Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Five of the best books about working undercover

Dana Ridenour is a retired FBI agent and the author of three FBI undercover novels: Behind The Mask, Beyond The Cabin, and Below The Radar.

At CrimeReads she tagged five top books about working undercover, including:
Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia: a True Story by an FBI Agent by Joseph D. Pistone

This is probably the most famous book about FBI undercover life, later made into a feature film starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Using the alias of Donnie Brasco, FBI Special Agent Joseph D. Pistone spent six years working undercover to infiltrate the mafia. Over the years, Pistone witnessed and sometimes was forced to participate in horrific acts while gathering enough evidence to send over 200 gangsters to jail. Pistone’s case was the greatest infiltration ever by a federal agent into the mafia. During my career, I worked two long-term undercover cases, the first lasted three years and the second one four years. I can tell you from personal experience, that being away from family and friends for long periods of time is difficult and painful. Pistone spent six years of his life relocating his family from place to place for safety reasons, yet rarely spending any quality time with them. Pistone’s book is a riveting must-read.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue