No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels

From Publishers Weekly In this white-knuckler, ATF agent Dobyns infiltrates a chapter of the Hells Angels to show that, aside from much of the romance surrounding the group, it is indeed a violent gang. His investigations lead him through a fascinating cast of crystal meth-heads, gun runners, gang rapists and frauds. Dobyns and co-writer Johnson-Shelton tell a bracing story in straightforward prose that doesn't dilute any aspect of the toll his undercover act (a sprawling long-term investigation that penetrated deeper into the gang than any other) took on his life. A family guy who frequently finds himself taking calls from his worried wife while in the middle of an operation, Dobyns is brutally honest about how far his assignment takes him into the dark side and leaves the impression at the end that it's highly unlikely he will ever be able to totally return to undercover work (Hunter S. Thompson was beaten up while writing his 1967 take on the gang in Hell's Angels ). From the medieval desert clan gatherings to breakneck-paced highway odysseys and high-noon showdowns, this is the real deal from an agent whose knack for the job and ability to transform it into elucidating reading recalls the story of Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist This story of a two-year undercover investigation of the Arizona Hells Angels begins at the end and then backs up to tell the whole story. Dobyns, an officer with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, developed an addiction for the adrenaline rush after being shot and nearly killedxa0during an arrest.xa0In a harrowing first-person account, Dobyns describes his double life as family man and gun trader during thexa0two years he spent undercover investigatingxa0the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. As he advanced within the club, eventually earning a “full patch,” he became more estranged from his family and more enmeshed in the violence of his persona, “Bird.” Feared and respected, the Angels were granted free drinks, sex, and drugs but held to a high level of conformity within the club. Dobyns details the “time, commitment, trust, risk, and money” it took for the ATF to penetrate a highly closed group populated by violent felons—some, like him, with families and day jobs. A fascinating look at the Hells Angels and thexa0price one man paid for infiltrating the gang. --Vanessa Bush "Compulsively page-turning. The true story of Jay Dobyns, all-American dad and undercoverxa0cop running and gunning with the most dangerous outlaws in thexa0USA. Axa0high-velocity trip into a frightening American underworld told inxa0rapid-fire, hard-boiled prose."xa0—Evan Wright, author of the national bestseller Generation Kill “ No Angel pushes narrative nonfiction to new limits…If you wondered whether the bravura writing of Truman Capote and Hunter S. Thompson has a legacy, look no further. Dobyns leads us into the wacky, white world of the Hell's Angels, and with empathy and precision forces us to admit that bikers are all-too human.”—Sudhir Venkatesh, author of Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets “Jay Dobyns is a hero. xa0Out of a sense of duty, he closed his eyes and made a journey into Hell. xa0For two years he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, but thankfully, he lived to tell this riveting story. xa0Highly recommended!”xa0—William “Billy” Queen, Special Agent ATF, Ret. and New York Times bestselling author of Under and Alone “A wild ride to the dark side. Jay Dobyns roars through the gritty underworld of organized crime that you never see in TV cop shows or read in the newspaper. He reveals the true, violent face of outlaw bikers — but also the tortured souls of the undercover cops who dare to infiltrate them.”—Julian Sher, co-author Angels of Death: Inside the Bikers’ Global Crime Empire " No Angel is an absolutely amazing account of onexa0man's willingness to go above and beyond.xa0 Jay Dobyns, his teamxa0and those likexa0themxa0live life on the edge in an environment most can only imagine.xa0xa0This book provides a rare opportunity to share in the intensity, feel the adrenaline rush, smell the fear, and admire true couragexa0and dedication.”—Michael Durant, author of the New York Times bestseller In theCompany of Heroes “ Unprecedented and unputdownable…Most people reading this book would assume that it must be a novel since no human being could possibly be involved in so much action. However, this is the true story of a very special covert ATF agent who over decades immersed himself in the most violent and criminal culture known to law enforcement. Even as a former US Army Special Forces Operator and Police SWAT team leader, I found myself in awe of his death-defying exploits.”—Dr.Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States“Ask yourself this question: would you put your life on the line for a cause? Jay Dobyns did. This book lets you experience some of the most dangerous activities of the best known biker gang in the world. Jay Dobyns brought honor to the ATF andxa0is a truexa0American hero.” —T.J. Leyden, author of Skinhead Confessions JAY DOBYNS is a highly decorated agent who’s worked for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) for more than twenty years. For his work on Operation Black Biscuit, he was awarded the ATF Distinguished Service Medal and also a prestigious Top Cops award from the National Association of Police Officers. Find him online at JayDobyns.com. NILS JOHNSON-SHELTON, unlike Jay Dobyns, has never been a cop and can’t even ride a motorcycle. This is his first book. Read more