Gods of Mischief: My Undercover Vendetta to Take Down the Vagos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang

In this roughhewn memoir, one-time meth dealer and reformed felon George Rowe describes his undercover mission to infiltrate the notorious Vagos motorcycle gang. When Rowe walked into an ATF field office in March 2003, he was looking for revenge. A good friend had vanished after a clash with the Vagos, and Rowe figured that the body was in a hole somewhere in the Mojave Desert. This began a three-year odyssey for Rowe as he rode and fought with the Vagos, while at the same time gathering evidence that would put his “brothers” away. Rowe describes his Vagos adventures in bawdy, profanity-laced prose that suits the topic. At times his macho posturing becomes hard to bear—he beats up pretty much everyone who crosses him, and is apparently irresistible to women—yet he also writes with candor about his substance abuse, racism, and bad decisions, including a 22-year-old heroin-addict girlfriend. The depiction of the troubled relationship lends unusual depth to what could have been a boilerplate tough-guy memoir. After warrants are served and doors kicked in, Rowe ends up in the witness protection program with a newborn son to care for. While he seems to have found some peace with his decision, almost all of the Vagos he put away ended up back on the street. (Feb.)