ncrabb's review against another edition
5.0
I read this in a single day because it was too fascinating to step away from. Essentially, this is the true account of a young man at the beginning of his law career. The FBI tapped him to help bring down a phalanx of corrupt judges and courtroom staffers in Cook County, Illinois in the early 1980s. I moved to Cook County in the early '80s after the trials for some of these creeps had begun, so some of the names in the book are vaguely familiar. Hake described how the corruption schemes worked, and he described how he not only recorded the damning conversations but matched names and voices on tapes when judge chambers were bugged. I was appalled by the descriptions of the open-reel recording equipment the FBI gave Hake. Open-reel tape? The feds couldn't do better than that in 1980? Ok, I get there won't be digital, but seriously? Open reels? Ridiculous.
You read about the emotional difficulties associated with going deep undercover. Hake mourns the loss of friendships and the betrayal he deliberately engaged in, but clearly it was all for a good cause.
You read about the emotional difficulties associated with going deep undercover. Hake mourns the loss of friendships and the betrayal he deliberately engaged in, but clearly it was all for a good cause.
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