This book felt very outdated. I felt the storyline was very basic and lacked tension. The writing was very simple and not very thrilling.

What an easy read this book has been and full to the brim of fascinating facts and insights. If even half of them are true and I have no reason to believe that any of them are false, there are a lot of people who need their outlook on legal versus illegal re-examined. It has always seemed odd to me that the likes of VAT fraud gets dealt with with a very heavy hand if you are small-fry but things are so much more relaxed if you owe millions.

Start 2023 by buying and reading this book, I feel that you too will find it a real eye-opener and that some of the folk you may have fond memories for were a heck of a lot less savoury than you may have believed.

I was looking forward to this book but it was disappointing and I was bored within the first few chapters.

I enjoy a good “inside story” type book, and had high hopes for this one when I received it.
It started well with an interesting approach to a case, and then led us through Mark’s career of the customs officer. This is a good insight into different departments of customs and excise, but also exposes some of the problems that existed in the 1980s/90s with corruption inside the organisation and the politics involved in such operations. Some cases were naturally given more in-depth focus, and it was interesting to understand how & why some cases fell apart.
The latter part of the book focusses on money laundering and a handful of high-profile corporate fraud/tax-evasion cases, relating to people and companies that anyone in the UK will have heard of. It also touches on some international cases including some of Pablo Escobar’s cartel.

What didn’t work so well for me
The middle of the book is probably designed to “excite” the reader with tales of high-speed car chases, surveillance, boat-rides to intercept smugglers and other activities. However I found it all a bit dull.
I think I had unreasonably high expectations and was left somewhat disappointed as things became very generic, cases were hinted at but not explored in depth, or we got overly involved in the politics.

Recommendation
This is a book that will probably be of interest to anyone interested in undercover operations, though it is a little dated & will appeal more to those who remember the 1980s/90s, particularly some of the news stories around money laundering, tax evasion, corporate fraud, the collapse of BCCI bank etc.

Secrets Revealed From Inside A Covert Customs Unit

Secrets From Inside a Covert Customs Unit by Mark Perlstrom is a fascinating book based on various tales of various Customs cases from money laundering to drug smuggling high-stakes operations and crooked firms. I found this book very easy to follow and the book are the insider’s account of the work of a Customs investigation team which operated largely in the shadows.

I was immersed in the customs world and found it hard to put down as I wanted to know all the revealing never-before-told-secrets of the industry. A truly eye opener book for anyone interested in history and undercover operation.
Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview in exchange for review.

I love books like this but while it started off well I got bored very quickly as it soon went on to the author's life and how he became to do the job he does. While that's interesting for some, its not the reason I read this genre. It also then became very technical and long winded - sorry just not for me, that is my own personal opinion.

A great read. The terminology took a little time to get my head around but this book was fascinating!
I love reading true accounts, giving inside access and I was not disappointed.
Following the career of the customs officer and dipping in to many intriguing cases- I felt immersed in the customs world and hungry for detail.
Thanks to Netgalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview in exchange for review. Much appreciated.

Wow! Certainly takes you inside crime-fighting and gives a perspective only an insider could. I found it fascinating and a bit of an eye opener into the way these covert units operate. It's certainly authentic and the author holds nothing back (or that's how it seems but who knows!).
It's a pacy read and one I recommend.

This is a brilliant insight to different departments of customs and excise.

It a fabulous personal story on why Mark joined the service and what he wanted to achieve.

It shows his highs and lows, the politics that are involved. The corruption that was rife with fellow colleagues. The corruption and collusion with other government agencies.

It shows that the war on drugs is seen my many in the battle, as a waste of time. Its a pointless political pr stunt. This war is driven by US politics.

I throughly enjoyed the book even in this raw unfinished publication. There are a few issues with repeating what has been just said. I am sure this will be polished before publication.

I wish the author well , and hope this becomes the best seller it deserves to be.

As a frequent reader of 'insider tale' type books, I really wanted to love this book. On the face of it, it had everything I was looking for. A job that hadn't had an' expose' done on before, and one that was secretive at that.

The cover gave me hope of 007-style tales from a customs agent, one that would make me do a double take every time I passed through border control.

However, I think I had unreasonably high expectations and was left somewhat disappointed.

The book's central theme pivots around two prominent cases, the second of which is only closed in the last couple of pages.

It was hard to follow at times due to the sheer technical detail and terminology that can confuse the average layperson like me.

That being said, there were nuggets of gold, particularly regarding the business dealings of Richard Branson.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Icon Books for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An eye opening read…. In the early 1980s he started working for HM Customs and was quickly thrown in the deep end, joining Operation C-Chase, an undercover investigation that penetrated Pablo Escobar's mighty Medellin cartel, brought down the corrupt BCCI bank and stopped London's gangs from moving their ill-gotten gains around the capital.

As part of the new, secret, anti-money-laundering squad, the Uniforms, high-speed car chases, bugging homes and spying on targets was day-to-day business.

Told by a true insider and revealing never-before-told-secrets of the industry, India Uniform Nine lays bare the intense rivalry between crime-fighting organisations which leads to corruption, chaos and some scarcely believable antics in the covert world. And how Mark's own operation was nearly scuppered by a US Customs bungle.

A complete look at customs and excise and their operations over a number of years.
Tracking the career progress and division changes of a investigating officer. The changing priorities based on the political climate and the view of the public. How some high profile cases fell apart and why.
Interesting, informative and illuminating.

While showing us the work of a Customs investigator dealing with a variety of cases throughout his career in the 1980s and'90s I was left with a feeling of a man not happy with what he perceived to be the often weakness of his 'superiors' and the various reasons behind some of their decisions - personal or political. We can all probably think of similar times and experiences (I certainly can) but do I want to read about others? Not sure. Notwithstanding this is not a bad book with interesting law enforcement issues involved.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I was attracted to this book as I was intrigued by the prospect of an insider’s account of the work of a Customs investigation team. I was drawn in from the start as Mark Perlstrom described his recruitment into HM Customs and Excise and his subsequent entry into the elite Investigation Division. The book held my rapt attention as I raced through the detailed but easy to follow tales of various Customs cases from money laundering to drug smuggling to commercial fraud and anything else that fell under the remit of the Investigation Division in the 1980s and 1990s. The strength of the book lies in the colourful recounting of these sometimes complex, sometimes tedious, sometimes exciting, sometimes mundane but always high-stakes operations - the reader feels immersed in the investigations before, during and after “the knock”. The weakness of the book lies in the attempted analysis of the perceived political drivers behind the operational decisions of Investigation Division senior managers; and the broad-brush but unsupported dismissal of virtually all Customs managers as back-covering weaklings.

Overall, I would recommend this book to those interested in true-life law enforcement in an era when the powerful Customs Investigation Division operated largely in the shadows.