Horseplay

September 1, 2020

Boucher offers a gripping, novelistic account of his eight months as an undercover drug agent for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1983, starting with his insertion into the Granville Street drug scene. With prior undercover experience, Boucher was able to blend in after initially rousing some suspicion, posing as a construction worker who dabbled in heroin. Many of the dealers he encountered also lived with addiction, and Boucher effectively conveys their desperation and humanity. When he finally met a bigger dealer, he found that the seller kept distant from the product and the street; still, Boucher worked to bring him down. The author reviewed reports from nearly 40 years ago and relied on his notes to craft his narrative; given that he wasn't wired, however, much of the extensive, colorful dialog has likely been re-created. His vivid, present-tense narration immerses readers into a gritty world of addiction and crime. VERDICT This memoir about undercover police work will appeal to fans of Joseph Pistone's excellent Donnie Brasco and Michael McGowan's Ghost.--Harry Charles, St. Louis

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 4, 2021
Retired RCMP officer Boucher debuts with an engrossing account of a sting operation targeting Vancouver’s heroin trade in which he went undercover. For eight months in 1983, Boucher hung out at seedy hotels on the Canadian city’s Granville Strip, where he befriended and won the confidence of numerous addicts. He eventually worked his way from small deals to the top of the chain in purchasing “bundles” (learning the lingo was part of the process) before the operation wound down. Boucher sympathetically sees the addicts as people, who must be “capable and resourceful individuals,” because being a drug user is hard work. His colorful cast includes longtime user Captain Kangaroo, upbeat trans woman Deedee, pimp Jimmy and his hardworking sex worker girlfriend from Fiji, and 60-something Fred, who had spent 40 years in prison. As readers become immersed in the world of these users, they are bound to come to care about their fates. In passionate prose, Boucher argues that the authorities need to take a holistic approach, which focuses on mental health, education, harm reduction, and community engagement. True crime buffs will find much to admire in this eye-opening personal narrative.