From Dobyns, the first federal agent to infiltrate the inner circle of the outlaw Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, comes the inside story of the 21-month operation that almost cost him his family, his sanity, and his life.

Reviews

In this white-knuckler, ATF agent Dobyns infiltrates a chapter of the Hells Angels to show that, aside from much of the romance surrounding the group, it is indeed a violent gang. His investigations lead him through a fascinating cast of crystal meth-heads, gun runners, gang rapists and frauds. Dobyns and co-writer John-son-Shelton tell a bracing story in straightforward prose that doesn't dilute any aspect of the toll his undercover act (a sprawling long-term investigation that penetrated deeper into the gang than any other) took on his life. A family guy who frequently finds himself taking calls from his worried wife while in the middle of an operation, Dobyns is brutally honest about how far his assignment takes him into the dark side and leaves the impression at the end that it's highly unlikely he will ever be able to totally return to undercover work (Hunter S. Thompson was beaten up while writing his 1967 take on the gang in Hell's Angels). From the medieval desert clan gatherings to breakneck-paced highway odysseys and high-noon showdowns, this is the real deal from an agent whose knack for the job and ability to transform it into elucidating reading recalls the story of Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco. (Feb.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"Compulsively page-turning. The true story of Jay Dobyns, all-American dad and undercover cop running and gunning with the most dangerous outlaws in the USA. A high-velocity trip into a frightening American underworld told in rapid-fire, hard-boiled prose."
--Evan Wright, author of the national bestseller "Generation Kill"
""No Angel" pushes narrative nonfiction to new limits...If you wondered whether the bravura writing of Truman Capote and Hunter S. Thompson has a legacy, look no further. Dobyns leads us into the wacky, white world of the Hell's Angels, and with empathy and precision forces us to admit that bikers are all-too human."
--Sudhir Venkatesh, author of "Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets"
"Jay Dobyns is a hero. Out of a sense of duty, he closed his eyes and made a journey into Hell. For two years he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, but thankfully, he lived to tell this riveting story. Highly recommended!"