazed by the gangs reactions.

Any additional comments?

Men like Queen are true heroes! They risk everything to try and make our country a safer place to live. I want more books by him! A must read!

Highly entertaining and suspenseful

Where does Under and Alone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

top 3

What was one of the most memorable moments of Under and Alone?

When a thug from another biker gang tries to cut/stab Queen and a Mongol

What about Don Leslie’s performance did you like?

Great voice, expressive, almost like you're seeing it happen instead of someone reading a story. Talks like you think the u/c hero would talk.

If you could give Under and Alone a new subtitle, what would it be?

How an Anglo undercover cop infiltrated the Mongols, the most violent biker gang, rose to the top and brought them down and lived to tell the story

Wow scary shit

It really makes you stop and think what is going on in the US on a daily basis.

excellent !

narrator was great and made you feel he was telling the story live as it was unfolding .. Great job.

Excellent novel, excellent story,very easy to read

Would you consider the audio edition of Under and Alone to be better than the print version?

This is one of the best novels that I have read so far. Even though I have purchased both the print and the audio book edition of this novel for my English Reading class in college, I sort of like the print edition better, but I would not say that the audio book edition is any better. The main reason why I am reading the print edition, is because it is required for my English Reading college class.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

That there are a lot of interesting details in the novel, which make it very easy for you to picture what is actually happening in the novel

Which character – as performed by Don Leslie – was your favorite?

Billy St. John

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, this is a great novel. And very entertaining too. Even though this is a novel about under cover police agent, it does not have as much violence in it as you would expect, and it has a lot of stuff about how hard it was for the Billy St. John (undercover ATF agent) to be undercover with the Mongols motorcycle gang, in order to prosecute them.

Any additional comments?

Excellent novel. Recommend for anyone. Even if you do not like reading, this novel reads like a cartoon story almost.

Incredible Read... Don Leslie nails this read!!

Where does Under and Alone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book ranks incredible and Don Leslie brings it to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Billy St. John

Have you listened to any of Don Leslie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not.

Great story, well told & narrated

This book had a grip on me from the beginning and never let go. Amazing content and very well told.

Riveting

Couldn't stop listening. Edge of my seat the whole time. Didn't want it to end.

Great Read!!!`

Really cool look into the undercover work this man did. It was a great read and very easy to follow.

job well done on narrating

I have read the hard copy version three times now. The audio version was exceptionally good. job well done Don Leslie!