Murder for Hire: My Life As the Country's Most Successful Undercover Agent

Murder for Hire: My Life As the Country's Most Successful Undercover Agent
ISBN-10
1429968850
ISBN-13
9781429968850
Category
True Crime
Pages
320
Language
English
Published
2009-06-09
Publisher
Macmillan
Author
Jack Ballentine

Description

Jack Ballentine became a Phoenix police officer in 1978 and quickly rose to the top as one of the world's most successful undercover operatives. His specialty: posing as an undercover hit man. None of the people who hired him had any inkling that he was actually a cop, and his work led to a perfect rate of twenty-four convictions out of twenty-four indictments on murder conspiracy charges. Murder for Hire is Ballentine's story. He worked with criminals of all sorts, from vengeful spouses and partners to the criminally insane, all who had one thing in common: the desire to have someone killed. Ballentine could change his character at the drop of a hat, often imitating characters and "bad guys" from television and movies. In assuming an alternate identity and developing a reputation among the Phoenix underground---bikers, strippers, junkies, and thugs---he developed an intricate network of sources who fed him work and kept him extremely busy. All the while, the author strove for the semblance of a normal life and balanced his rough-and-tumble career with a new wife and stepson. His story is a unique look at how law enforcement delves into the heart of the criminal world.

Other editions

Similar books

  • The Enforcer: A Life Fighting Crime
    By Graeme Pearson

    We arrived to find the shop owner had three trusted staff who had worked with him for a number of years. The four staff dispensed loans from behind a ...

  • Silent Death: The Killing of Julie Ramage
    By Karen Kissane

    At 12.10 pm, Juliedropped by Warren's office and said, 'I didn't have any breakfast and I'm ... Warren wason the phone;she said briefly, 'No worries.

  • Goat Castle: A True Story of Murder, Race, and the Gothic South
    By Karen L. Cox

    There, Charles became the rector of St. James Church in Port Gibson, a small town about halfway between Natchez and Vicksburg. Why he left after serving Christ Church for nearly three decades is a mystery, though his marriage to a ...

  • Texas Lawmen, 1835-1899: The Good and the Bad
    By Clifford R. Caldwell, Ron DeLord

    A 04 - Cherry Wesley 34-W: 18 11, D. 19 - Christian, James Ineligible 22, D, 14 - Clark. Alvin A. On File 21, A, 13 - Clark. David Ineligible 26. A 12 - Clark. William A. 59–E: 25 19, D, 16 - Clendennen, Robert Ned 45–W: 24 09, D 09 ll.

  • Poisoned Vows
    By Clifford L. Linedecker

    There was no sign in the house of the $10,000 Clark had withdrawn from the credit union the previous day or of his billfold with the $500 to $600 pocket money he usually carried around with him. Two rings he wore were still on his ...

  • Smooth Operator: The True Story of Seductive Serial Killer Glen Rogers
    By Clifford L. Linedecker

    Rogers spent the night at the Clark County Detention Center, and was released the next afternoon. ... The white 1979 Mercury was owned by Russell E. Wright of Hamilton and still carried the Ohio license tags when the officers spotted it ...

  • Monster
    By Allan Hall

    Including exclusive photographs and previously unseen evidence, this is a truly heart-stopping record of one of the most elaborate and disturbing cases of abuse in modern times.

  • Missy's Murder: Passion, Betrayal, and Murder in Southern California
    By Karen Kingsbury

    Three years later, a surprise witness exposed the murderers as Missy’s two best friends—one of whom was Karen. New York Times–bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delivers a story full of twists, turns, betrayals, and confessions.

  • Deep Deception: The relentless investigation to bring George Gibney, Derry O’Rourke, Ger Doyle and other abusers to justice
    By Justine McCarthy

    Linda Jones of Howard House, a child abuse therapy centre in north London, has described organised networks as working 'in cells, like terrorist cells. No paedophile who is linked knows of more than one other, so they'll use a child, ...

  • Buckinghamshire Murders
    By Dr Jonathan Oates

    Hatto had earlier worked for Mr Plummer of Gray's, near Henley. The farmhouse was a modern brick building and was located on the site of the ancient Abbey Farm, having been rebuilt for John Pocock (now deceased) some years previously.