Gun to the Head is a fascinating look into the world of undercover police and the tactical side of the police force in the 1980’s. Ticking all those true-crime and memoir boxes, this was such a gripping read that I devoured over a weekend.

Keith Banks is one of Queensland’s most decorated police officers having been involved in some very high profile cases as well as living through the well-publicised Royal Commission into police corruption.

A raw, honest and at times confronting look at the real life world of undercover policing and tactical operations.  A world that is often glamorised in movies and TV programmes, we soon see through Banks accounts of what they went through it’s definitely anything but glamorous. 

With many officers turning to drug use to maintain their covers, alcohol to dull the pain of what they experienced in the course of doing their jobs, and the very real fear of violence every time they left for work it was disappointing to realise how little support these officers were provided during that era.  The mentality was very much just be a man and suck it up.  That’s what you do.

As a result this book also highlights the very real issue of mental health and PTSD faced by those working in this high pressure environment and the horrific things they must have seen and experienced on an almost daily basis.

This lack of support is an undertone throughout the entire book and it’s extremely obvious how passionate Banks is about changing this and highlighting the need for support.

So well written and so engaging I definitely need to grab a copy of his previous book, Drugs Guns & Lies, after reading this one.