This was a fun read in addition to being informative. I was in need of some nonfiction research materials regarding undercover police work and illicit narcotic distribution, and Stephen Bentley delivers the goods in his book. It offers personal accounts of the happenings in his life on both sides of the veil, knee deep in underground drug culture, and the burden he carries home when he gets to go home at all. It’s a firsthand account from a former detective who’s been there and done that. It’s a smooth and fast read that I delighted in for it’s factual depiction, and the various touches of personal charm.

Once I had started turning pages, I knew I couldn’t skim through it. Bentley weaves his story with the qualities and personal defects of a person all too relatable, and for such quality, I felt compelled to go cover to cover where I had initially sought a handful of facts and observations. I feel it provided me what I was looking for and more. The people he examines are real, and they’re fleshed out as real people. I especially appreciated the scene where Bentley is revealed to a drug dealer in a jail cell, as it was a moment that struck me as significant as people relate to one another in the midst of deception.

With his background in mind, I’m looking forward to exploring Bentley’s crime fiction.