How the police create an imaginary criminal gang to trick homicide suspects into a confession and a prison cell

There are people in prison who got away with murder until they told the boss of a powerful criminal gang all about it. When the handcuffs were snapped on, the killers learned they’d been duped — that “Mr. Big” was actually an undercover police officer. These killers ended up with lots of time to think about how tricky police can be.

In this captivating book, we learn why Mr. Big is so good at getting killers to confess — and why he occasionally gets confessions from the innocent as well. We meet murderers such as Michael Bridges, who strangled his girlfriend and buried her in another person’s grave. Bridges remained free until he told Mr. Big where the body was buried. We also meet people like Kyle Unger, who lied while confessing to Mr. Big and went to prison for a crime he did not commit.

The “Mr. Big” Sting is essential reading for anyone interested in unorthodox approaches to justice, including their successes and failures. It sheds light on how homicide investigators might catch and punish the guilty while avoiding convicting the innocent.

Sales and Market Bullets

• The author has a personal connection to the criminal justice system — he was accused of the murder of a loved one and eventually acquitted by a jury of his peers.
• The “Mr. Big” tactic is a Canadian invention. It originated in British Columbia and has since been used across Canada – and into countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
• This “Mr. Big” sting tactic is very controversial — this book discusses the ways it has been a useful tool for catching violent criminals, as well as the problematic ways it has entrapped innocent people.
• As recently as January 2021, the South China Morning Post wrote an investigative piece about a Mr. Big operation in Australia.

Audience

• Readers of Ann Rule and other true crime books
• Fans of true crime documentary
• Fans of true crime podcasts like Casefile, The Confession Tapes, CBC’s Someone Knows Something, and similar
• Canadian women 25–40