‘Four million quid. There it was, inches away from me on a hotel table. Not in conventional currency, but in the world’s deadliest commodity. Heroin.’As part of Scotland Yard’s undercover team, it was Peter Bleksley’s job to infiltrate some of the capital’s most dangerous gangs and bring them down. For ten years, he went deeper into the criminal underworld than any cop had before him.Meeting with dealers, gangland leaders and members of the IRA and the Mafia, he lived the life of the Great Pretender, constantly changing his identity to ensure his cover was never blown.Whilst undeniably thrilling work at times, it came at a heavy price. The more successful he was at bringing criminals to justice, the longer the list of those who wanted revenge became. Even now, Peter looks over his shoulder in case someone should wish to act on an old threat.In The Gangbuster, Bleksley draws us into the world of drugs, violence and covert operations he inhabited for so long in the pursuit of justice.Now a renowned policing and crime expert seen on the BBC and as the Chief on Channel 4’s Hunted, Peter Bleksley reputation still precedes him the world over.
A fairly interesting "chat" with a British undercover officer. It briefly covers many topics at a nice pace that's easy to digest but I think a bit more emphasis on his weaknesses would have been welcome. Let's see what the stress of the job done to him at his worst and let's discuss that with the focus as his daring exploits on the job. A bit more candid, apologetic writing would have made a real difference here towards the end. The final chapter alluded to this direction but I feel it was too brief to give the balance that the book needs.
I’ve really enjoyed Bleksley’s accounts of his work with the police and this is the third I’ve read. It gives a real insight into undercover policing but I found this book a bit of a slog as he spends a lot of it talking about how he is the best police officer the world has ever seen. A lot of arrogance which detracted from my enjoyment. This was disappointing but the content saved this book.
A fun romp through the world of drug dealing London, not exactly well-written or fully coherent -- there's a lot I would have improved if I was ghost writing this -- but still an enjoyable read.