Riptide - by Javier Guzman (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An intense deep-dive into the cartel underworld--and its temptations--as seen through the eyes of undercover police officer Javier Guzman.

Tampa Bay, Florida, 1992. Javier--a Spanish-speaking street-smart cop who had grown up in the South Bronx--is a decorated cop who produces results. Recently awarded Officer of the Year, he is married to a beautiful and brilliant attorney, Elizabeth. Javier knows exactly what he's getting into when he goes undercover in Operation PROMO, infiltrating a savage Colombian drug cartel. He lives on the edge every day, with shotguns pressed against his forehead, threats of torture, and constant fear of being discovered and disappeared.

Things are not as they appear in the wilderness of mirrors that is the reality of an undercover narc. Javier becomes mired in a living web of lies, deceit and betrayal, where surviving the day is a victory. As the strain increases, the cracks begin to appear yet Javier's calls for help are dismissed. The black-and-white lines that governed his life and made him a coveted undercover cop blur. Javier begins to sympathize with the people he is supposed to be targeting.

While straddling the fence between good and evil, Javier makes a decision that will haunt him forever . . .

Riptide is a raw, unflinchingly honest, and action-packed page-turner. Filled with drug cartels, undercover police work, heroism, death, romance, and the ultimate betrayal, Riptide begs the reader to answer the question: Does Javier Guzman deserve redemption?

Review Quotes

"In this wild blend of memoir and true crime, debut author Guzman details how he, a decorated police officer and husband to a prosecutor, wound up in prison for money laundering and witness tampering. The result is an engrossing and surprisingly sweet story of transgression and redemption."--Publishers Weekly

"Riptide is an enthralling and very human story of an undercover cop caught between the competing roles he plays in a high-stakes cartel operation as he struggles to keep both afloat. When his house of cards collapses around him, his redemption begins on his knees in a jail cell, his face turned toward heaven. Riptide is the story of the rise and fall of an undercover cop, a wife's resilience and determination, and the power of repentance, redemption and grace."-- "Miles McPherson, Pastor, The Rock Church, author and former NFL Defensive Back"

"Raw and unflinching, Javier Guzman takes us into the maddening world of vice. We experience the thrill of large busts and the heart-pounding anxiety of his undercover work--as well as the frustrations and complicated psychological toll it takes. A crack can cause something to shatter in an instant, and Riptide lays it bare. Guzman's memoir is story of ownership and atonement, family and faith that will challenge our assumptions long after the final page."--Lou Ferrante, author of Borgata: Autumn of Empire, and the Borgata Triology

About the Author

Javier Guzman began writing his memoir while in Federal Prison. Born into poverty in Puerto Rico, Javier's family emigrated to New York City in search of a better life. Learning English in the high-crime Fort Apache area of the Bronx only served to toughen him for what was to come. His dream of becoming a police officer came true in Tampa, Florida where he excelled, becoming Officer of the Year and a decorated vice undercover cop. In court he met the love of his life, Elizabeth, an accomplished prosecutor. Javier's undercover success led him to work with the DEA in one of the biggest money laundering investigations in the country at the time. But what began as an exhilarating dream spiraled rapidly into a nightmare.