A Shadow in the City by Charles Bowden, good quote

(an undercover cop thinking about his rules for working smart)

Be yourself, Sonrisa advises. Never stance, never lie about yourself. Just be yourself. Don't pretend to be more than you are, people will smell the fraud coming off you. Don't be tough, just be natural. If you are reading some cookbook, then you are the guy reading a cookbook. Don't pretend to be reading something else. Because the trick in this world of deals and frauds and rip-offs is this: Be trustworthy. Be natural. Don't talk about yourself, don't tell others anything, absolutely nothing, that they don't need to know for the deal. But given this curtain of privacy, still be natural and open. If you do not drink, then refuse the drink. If you do not like t**** bars, say so. If you don't know shit about bikes, admit it. And for God's sake, don't pretend to be some tough guy because in the room someone eventually will test your claim.

Chapter 2
A Shadow in the City: Confessions of an Undercover Drug Warrior
by Charles Bowden
San Diego, Harcourt, Inc., 2005