Vagos, Mongols, And Outlaws

My husband and I do motorcycle ministry among 1%ers. Much of what is said in this book is accurate, but they don't mention that most of these people are also very nice to people they are not a war withThey. I rub shoulders with them on a regular basis and have no fear of any of them. We remain neutral and they respect our position. We don't judge them and they appreciate that...making it easier for them to come to us for prayer when they have needs. They may never 'darken the door' of a church, but they are just people who want what everyone wants, acceptance and belonging.

As advertised.

Kick back, sit yourself down, and as you lift the book, imagine yourself lifting it further, as if to fit a mask onto your face so you can peer directly through the eyes of Charles Flaco, as he tells his story about infiltrating biker gangs from the perspective of undercover informants, law enforcement agents, and their supervisors.The book is written like a type first person suspense novel that wants to you at the edge of your seat, drawn into the mind of Falco, as he continuously tries to rationalize the events, fears, tensions and violence that pervade the atmosphere of the undercover work he describes. I have not read allot of non-fiction books written this way, though I read allot of non-fiction books. Some reviewers have put more focus on issues they perceive in the writing itself than I will because I see a great informational value in the book about the worlds of both informants and bikers. Especially if you are new to these subjects.That is the reason I gave the book 5 stars, because the book is very effective - at times - at placing the reader 'in the room' or 'at a place,' whose atmosphere is heavy with gang tensions, that can suddenly erupt into bone-crushing, body-piercing violence. And, how that might morph directly into blood splattered merciless carnage...unpredictable as to how or when it will end. I was 'drawn into' the world Flaco inhabited many times throughout the book. A good example of this is the period Falco spends in prison, as part of his undercover work. I felt myself spending that time in that prison. [ Yes, I took the mask off for awhile to take a breather..lol ] At the same time however, those chapters are very informative about the hierarchical structure of prison life.The book is structured in a way that seems to fluctuate between two modes of chronicling events. [1] Flaco "thinking about" practical matters, meetings, backgrounds of people and situations which then [2] build up to vividly described, dangerous and violent action sequences until those resolve...before building back up. In this way the reader gets allot of background & explanation about the lifestyle of bikers, protocols within their clubs as well as how law enforcement handles things.At book's end, I came away with a good sense of what the cases he pursued were about as well as a much better understanding of the biker world, it's overall structure, member initiation, ranking, patching and affiliations procedures and protocols.I want to note that I also read reviews that angrily refute Flaco's accounts of some of the persons and incidents he describes, including the 'justice driven,' highly ethical nature of Flaco's reasoning for going undercover. Or, at least, continuing to work undercover, his initial reason was not wanting to serve 26 years in prison for selling drugs. I don't know this man. Nor do I know anyone involved in any of it. Personally, I give all parties involved their due. This review is not about the cases or the people involved in cases Flaco worked on. The world of gangs and informants is a complex one, to be sure.What I want to share about the book, is that I found it to be an entertaining way to get allot of basic information about the subjects of gangs, informants and law enforcement..

(As posted in Goodreads)I started read – reading this on Kindle back in May, and I read the first two thirds or so of it. It was a whole section of the Vagos, and it was exciting, intriguing, scary, and a little bit sad. When I finished that section, I thought I was done with the book, but then I got into section 2…By that point, I could no longer read it, so I switched to the Audio Audible in order to listen to the rest.The tone kind of changed at that point, and although it was still interesting, somehow I didn't feel as connected. It was still a good book, but I am definitely glad that I could listen to the end instead of continuing to actually read.I am starting to reconsider a former workmate and friend who was very involved in motorcycles and a motorcycle club back in the late '80s. I do wonder whether his motorcycling was at all involved in any of the illegalities and violence… I know that being a motorcyclists did not necessarily imply that one was involved in gangs by definition, but I do know how close "Snoopy" was to his group, and I know that he communicated and recreated regularly with them.Just a thought…

Very good and informative book. Blown away with the locations named are all in my back yar. A basic story I knew but not in this detali.

Not a bad story. Some of the writing is a bit over the top for the "shock" and "entertainment" value, however the story is still a good one. One of the better books out on OMG's and how they go about their side businesses. I recommend it for anyone how enjoys true crime books.

First off, I read about 4 books per year. Not a lot, but more than the average adult.Saw this book on the news while watching "The Following". I live in Socal, in the Inland Empire, and I encounter Vagos on a weekly/monthly basis. I think this book was extremely accurate, and entertaining. This is an extremely easy read. Which I believe, Falco was going for, I don't believe he was trying to make a Catcher in the Rye about motorcycle gangs.So take the hateful reviewers with a grain of salt. For all people who are fascinated by motorcycle gang life, this is a great book. It gives you a really good idea of what undercover work is like as well, extremely stressful!Many moments while reading this book I found myself laughing out loud or cringing. If you are an avid reader, reading a book a month, don't buy this book. This is a very basic outline of a Rico Case against a motorcycle gang, it's not meant to change your life or bring you into another dimension of serenity. It's a book about gang violence and undercover work.Let me tell you as an Inland Empire resident who moved from Orange County CA - This level of violence really happens, and it happens right out in the open most of the time. The fact that this gang tried to blow up a police station by re-routing the gas lines into their office shows you how ruthless and crazy these people are. And for that reason - I feel this book was worth the money, and was very entertaining.Hope this review helped you in making your purchase.

Both book and series are about undercover agents infiltrating motorcycle clubs. Series are, so to say, improvisation about main real life events and persons. Series has events not described in the book and vice versa. Good read, but you will not find answer to the most asked question - how results of the lie detector came out (that's where the Season 2 ends)...Will recommend to the person who is interested in the real story and how the story ends in the real life.

Absolutely loved every word in this book

Ótimo livro. Minha crítica vai apenas para o material físico; da capa mais especificamente. O papel que a capa é feita quase não tem diferença do papel no qual a narrativa é escrita. Super mole, perde a cor e rasga com facilidade. O ideal é obter a versão de capa dura ou mandar encapar o livro em uma papelaria.

EXCELENTE COMPRA!! QUIERO MÁS LIBROS ASÍ!! MANDENEME TÍTULOS.ME INTERESA MUCHO ESTE TIPO DE LITERATURA NO LE HACE QUE ESTE EN INGLES

Very interesting read to get inside a true crime situation. Some rather boastful and not so well written sections, but overall I highly recommend it if you are fascinated with biker culture and don't want to get close to experience it yourself.