The Reaper's Line. Life and Death on the Mexican Border

By Lee Morgan

I'm about halfway through it at this point. It's extremely good.

Follows the career of the author through the military to border patrol to customs. Talks about the rampant corruption, gun fights, pursuits, etc. that occurs on the border. Highly recommended.

j

[Big Daddy]

I agree. I'm about 75 pages into it and your right, it's pretty good.

[924(c)]

I thought I may need to begin contributing to this forum, as it is the least that I can do given the fact that I have gained so much from reading the posts of others over the past few years. As a former tanker (Armor Branch) I have definitely attempted to tread lightly in the arena of the QPs.

I recently completed The Reaper's Line - by Lee Morgan (SA US Customs Service) and found it to make some resounding points. First, you must realize that I viewed this work as that of a fellow federal law enforcement officer working in tenacious times, that being the realigning of various federal law enforcement agencies into the newly created Department of Homeland Security and the shuffling of other agencies to the Department of Justice. Additionally, I began this book viewing Special Agent Morgan, a US Customs Service Special Agent primarily investigating cross-border narcotics trafficking, as being a law enforcement officer on the very tip of the spear. The tip of the spear being the US - Mexico border, a border via which the Mexican (and a majority of Columbian) cartels traffic the bulk of cocaine and heroin into the US. As a federal law enforcement officer not stationed on the border, I looked forward to reading a somewhat current SITREP on today's narcotics trafficking activities of the Mexican and Columbian cartels. The bulk of my investigative case load is working armed narcotics trafficking organizations, most often the members of which are convicted felons. (I hate to shatter the narrow views of some out there that think the ATF is all about taking guns from law abiding Americans.) Now on to the review...

The bottom line up front is that I found the majority of the book to be quick and exciting read. SA Morgan details many years of his work as Border Patrol Agent, INS Special Agent, and ultimately his years as a US Customs Service Special Agent. You immediately get a very strong feeling of who SA Morgan is after he details his experience assigned to a LRRP with the 5th ID in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. Additionally, Morgan does a fantastic job of giving a brief and insightful history of the area of Douglas, Arizona, the area in which he spent the majority of his law enforcement career. Morgan then delves into detailing many alien smuggling and narcotics trafficking investigations which he led, or was part of, over the course of his career. These investigations and there details are full of high speed vehicle pursuits, close range gunfights, dead informants, corrupt law enforcement officers, inept US Attorney's, etc. Morgan jumps around a bit during these narratives, but any reader can easily keep up without turning back the pages.

The best part of Morgan's work ultimately came in the last third of the book. Morgan details the current horrific state of affairs within the newly created Bureau of Immigation and Customs Enforcement (where US Customs Service Special Agents and INS Special Agents came to rest after their respective agencies were merged under DHS). During this section of the book Morgan makes some very strong, yet valid assertions, regarding the current enforcement operations, or lack there of, on the US - Mexico border.

I would defintely recommend this book if you are at all interested in our nation's fight to control, or the perception of control, the border. You will also be treated to insight into cross border incursions by the Mexican Federal Judicial Police (MFJP) and the Mexican Army; and there assistance to the narco traffickers.

A solid read.

[Big Daddy]

This is a VERY good book which details some of the problems we are having on the border. I knew it was bad down there, but I didn't realize how bad until I read this book. I enjoyed the book so much that I 'm hoping to get down to Douglas soon and if I'm lucky, maybe meet Agent Morgan,shake his hand,say thanks and buy him a beer or two. Or three or four.

[CoLawman]

Finished it!

1. Reminds me alot of Lines and Shadows by Joseph Wambaugh.
2. He spends too much time comparing his accomplishments to the legendary lawmen of the old west. And attempts to strengthen his rightful place alongside Wyatt Earp ( et al ) by drawing comparisons to the infamous and notorious outlaws from the past to the current border bandits. I found it distracting and self serving. It would have worked much better if these conclusions were left to be drawn by the reader. Perhaps he should have allowed someone else to author his story, thus avoiding his self promotion.
3. Is an easy read and kept my attention until he went on a rant about Cheney and Bush...........took me a few days before I picked it up again.
4. Wish I had borrowed it from a library rather than pay for it!