Book excerpt: This book offers rich ethnographic and narrative accounts of men who have been engaged in serious violence and organised crime in the West Midlands of England, using several theoretical paradigms. Through case study examples, it also considers contract killers and the nefarious position that ‘hitmen’ occupy in the criminal underworld. By charting insider perspectives from retired law enforcement agents, informants, ex-military personnel and ex-offenders, this book speaks to those who have a vested interest in violence, organised crime and ethnography.