{"product_id":"9780312667771","title":"Murder for Hire : My Life As the Country's Most Successful Undercover Agent","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eMurder for Hire\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Jack Ballentine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter joining the Phoenix Police Department in 1978, Jack Ballentine quickly rose to the top as one of the nation's most successful undercover operatives.  His specialty: posing as a hit man.  Ballentine led a schizophrenic life, changing assumed identities at the drop of a hat as he developed a network in the criminal underworld and was \"hired\" to kill business partners, spouses, or, in one case, a couple's son.  In twenty-four cases, he produced a 100 percent conviction rate on murder conspiracy charges.  \u003ci\u003eMurder For Hire \u003c\/i\u003edetails his most shocking assignments while also showing how he balanced his touch-and-tumble assignments with the demands of his personal life as he built a family with his new stepson.  Ballentine's story is a gritty and revealing look at how law enforcement delves into the heart of the criminal world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Jack Ballentine is a force to be reckoned with. \u003ci\u003eMurder for Hire \u003c\/i\u003edelves into the seedy netherworld of murder for hire, close scrapes, and life under cover. A fascinating read.” —\u003ci\u003eKerrie Droban, author of Running with the Devil: The True Story of the ATF's Inflitration of the Hells Angels\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“He effectively captures the violence and degradation of underclass criminality, where the lives of drug dealers, bikers, white supremacists, prostitutes, strippers and career criminals intersect.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A unique look at how law enforcement delves into the heart of the criminal world.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Arizona Law Channel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A fascinating close-up of the criminal world.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An undercover cop's raw voice, filled with outrage and sometimes humor, with the kind of details that can't be made up . . . A fascinating close-up of the criminal world.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780312667771\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"St. Martin's Griffin","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40631361110222,"sku":"9780312667771","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_559eb1d9-bdf5-4901-8df9-e0a63b4eab46.jpg?v=1638842896","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780312667771","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}