Riding with Evil: Taking Down the Notorious Pagan Motorcycle Gang

Written by Ken Croke and Dave Wedge

Narrated by Will Damron

Sons of Anarchy meets The Departed in this fast-paced, high-wire act memoir from former ATF agent Ken Croke, the first federal agent in history to go undercover and successfully infiltrate the infamous—and infamously violent—Pagan Motorcycle Club, a white supremacist biker gang.  

Longtime ATF agent Ken Croke had earned the right to coast to the end of a storied career, having routinely gone undercover to apprehend white supremacists, gun runners, and gang members. But after a chance encounter with an associate of the Pagan Motorcycle Gang created an opening, he transformed himself into “Slam,” a monstrous, axe-handle wielding enforcer whose duty was to protect the leadership “mother club” at all costs. He befriended the club’s most violent and criminally insane members and lived among them for two years, covertly building a case that would eventually take down the top members of the gang in a massive federal prosecution, even as he risked his marriage, his sanity, and his life. With today’s law enforcement largely moving toward the comparative safety of cyber operations, it became one of the last of its kind, a masterclass in old school tactics that marked Croke as a dying breed of undercover agent and became legendary in law enforcement.

Now for the first time, Croke tells the story of his terrifying undercover life in the Pagans—the unspeakable violence, extremism, drugs, and disgusting rituals. Written with bestselling crime writer Dave Wedge and utilizing the exclusive cooperation of those who lived the case with him, as well as thousands of pages of court files and hours of surveillance tapes and photos, Croke delivers a frightening, nail-biting account of the secretive and brutal biker underworld.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Mar 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063092433

Ken Croke

Ken Croke began his career in 1990 in Los Angeles, where he infiltrated street gangs and busted drug and gun rings. He also served in Washington D.C. before moving to the Boston Field Division in 2000. In 2015, he was promoted to Special Agent in Charge of the Denver field division, where he oversaw all ATF operations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana. In 2016, he was promoted to Deputy Assistant Director of Field Operations for the bureau’s eastern region, putting him in charge of 10 ATF field offices on the East Coast. He finished his career as the ATF’s Assistant Director. Over the course of his career, he has taken part in 1,000-plus undercover operations, including gang, drug and firearms trafficking cases. Today he is a security consultant for global corporations. Dave Wedge is a Boston-based investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author, and co-author of Hunting Whitey, 12, and Boston Strong, among other titles.

Reviews for Riding with Evil

[Ryan Vincenzo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book! Couldn’t stop listening. The old lady wasn’t talked about as much as I thought when she was introduced into the storyline.

[reggie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Was very good but theres No ending, wheres the end, the bust?? Its Like there are chapters missing?! This cant be the end?! Ch. 36 is last one but?? Id say 4 stars if had an ending. I think they messed up,cause its tells me ch. 33,but on app it says ch.36? Ill ask cust. Service,not authors fault,if fixed ill amend rating.

[Joshua Blanchard · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

it ended abruptly. I’m confused about how it ended. There’s gotta be some kind of mistake. It’s 4 if it’s the whole book. There’s no way it ends where it ends

[Shoshanah Eden Natal · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

He did nothing but lie and embellish ! He forgot to mention how he became addicted to crystal meth and was cheating on his wife the whole time smfh ...

Signed HOGMANS DAUGHTER !! ?

[1randal-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An absolutely incredible book! It is my favorite read of the year so far. I could not put it down!Croke was a 20 year veteran agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). He undertook a two year undercover investigation of the Pagan Motorcycle Gang. Through dedication, hard work, and a good dose of luck, he found himself "patched" (made an official member), appointed Sergeant-Of-Arms, and in charge of the books for his local chapter. He was the first law enforcement officer to ever infiltrate the Pagans. Croke vividly describes the violent, paranoid, crazy world that the Pagans live in. He tells all about the process, how his persona was crafted, and "backstopped". How the Pagans leadership is constantly checking on it's members, and what happens when they are disappointed (spoiler: it's not pretty). He tells about the drug dealing, the illegal gun sales, the "Christmas presents" (bombs), the paranoia and fear of their rivals (the Hell's Angels), the partying and mandatory gatherings. How the author survived two years is an amazing feat. I found myself getting anxious during times in the book, as I did not know how he would get out of some of the situations.Never bragging, he comes across as a real American treasure. The writing is great. Coherent, easy to follow, impossible to put down. Just a great, great book!