cover image Befriend and Betray: Infiltrating the Hells Angels, Bandidos, and Other Criminal Brotherhoods

Befriend and Betray: Infiltrating the Hells Angels, Bandidos, and Other Criminal Brotherhoods

Alex Caine, . . St. Martin?s/Dunne, $25.95 (293pp) ISBN 978-0-312-53719-7

Chilling and gritty, this new account by Caine, an undercover police agent for 25 years, showcases his skills as a shrewd chameleon who could infiltrate any group while tallying their vices and offenses. Following stints in Vietnam and behind bars, he teamed with the cops to penetrate the criminal netherworld populated by cruel Asian triads and street gangs battling for territories and riches. Caine, a tough cookie, was recruited by all of the federal enforcement agencies to get the goods on the big four outlaw bike gangs—the Hells Angels, the Bandidos, the Outlaws and the Pagans—and some of his exploits are the stuff of high-tension torture and lawlessness. His resourcefulness is uncanny, as is his sheer will to survive as he matches wits with a group of Russian mobsters and lawmen on the take. It’s to Caine’s credit that he lived to tell this riveting tale of bloodshed and corruption. 8 pages of b&w photos. (Feb.)