Lines Crossed — Alex Richardson

In the early and mid-nineties, Gary, Indiana, was a city plagued with drugs and had one of the highest murder rates per capita in the nation. A native of that city, Alex Richardson, a young dedicated patrolman, is asked to join a group of veteran detectives. This has been his dream, to be a cop -- to be a detective. He soon learns about the streets and the choices that force dedicated cops over the edge -- all in the name of good. He finds that sometimes it is dangerous on both sides of the line, and he will take you on that journey as he crosses that line in this novel -- Lines Crossed.

You are taken deep inside the inner-workings of a narcotics unit and their procedures from working with informants, to the undercover, and the arrest. Also shown is the corruption by the police and prosecutors. Richardson incorporates his personal life and how it is affected by his undercover work to make this a shocking and enjoyable fast-paced read.

This is a poignant tale with a lesson for everyone -- the police officer, the hustler and the common citizen.

At the age of 25, Alex Richardson was promoted to the rank of detective assigned to the Lake County Drug Task Force. Prior to his appointment, Richardson was assigned to the patrol division. Before that he spent four years in the Army as a military policeman and also a paratrooper in a Special Operations unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.