Donny: An undercover cop with a deathwish

by Todd Maguire

349 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 7, 2026

Reviews

[Roxanne McCarty-O'Kane]

Todd spent 27 years with the Queensland Police Service as a Detective, working across undercover operations, major criminal investigations, tactical response, counter‑terrorism and bomb detection. His career record reads like a veritable true crime book, but this book is far more personal.
As Todd says, it’s a book that doesn’t pretend to fix your life in five steps, but tells the truth about what happens when things fall apart, and how you find a way to keep going.

[Robert Smith]

Donny hit harder than I expected. Todd Maguire doesn’t just tell a story about undercover police work he opens up about grief, guilt, addiction, and survival in a brutally honest way. Chapter One alone gives such a powerful foundation to who he is and where his resilience comes from. The stories about his grandfather and family legacy added real emotional depth before the chaos of Donny Wilson even begins. Raw, confronting, and impossible to put down.

[Mary Wheless]

This book feels less like a polished memoir and more like someone finally telling the truth.
The family history in Chapter One gives the story real soul and makes Todd’s downward spiral even more heartbreaking.
If you enjoy true crime mixed with emotional honesty, this is worth reading.

[Tracy McRae]

I love it

[Darryl Stewart]

A gripping and deeply personal memoir that feels painfully real. The mix of heartbreak, humour, and dangerous undercover work kept me hooked from the first chapter.