RatSnakes
Cheating Death by Living A Lie: Inside the Explosive World of ATF's Undercover Agents and How We Changed the Game
by Vincent A. Cefalu
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date May 28 2019 | Archive Date Jun 10 2019
Talking about this book? Use #RatSnakes #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
RatSnakes are rarely, if ever, visible to the public they move among and risk their lives to protect. In fact, thanks to their cover personas, they're often assumed to be members of the clandestine criminal world they investigate. Real-life undercover work is a far cry from the sexy, candy-colored world you've seen in Hollywood movies. Only those strong and clever enough get inside and survive.
Vincent A. Cefalu would know. He spent 30 years as an ATF undercover operative, in assignments ranging from the Symbionese Liberation Army to Asian organized crime. He has infiltrated notorious outlaw motorcycle gangs as well as splinter groups of the Ku Klux Klan, and in RatSnakes he provides a transparent look at the organization and the operatives with whom he risked his life.
Part field guide, part heart-pounding thrill-ride, Cefalu takes readers on a tour of what it's like to confront death on a daily basis. En route, he gives us a look at the on-the-job techniques of kicking in doors, orchestrating "street theater" to ensnare criminals, and making high-stakes gun buys. His irreverent, explicit stories from the inside are a mix of danger and unexpected hilarity that will have readers laughing one minute and then biting their nails when things break bad.
Immersive and brutal, RatSnakes offers an in-depth and eye-opening look into the lives of an elite group of men and women who volunteer to do things most couldn't and wouldn't stomach. Civilians with common sense and good judgment run from danger, while RatSnakes sprint toward it—smiling.
A Note From the Publisher
This title is only available in PDF format at this time. We will upload .mobi and .epub files when available.
Advance Praise
“The LE Undercover community is limited to those who are born with the ability to take on some of the most dangerous, 'up close and personal' assignments. In that select group, Vince Cefalu is one who stands out because of his bravery and his ability to walk undetected among the most hardened criminals. A real badass who I'm proud to call my friend.” —Joaquin “Jack” Garcia, former undercover FBI agent and New York Times bestselling author of Making Jack Falcone
“Cefalu bares all and lays out the gritty and true life of an undercover agent and the workings of the ATF. A must-read for law enforcement and the public.” —Joe Pistone, former undercover FBI agent, alias “Donnie Brasco”
“Vincent Cefalu is the real deal. In RatSnakes, he takes us on a wild ride through his dark world of paranoia, danger, fear, hard-living, hard drinking and the chase. In the end, it’s a gripping story revealing how some of our most effective federal undercover agents earn their chops, make their living and work to protect their fellow Americans in ways that usually go unrecognized.” —Sharyl Attkisson, investigative correspondent
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781946885968 |
| PRICE | $24.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 336 |
Links
Featured Reviews
Cindy R, Reviewer
I wanted to read this book because of the title and description. I kind of had in mind that it would be a procedural book....maybe describe a few cases.
Instead I learned a whole bunch about ATF agents in general. History of the ATF ( I had no clue how it all began ), and a pretty deep appreciation for the work these agents do. There is some about poor choices, illegal activity and outright corruption regarding the upper echelon of the ATF, which did result in a whistleblower lawsuit, but primarily this book contains snippets of what these agents do everyday.
I feel like I learned enough to appreciate how difficult it was to hide those first recorder devices ( OMG ), how easily a thing can go wrong and how these agents must be able to think fast. This book does not give away any secrets of how an agent does his job...except in the most basic way ( how much planning, coordination and so on.)
I know the next time I see a guy that looks like a potential outlaw at my grocery store....I am going to be thinking...I wonder if he his ATF?
Pretty good book
Randal W, Reviewer
RatSnakes....the name given to undercover ATF agents. The author served as a RatSnake for over twenty years. This book is his story, and the story of other undercover ATF agents he served with.
The book is a fast read. I found it very hard to put down. The stories Cefalu tells, and the situations he and his fellow officers experienced, were fascinating to me.
The author was a man of many faces. One day he could be an outlaw biker, the next a drug dealer. How he pulled them off is a great story! Danger, paranoia, fear, hard drinking, fast living, it's all here. He describes a multitude of cases he worked, and they were all interesting.
Cefalu chose to remain an undercover for his entire career. His disdain for his "higher-ups" is palpable, to put it mildly. In my own law-enforcement career, I had many friends who stayed "in the trenches", who did not want to be promoted. And I saw their contempt for those who worked in the "puzzle palace" (DC). I chose to advance in my career, and got to experience the world through the eyes of those in the puzzle palace. And I witnessed some of the same antics that Cefalu experienced. People who would sell their souls for that next promotion. And who would screw over anyone who got in their way. I worked hard to maintain my appreciation for those who were on the front line. I hope that I succeeded, at least I know that I can sleep at night knowing that I did not become one of "them".
The beginning of the book was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading the case that Cefalu worked. Towards the middle of the book, I grew rather frustrated and weary of the author's disdain for his "superiors". It really got old. But, by the end of the book, I could see the author's motivation. You could see his sense of duty, and of doing the right thing. I was left with the impression that he was a good man, put into some very bad situations, and came out with his honor intact. And that is a successful life.
I wish him well in his retirement. And salute him for his sacrifices and service.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
