Life Sentence: The Brief and Tragic Career of Baltimore's Deadliest Gang Leader

Mark Bowden's book "Sandtown" offers an in-depth portrait of a Baltimore gang leader and chronicles the 2016 FBI investigation that landed eight gang members in prison. The book explores the deadly neighborhood of Sandtown, known for its drug deals and violence, and the rise and fall of the gang "Trained to Go" (TTG). Bowden uses exclusive access to FBI files and his own insight to create the most in-depth account of an inner-city gang ever written.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 18 May 2023
Publisher: Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press

Mark Bowden's gripping book, "Inner City Gang Life," takes readers on a deep dive into the world of inner-city gangs, offering an in-depth portrait of their notorious leader and chronicling the 2016 FBI investigation that led to the imprisonment of eight gang members. Sandtown, one of the world's deadliest neighborhoods, is the setting for this story, known for its drug deals and violent culture. Montana Barronette, the leader of the gang "Trained to Go" (TTG), was nicknamed "Baltimore's Number One Trigger Puller" and dominated Sandtown under Tanas' reign. When a series of murders are linked to TTG, three detectives set out to put Tana in prison for life, focusing on serial murder rather than drugs. Bowden, an acclaimed journalist who grew up in the white suburbs of Baltimore, returns to the city with exclusive access to FBI files and unique insights into the gang and its leader. He uses wiretapped drug buys, police interviews, undercover videos, text messages, social media posts, trial transcripts, and his own ongoing conversations with Tanas' family and community to create the most comprehensive account of an inner-city gang ever written. Bowden's narrative is propulsive and precise, placing Tana in the context of Baltimore and America, illuminating his life sentence as a boy, a gang leader, a killer, and now a prisoner.

Dimension: 228 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780802162427