Armed and Dangerous: The Hunt for One of America's Most Wanted

William Queen · Douglas Century

Jul 2007 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Charles Kahlenberg

About this audiobook

From the New York Times bestselling author of Under and Alone comes an intimate and riveting account of federal law-enforcement agent William Queen’s relentless hunt for one of America’s most cold-blooded criminals.

As an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, William Queen must tackle a number of challenging cases, including going undercover to investigate a group of violent skinheads and infiltrating and busting a ring trafficking in high-powered explosives, drugs, and firearms. In the winter of 1985, he faces his toughest mission to date: he must apprehend Mark Stephens, a notorious narcotics trafficker who has been terrorizing the communities around Los Angeles with frequent rampages involving machine guns and hand grenades. A recluse living in the treacherous backwoods outside the city, Stephens is a cunning survivalist. Nobody has been able to catch him, but Queen is determined to take him down. Queen’s unique expertise is not taught in any police academy or ATF training seminar–he honed his outdoorsman abilities as a kid. Stephens may have finally met his match in the unwavering Queen, who is adept at hunting and trapping and living for weeks in the wild. Queen will use these skills–along with surveillance, confidential informants, and intelligence gathering–as he doggedly tracks his dangerous quarry, a chase that culminates in a gripping showdown high in the San Bernardino Mountains.

A fascinating look into the daily life of an ATF agent and a taut portrayal of a monthlong manhunt, Armed and Dangerous depicts a classic race against time–lawman versus outlaw–in a harrowing true story of life-or-death suspense.

Ratings and reviews

Hands down one of the best audiobooks I've heard!

About the author

William Queen is the author of the New York Times bestseller Under and Alone and Armed and Dangerous. He spent twenty years as a special agent with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. A Vietnam veteran, Queen devoted his career to law enforcement, serving first as a local police officer and then as a U.S. Border Patrol agent before joining the ATF. He is among the country's foremost experts on the violent world of outlaw motorcycle gangs and has lectured widely to law-enforcement organizations in multiple countries. For his groundbreaking undercover work playing the part of biker "Billy St. John," William Queen was awarded the 2001 Federal Bar Association's Medal of Valor.

Douglas Century is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller and Edgar Award–winner Takedown: The Fall of the Last Mafia Empire. He has also written for the New York Times, Details, Rolling Stone, and the Guardian (London). He lives in New York City.

Charles Kahlenberg's experience in the entertainment business spans over three decades. His film credits began with Coal Miner’s Daughter and, more recently, Wedding Crashers and Fun With Dick and Jane. His television credits include Justice, Cold Case, ER, and Seinfeld. His voice-over work has been heard in many major motion pictures and television shows and more than 100 national commercials.