NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS, FINALIST
John Walker was a Miami undercover narcotics agent within the Nineteen Seventies. Ten years later, he was in jail for smuggling 12,000 kilos of marijuana. In jail, he linked with a South American drug lord who was nonetheless working the household operation from contained in the federal pen. Inside months of being paroled, John started smuggling once more—this time uncut Colombian cocaine. And this time, he put
all the pieces on the road: his freedom, his household and, finally, his life.
Breaking Midnight shines a light-weight on the gritty underbelly of Miami drug trafficking and the hazard of main a double life—as an undercover narc or a smuggler. Written by Lynn Walker, based mostly on interviews together with her father, John, that is an uncensored, up-close-and-personal account of how a very good cop goes unhealthy.
Ms. Goose –
I really enjoyed this story. Telling it from the perspective of the author’s dad versus her own was well done.
James B. –
Really good book! Wild life he lived and it was cool to find out how his life turned out in the end.
Allison Cole –
I read Ms Walkers memoir and as soon as I finished, checked to see if she had any other published works. To my delight, I saw Breaking Midnight was just released and immediately started reading it and could not put it down
Robert –
The man deserves a metal for doing that much girl and surviving. Jesus! All jokes aside though this is a great book about cops, drug dealers, smugglers, redemption, and family. Solid read
LilyLily –
John Walker went from being a Marine, cop, and then a Miami undercover narcotics agent to a smuggler. Not long after serving time for smuggling 12,000 pounds of marijuana, he resumed smuggling drugs. This time he worked with uncut Colombian cocaine. John risked family, his life, and breaking probation.I was interested and intrigued by this true story. Prior to reading BREAKING MIDNIGHT, I knew nothing about what would convince a person to make such a switch, from a cop pretending to be a smuggler to being an actual smuggler, where he could lose everything. Everything.Though BREAKING MIDNIGHT is an unconventional approach, mixing memoir and biography, it’s a faithful and captivating telling of John Walker’s story. The true story is told from John Walker’s perspective but is penned by his daughter Lynn Walker. This works, because it, as you can read in the Preface, is written with John Walker’s permission and in collaboration with him.I wanted to see the progression (or digression) of John Walker’s journey, but continuing was difficult. This was not light reading. It was heavy and tough.What kept me going was recognizing a daughter who suffered through his worst was writing his story. That meant forgiveness had taken place, enough to salvage a damaged and broken relationship.Feelings of outrage, disappointment, and frustration coursed through me as I worked my way through his story. However, that’s not how I felt as I finished BREAKING MIDNIGHT.If you want to see how I was moved, you’ll have to read this true story and experience it for yourself.Thank you for the ARC, Lynn Walker. This review is provided freely and represents my own thoughts and feelings on the book.
angel –
Excellent book very well written. Emotional and shows the life of a man & his family’s caught up in the world of drugs.
Kay Kenyon –
Like Walker’s other book, Midnight Calling, this story is unflinching and gritty. Dark, but balanced by the intimate perspective of the subject, in this case, a cop seduced by the power and money of the drug trade. It’s a story that’s hard to look away from, because it’s a perspective that you seldom get: that slow slide from doing the right thing, to doing the easy thing. Beautifully portrayed, intimately revealed: A man’s life: complex, full of failure and giddy success, and laced with delusion as well as higher motives. At the end, you end up liking him. Which is a feat this author really pulls off. Highly recommended.
Kathi Garcia –
I really enjoyed the first book midnight calling that I had to of course read this one and again Lynn Walker did not disappoint. A must read for all!!!
Daniel Monette –
This book is about a family that I knowIt is really eye opening
Brian Skillin –
From vice cop to drug smuggler to straight and narrow, this excellent read will be hard to put down once you pick it up. With great pacing and pathos, this book is one you’ll want on your book shelf.
mr a javer –
Brilliant read.A true account and write very well to keep you gripped throughout the whole book right to the end
gypsy –
Was glued to this book. Really well written and an incredible insight into the authors fathers life.Highly recommend this book.
P. Austin Heaton –
A biography that has gripped me from beginning to end.
Rick Spell –
Fast, furious true tale of a Preacher’s son who becomes an undercover policeman in Miami in the middle of the drug boom. But his skills allow him to see the money being made and at a low point he switches sides until eventually caught. But even this has a unique story as in prison he meets a connection that eventually allows him to meet Pablo Escobar directly and have a direct line to pure cocaine. And that’s really where the story begins as he goes off the rails in ways that are not normal for smugglers. Have your son selling for you? Check. Snort cocaine with your daughter? Sure we can cross that line. And as all this is happening the story becomes more mesmerizing until eventually, the day of reckoning arrives. What happens? how does he survive if he does survive? More Jail? Testify? Death? Serious health issues? Well, you’ll just have to read to see the outcome of this fascinating story.And NOW for the most interesting part of this book. I’m reading this not really noticing the Author although I am really impressed with the story and the writing. Little did I know I knew of the Author: it’s his daughter and she has her own tale. So I immediately bought her companion piece that was actually written first: “Midnight Calling” and dived right in to that. And after a slightly slow start through the divorce of her parents there is another interesting story of missing her Father, falling in to drugs and promiscuous behavior ending with her drug involvement with her Father and finally redemption. She is quite talented as shown by some awards she won for this book. READ BOTH OF THESE BOOKS AS IT’S GREAT WRITING AND GREAT STORIES!
Todzmom –
This the story of a cop gone down the rabbit hole of being a narc, a dealer, a smuggler and a terrible father and husband. Yet it’s redeeming in that he got it together, made up as best he could for his past. No, that didn’t make him perfect, nobody’s perfect but it made him human in the most ardent of ways. I’ve been down some of the road he traveled and I recommend this as a really good read if you’re interested in the real world of drugs, the life, the money, and consequences.
Lisa V. –
A well written story that grabs you from the beginning! I read this book in one day! Never a lull in the story telling.
Mommamorris1016 –
Loved getting to read her dads side of the story and his life. Couldn’t put it down! So so interesting!
Kilo –
An amazing (true) story of the crazy cocaine fueled 70’s and 80’s…where a low level Miami narcotics police officer goes rogue. Switches sides starts buying, smuggling and doing lots of cocaine. Losing his family, his freedom and his health in the process. Great read
Jennifer Finken –
This story was pretty remarkable. I read this quickly as it was an easy read and you just want to.find out what other craziness this man could get into. He was a thrill seeking man that got mixed up in too much. It was wonderful to see how he ended up and to know his daughter wrote this book. Highly recommend.
cmdr –
This book is a great read, once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. It is such a good story and very well written. It made me feel I was living the story!! I highly recommend.
JW –
Amazing that the daughter of a smuggler had the courage and perseverance to write this-with all of the strength to interview her father and hear the ‘truths’ laid bare. Very well written. Compelling read from start to finish.
Rebecca neice –
This was a really good story that gives a accurate look into the way drug users think and the drug world works.
Rima –
I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading. Excellent writing by a woman who recorded her father’s words and turned it into his memoir. The honest description of his thrill-seeking mindset and behavior and the way it affected others is a story of redemption and survival.
Steve –
This man led quite an exciting life and lucky to be alive. I remember news long ago about Pablo Escobar and the Columbian drug empire he built and this man/John is lucky to be alive since his dealings with such dangerous people.
Kenh –
Wow. Imagine a father who always chose drugs before family. The individual stories told through the daughter are ingauging and really thought provoking.
Sophi –
That was a wild ride! At no point was I not on the edge of my seat. I’m starting her other book right now.
William R DeJulia –
Loved this book and once I started it I couldn’t stop. Highly recommend one of my favorite books I’ve ever read
katrig –
This book Breaking midnight is the second book by Lynn Walker and is about her dad’s infamous life, which she wrote in collaboration with her father before he died. Her father shares his life from growing up in a very religious household. John has the perfect life in the police force doing a job he loves; he is married and has two beautiful children Lynn and Chris. But then John makes a choice that will change his life forever.This book is emotionally raw and heart-breaking, as John tells his story to Lynn who remembers her father being a very protective dad who was an undercover Miami narcotics agent. One evening John comes home high on coke grabs his clothes whilst everyone is sleeping leaves his wife a note and walks out the door. The family crumbles as Lynn and Rick grow up and try to come to terms knowing their dad is not coming home and wondering like all 8-year-old’s what she had done wrong.John was very good at his job, and John played his role so well that his instincts where so honed for both sides the police and the drug dealers, that he found it very easy to turn from a narcotic agent to drug courier at the click of a switch.Being undercover John has made plenty of contacts and once he works out the details his plan can now be executed. John crosses the line for the first time and brings a small amount of coke into Miami to sell to dealers. It goes of without a hitch and the adrenalin rush and more money than he earns in a year are a buzz for John and he reckons he can explain his coke use as a recreational user.John enjoys this new lifestyle notoriety among the underworld fast cars, top restaurants women, money, adrenaline rushes every time they bring drugs into the country, and pure coke which is being used daily.Like all plans this will not happen as like any drug courier life quickly spirals as John gets more contacts and better-quality drugs. John cannot be both though as his two worlds slowly collide together. By the time Lynn is in high school, her dad will be in prison for smuggling 12,000 pounds of marijuana.Somehow nobody finds out he used to work undercover whilst in prison. John then meets and makes a connection with a powerful Colombian drug lord a notoriety he will grow to love, and which will take him to the top underworld drug dealer within months of being paroled. John not only gets to meet Pablo Escobar who is considered the world’s most powerful and ruthless drug lord but John buys cocaine from him.John is a very charming monster, who waltzes back into Lynn and Chris life, as they become adults dishing out pure Colombian coke to them both. John’s reasoning is I can at least make sure they do not get anything bad from dealers, so as their father I am protecting them. Before long John has launched his son Chris’s coke-dealing career.John eventually lost his children once again as they struggled with coke addition, and finally reached out to get help for their drug use. Eventually John ends up in hospital strung out, just about dead and with plenty of other complications. Eventually John finally comes clean to the doctors. It will not be an easy road, but John and Kathleen his third wife decide to stay together and rebuild their life. Eventually John reconnects with his children to begin to rebuild his relationship.This book reads like fiction but is true and teaches you about family, relationships, forgiveness, healing, and the importance of both, as well as the long-term impact that grief and addition can have on not only a person but an entire family.This was one of the best books I’ve ever read a very powerfully written book A truly exceptional book in every way beautifully written raw and honest. I cannot recommend this book Highly enough.Thanks to Lynn Walker I received an advance review copy for free. I am part of the ARC group for Wildblue Press Goodread and BookSirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Royfus –
I read this book in 2 days. I could not put it down. A real eye opener re the drug trade.
Julie YB –
This is the story of a man with an adventurous and interesting life. He loved cocaine, money, scotch and being with fun people. His kids grow up and love cocaine too. It seemed to work okay, doing drugs with the kids. Ultimately, however, everyone realizes sooner rather than later that drugs really aren’t the answer-all.
Jeff Spader –
Loved this book, could not put it down. It had a lot of similarities to my life.