Overview

"Get ready to infiltrate the dangerous, secret world of criminals and cover identities by way of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), where the world's greatest undercover agents are known as RatSnakes. RatSnakes are rarely, if ever, visible to the public that they move among and risk their lives to protect. In fact, thanks to their cover personas, they are often assumed to be members of the clandestine criminal world that they investigate. Real-life undercover work is a far cry from the sexy, candy-colored world seen in Hollywood movies. Only those who are strong and clever enough will get inside and survive. Vincent A. Cefalu would know. He spent thirty 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. 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, RatSnakes takes listeners on a tour of what it's like to confront death on a daily basis. En route, Cefalu 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 listeners 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."

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9781982683702

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Reviews

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 author of Making Jack Falcone 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 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 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 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 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 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 author of Making Jack Falcone 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

Author Information

"Vincent A. Cefalu was born and raised just north of San Francisco in Marin County, California. After a troubled youth and lackluster academic performance, he enlisted in the US Marines, where he spent six years in the military police and ultimately served in a classified Special Operations unit. The hook was set. Continuing to pursue his law enforcement career, he joined the Athens, Georgia, Police Department while finishing his bachelor's degree in criminal justice in hopes of securing a position in federal law enforcement. After being hired by and spending a couple years with the US Customs Service chasing drug smugglers in south Florida, Vince had a life-changing experience with some very scary ATF special agents, and, as they say, ""the rest is history."" Vince had found a home. Later, earning a master's degree in the psychological sciences, Vince's trajectory took him into the shadows of undercover work, SRT (special response team member and hostage negotiations). Tom Taylorson is an Earphones Award-winning narrator and Chicago-based actor with over a decade of stage experience. In that time he also built a voice-over career and now primarily works as a voice actor. Tom is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia College Chicago, teaching voice-over for interactive media."

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