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The Gangbuster
"Four million quid. There it was, inches away from me on a hotel table. Not in conventional currency, but in the world’s deadliest commodity. Heroin."
As part of Scotland Yard’s undercover team, it was Peter Bleksley’s job to infiltrate some of the capital’s most dangerous gangs and bring them down. For 10 years, he went deeper into the criminal underworld than any cop had before him. Meeting with dealers, gangland leaders, and members of the IRA and the Mafia, he lived the life of the Great Pretender, constantly changing his identity to ensure his cover was never blown. While undeniably thrilling work at times, it came at a heavy price. The more successful he was at bringing criminals to justice, the longer the list of those who wanted revenge became. Even now, Peter looks over his shoulder in case someone should wish to act on an old threat. In The Gangbuster , Bleksley draws us into the world of drugs, violence, and covert operations he inhabited for so long in the pursuit of justice.
As part of Scotland Yard’s undercover team, it was Peter Bleksley’s job to infiltrate some of the capital’s most dangerous gangs and bring them down. For 10 years, he went deeper into the criminal underworld than any cop had before him. Meeting with dealers, gangland leaders, and members of the IRA and the Mafia, he lived the life of the Great Pretender, constantly changing his identity to ensure his cover was never blown. While undeniably thrilling work at times, it came at a heavy price. The more successful he was at bringing criminals to justice, the longer the list of those who wanted revenge became. Even now, Peter looks over his shoulder in case someone should wish to act on an old threat. In The Gangbuster , Bleksley draws us into the world of drugs, violence, and covert operations he inhabited for so long in the pursuit of justice.
288 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2017
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 29, 2018
A fascinating peak into the goings on of someone who literally put his life on the line to foil the bad guys. A very, very interesting book indeed.
August 19, 2023
When you finally get to the end - if you get that far - you find out that Bleksley didn't leave the force in quite the way he would have wished (that's as much as I can say without spoilers). This does give you some understanding why, throughout much of the book, he spoils what could be interesting anecdotes and narrative with stupid macho boasts and posturing. This is probably demonstrated best in the chapter "Sleeping With The Enemy":
"I didn't know anything in the police manuals which prohibited a good shag with a tasty bird."
"I didn't feel they needed to know we'd been at it all night in more positions than the Karma Sutra or that she had kept herself fuelled up on crack."
He's like an 1970s caricature of a man or the type of bad-boy cop a 13 year old middle ability boy would make up in their creative writing in class.
It really is a shame because, had he affected a more intelligent tone, then he really does have an interesting story to tell. Whoever assisted with the writing or ghost-wrote the book for him has a lot to answer for. Sensitively handled, the juxtaposition between the brave exploits undercover, and the human being of Peter who was suffering from the stress of the job could have been really interesting. As it stands, he just comes across as a bit of a knob.
"I didn't know anything in the police manuals which prohibited a good shag with a tasty bird."
"I didn't feel they needed to know we'd been at it all night in more positions than the Karma Sutra or that she had kept herself fuelled up on crack."
He's like an 1970s caricature of a man or the type of bad-boy cop a 13 year old middle ability boy would make up in their creative writing in class.
It really is a shame because, had he affected a more intelligent tone, then he really does have an interesting story to tell. Whoever assisted with the writing or ghost-wrote the book for him has a lot to answer for. Sensitively handled, the juxtaposition between the brave exploits undercover, and the human being of Peter who was suffering from the stress of the job could have been really interesting. As it stands, he just comes across as a bit of a knob.
August 7, 2022
This took me forever to read because frankly it just wasn’t that good. It wasn’t very well written and felt very disjointed. Like lots of little very short stories that had no flow and didn’t connect. I was in the police myself and tbh I found this bloke to be both arrogant and sexist in equal measure with a total disrespect for women.
It was not something I would recommend to anyone tbh. I’ve read many police style books telling tales of the job and none were as long winded as this. It had its moments that made me chuckle at policing as it once was and things that went on I know to be true but all in all it was just a badly written novel by a very arrogant male to me. Sorry but I wouldn’t recommend.
It was not something I would recommend to anyone tbh. I’ve read many police style books telling tales of the job and none were as long winded as this. It had its moments that made me chuckle at policing as it once was and things that went on I know to be true but all in all it was just a badly written novel by a very arrogant male to me. Sorry but I wouldn’t recommend.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews