Audiobook12 hours
No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels
Written by Jay Dobyns and Nils Johnson-Shelton
Narrated by Mel Foster
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
Getting shot in the chest as a rookie ATF agent, bartering for machine guns, throttling down the highway at 100 miles per hour, and responding to a full-scale, bloody riot between the Hells Angels and their rivals, the Mongols-these are just a few of the high-adrenaline experiences Jay Dobyns recounts in this action-packed, hard to imagine, but true story of how he infiltrated the legendary Hells Angels.
Dobyns leaves no stone of his harrowing journey unturned. At runs and clubhouses, between rides and riots, Dobyns befriends bad-ass bikers, meth-fueled "old ladies," gun fetishists, psycho-killer ex-cons, and even some of the "Filthy Few"-the elite of the Hells Angels who've committed extreme violence on behalf of their club. Eventually, at parties staged behind heavily armed security, he meets legendary club members such as Chuck Zito, Johnny Angel, and the godfather of all bikers, Ralph "Sonny" Barger. To blend in with them, he gets full-arm ink; to win their respect, he vows to prove himself a stone-cold killer.
Hardest of all is leading a double life, which has him torn between his devotion to his wife and children and his pledge to become the first federal agent ever to be "fully patched" into the Angels' near-impregnable ranks. His act is so convincing that he comes within a hairsbreadth of losing himself. Eventually, he realizes that just as he's been infiltrating the Hells Angels, they've been infiltrating him. And just as they're not all bad, he's not all good.
Reminiscent of Donnie Brasco's uncovering of the true Mafia, this is an eye-opening portrait of the world of bikers-the most in-depth since Hunter Thompson's seminal work-one that fully describes the seductive lure criminal camaraderie has for men who would otherwise be powerless outsiders. Here is all the nihilism, hate, and intimidation, but also the freedom-and, yes, brotherhood-of the only truly American form of organized crime.
Dobyns leaves no stone of his harrowing journey unturned. At runs and clubhouses, between rides and riots, Dobyns befriends bad-ass bikers, meth-fueled "old ladies," gun fetishists, psycho-killer ex-cons, and even some of the "Filthy Few"-the elite of the Hells Angels who've committed extreme violence on behalf of their club. Eventually, at parties staged behind heavily armed security, he meets legendary club members such as Chuck Zito, Johnny Angel, and the godfather of all bikers, Ralph "Sonny" Barger. To blend in with them, he gets full-arm ink; to win their respect, he vows to prove himself a stone-cold killer.
Hardest of all is leading a double life, which has him torn between his devotion to his wife and children and his pledge to become the first federal agent ever to be "fully patched" into the Angels' near-impregnable ranks. His act is so convincing that he comes within a hairsbreadth of losing himself. Eventually, he realizes that just as he's been infiltrating the Hells Angels, they've been infiltrating him. And just as they're not all bad, he's not all good.
Reminiscent of Donnie Brasco's uncovering of the true Mafia, this is an eye-opening portrait of the world of bikers-the most in-depth since Hunter Thompson's seminal work-one that fully describes the seductive lure criminal camaraderie has for men who would otherwise be powerless outsiders. Here is all the nihilism, hate, and intimidation, but also the freedom-and, yes, brotherhood-of the only truly American form of organized crime.
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Reviews for No Angel
Rating: 3.843023264534884 out of 5 stars
4/5
172 ratings10 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5When are these audio books producers going to realize that monotone voice actors with one voice for all ruins the book. Now I gotta read this thing myself.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I don't think there was one chapter that played till end on the audio version.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Definitely a page-turner; kind of a bummer of an ending but that's how it goes I guess. IIWII as he might say. Definitely for true crime fans and readers of off-beat memoir. Rough and tumble, lots of swears and a ride on the seamy side of American life.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really enjoyed this book. A detailed descent into the dark world of biker gangs and the appalling actions committed by them. Jay Dobyns infiltration into the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club reads like a kick to the teeth and leaves you thoroughly convinced that you could not do the same and live.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The writers of Sons of Anarchy directly used some of the characters from this book. The Hells Angels look like a bunch of bungling bandits in this memoir from an ATF agent who infiltrated the biker gang.
The agent puffs himself up to be awesome but you never feel like you are really inside of it all. It's mostly a tale of how the agent lost himself in the world of undercover policing and Serpico was so much better for that kind of tale. The agent, Jay, is self important and at the end of it, I had no empathy for his job or what he did. Just another glory hound living on tales from the past under the guise of a patriotic cop...blah.
Although they got a lot of guns and a few drugs and touched lightly on the seedy parts of that world, watch Sons of Anarchy if you want to feel like you are more in depth. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I found this to be tough and sometimes boring reading. Hells Angels are not people one wants to know, and this book purports to quote them and the author with all expletives undeleted, which makes the book a chore to read. It is exciting at times and one can appreciate the tremendous prsessue undercover agents go through--and be surprised that they are able to infiltrate into an organization such as Hells Angels. I confess I am glad to be done reading the book, depicting as it does so many characters which I would have no desire to know.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A fascinating book about an ATF agent's inflitration of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Not for the squemish--especially the language. An honest look at this organization and the toll taken on dedicated federal agents.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I had no idea what to expect when I opened the cover of “No Angel”. Not my typical book but I like branching out now and then, reading something different and the topic of undercover work sounded intriguing. Jay Dobyns is an undercover ATF Special Agent and he transitions from an all American College Football player to a tattooed Harley riding Hells Angel as he attempts to infiltrate the notorious gang turned crime syndicate. You have to wonder it Byrd (Jay’s nickname) didn’t have the luck of becoming a policeman if he would have ended up as a Harley riding gangster on his own. He almost seems to good to be true in the book as he is constantly put in front of drugs and woman and he always seems to know exactly where to draw the line. It makes you wonder if there were not a few facts left out here and there ensuring that he kept his reputation intact and his marriage sound. Still, I have to admire a man who places himself into this kind of situational danger in order to keep the rest of us in our cocoons of perceived safety. The make up of a man who can portray himself as one thing while constantly keeping his head around who he really is in order to catch the bad guys. Ironically other than the massive amounts of guns that seem to exchange hands there doesn’t seem to be a lot of violent activity in the book. There is one episode in Las Vegas where a big tussle happened between the Mogules (a rival bike gang) and the Hell’s Angels that ended badly but other than that there are probably guys living in your neighborhood who are doing things worse than watching these elderly men drink themselves silly acting like they own the world only to fall into bed in their respective trailer parks. My guess is that is why in the end it was so difficult to follow through on a legitimate prosecution and so few arrests stuck from the massive investigation that took place. Even with the lack of results one can never question the heroics it takes to do this type of work. I get nervous speaking in front of a small crowd. There is no way that I could ever place myself into some of the mortal situations that Byrd got into. In the end the story is told in the form of a book and for me unfortunately it was choppily written and failed to capture my interest. It wasn’t boring but it lacked any type of magnetic draw. I have a tattoo but didn’t understand Byrd’s obsession with them as he continually mentions getting sleeved and the process he underwent. The only touching part was the balance he attempted in keeping his head together with his family as he continually went back and forth from being a dad to being an intimidating Harley riding Angel wannabe. If you are interested in the make up of the Hell’s Angels in AZ and the inner workings of undercover work then I would suggest reading through this book. Go in with average expectations and you will not be disappointed. If you do not have a keen interest in this specific topic then I would suggest passing. You will get a little bored trudging through the word choice and lack of fluidity.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A man gets torn trying to figure out who is. In order to become a good undercover agent, Jay Dobyns must fully believe in the "part" he is trying to play as a Hells Angel. Part of this is leaving family and friends behind. Challenging him, and looking for that next adrenaline rush...without breaking the law that he is sworn to uphold. A great insight into the struggle of letting your work overtake yur life on a level that most of us will never understand.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Undercover police officer, Jay Dobyns, tells of his infiltration of the Hells Angels in an attempt to collect enough evidence to imprison some key leaders. This two-year federal investigation requires Jay to completely immerse himself in the HA culture, seamy as it may be. This was not very pleasant reading for me. Even Jay was not a sympathetic player--he was far too willing to be sucked in; and to be impressed with the HA big-wigs. The way they live, the way they treat their women, the violence they perpetrate just for fun, the laws they break just because they can--none of this held any interest for me!