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)

How can it be done

This is a crazy story that I got hooked on quickly. It is hard to explain but I had some really mixed feeling about what Mr Queen went through. Great story and lots of respect for a heck of a job.

AWESOME

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

Anyone with the slightest interest in law enforcement/undercover work will find this book incredible.

GOOD STORY BUT....

Good story at times thinking your cover was blown and I really like the book you got my money from me buying the book.Here's the BUT to me your a RAT & I hate RATS BUT it's your job right? Well I don't hate police who do there job walking there beat or driving around stopping cars with lights out or speeding.BUT I dislike RAT COPS which is what you are.Story good like a movie COP/AUTHOR/RAT in life dislike.

Kudos to the narrator

Couldn’t have picked a better narrator for this book. Great story as well. Highly recommended.

Great read

Great book, well produced audio version. Story will have you on pins and needless. Great insight on the world of biker gangs.

Kept me listening, good story worth a listen.

I like nonfiction and this is a good book that kept my attention and i finished it fast,which means its very good, the only bad part is the agent is like uhhh, wats the word??? A Blowhard? His high opinion of himself is a bit much for me... He makes himself out to be the greatest everything, father ,humanitarian..friend.. agent ,the toughest... blah blah..he is just wonderful.. according to him anyway. Nobody is that pefect buddy. But he does have Big Giant Stones!! and nerves of steel to do wat he did! Thanks for ur service,Hats off pal! Hell maybe he is wonderful?! I dunno? But thats something u want other ppl to say about you....otherwise u come off as kind of a.....wats the word??

Interesting Story

Good historical documentation of the ATFs successful infiltration into the Mongol biker gang in California. I wonder if this wasn't the inspiration for "Sons of Anarchy" on FX. No doubt it was stressful for Mr. Queen, but some of the charges that they do end up filing seemed rather petty to me given all the hoopla-- minor weapons charges, etc hardly seem worth all of the effort and risk.....

Unabridged is the only way to go

What did you love best about Under and Alone?

Inside look at the clubs, the people, the structure and the crimes.

Any additional comments?

I had overall mixed feelings about this book and law enforcement as a whole.

We have quite alot of trouble with bikie gangs here, so it was great to see inside one of these (mongols have only just moved to Aus which will cause tension with very violent existing gangs), however i was somewhat struck by the ATFs intention in some cases to avoid involment in a crime (which i understand) but not to attempt to prevent the crime itself. An example of this was the 3 strippers that were the centre of a plan by the bikies.

I was also interested in the ability of officers to become corrupted through the indoctrination of the club, to view it as a brotherhood and almost be reluctant to testify.

Despite mixed emotions I am glad I read it, as it was as educational as it was a great yarn. I am glad that there are still those out there who can avoid corruption and stand up to do the right thing and sacrifice nearly their entire life in the process - definition of a hero.

Unbelievable

This story was great. The stuff that this Agent saw is fascinating and unbelievable. The story is told very well, puts you on your toes.

Excellent!!

Not many books that I listen to practically from start to finish, this is one of them! Right off the bat it's engaging, you really feel like you're in the undercover agents shoes , the moral dilemmas he faces, the sticky situations, brutal at times, honestly an excellent book.