Undercover: Operation Julie - The Inside Story

This was a great book. It was interesting to have insight from a different point of view. Understanding the strain, that basically living a second life, can put on you is enlightening. What he went through and how he recovered from it made it a good story.

I love accounts of undercover work and this book is no different. The author's writing style is easy to get into and easy to keep reading. I was fascinated by the twists and turns and enjoyed reading the author's view on various people involved. The theme of these books is often the same - undercover detectives make enormous sacrifices that often have implications for years to come in their personal lives. I can't imagine what it must be like to live with the knowledge that you could be uncovered at any moment. For anyone else who enjoys true crime stories and getting the inside scoop on these real-life events, you should definitely get this book. The author has managed to share the story in a very un-preachy fashion, which I loved. I received an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Compelling insight to the life, mental make-up and identity confusion of someone deep under cover. Interesting how those in command have no idea
the strain of being undercover and therefore do not provide back-up often necessary. I admire the ability and suffering it takes to readjust to normal life after a long period pretending to be someone else in a way your life depends on it. A job that test your skills and mental fortitude on an hourly basis is exciting reading. I like stories of pushing the limits. A very enjoyable book.

Steven Bentley certainly provides a compelling depiction of not only one of the largest drug busts in history, but of the LSD manufacturing and trade in general. Bentley and his partner bravely fight against the drug underworld, police corruption, greed and against their own addictions culminating from the necessity to partake in what they are working so hard to put an end to. The need to step over the line in order to infiltrate the drug gangs, to be part of that world, in order to bring them down, and the resulting fall out, often glossed over or at best romanticized. Not here – Bentley takes it head on, in a realistic portrayal of what that life must be like. Bentley does a great job of laying blame for his addictions where it is due and accepting his own responsibility for the situations without accusations yet shedding light on the incredible toll life undercover extracts, the inevitable crash after the high – in this case the bust.
He demonstrates how essential his work and that of others like him is in the fight to control the manufacturing and distribution of dangerous substances. The book digs into the human physiology of drug interactions, how distribution and smuggling operations are established. All the while he is struggling to maintain his own equilibrium, his personal life, his own since of right and wrong, and find his way back ‘out’ in the end.
I found it a fascinating, straightforward, honest account of an insider who was in truth an outsider. It’s a tale of outrageous greed, lust, violence and the bravery of a few men who had an admirable goal and how they managed it. An insider’s perspective of the LSD trade, told with charm, intelligence, and at times, humor, by a talented man, uniquely qualified to dish the real story, who above all was an honest decent man. Just a plain good read.
I received an advance review copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This unflinching memoir by Stephen Bentley opens up a world of drugs, crime, passion, and fear in a way that no other book has ever been able to do: because it's true. It's fascinating to wander through his life, as though perched on his shoulder, and it's astounding to believe that the events that unfold actually happened. Bentley's sympathetic and yet tough view on those that he met and the people that both helped and hindered him is gripping, and his narrative sweep can sometimes make you forget that this is fact, not fiction. As a lover of crime drama, it's astonishing to see just what is correct and completely missguided when it comes to the outside world, and I look forward to reading more from Bentley - surely there is more to come?