In with the Devil: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption

This true story is the basis for the hit APPLE TV series, BLACK BIRD, starring Taron Edgerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Greg Kinnear, and Ray Liotta. Jimmy Keene was offered an impossible mission: Coax a confession out of a fellow inmate, a serial killer, and walk free.

Jimmy Keene grew up outside of Chicago. Although he was the son of a policeman and rubbed shoulders with the city's elite, he ended up on the wrong side of the law and was sentenced to ten years with no chance of parole.

Just a few months into his sentence, Keene was approached by the prosecutor who put him behind bars. He had convicted a man named Larry Hall for abducting and killing a fifteen-year-old. Although Hall was suspected of killing nineteen other young women, there was a chance he could still be released on appeal. If Keene could get him to confess to two murders, there would be no doubt about Hall's guilt. In return, Keene would get an unconditional release from prison. But he could also get killed.

A story that gained national notoriety, this is Keene's powerful tale of peril, violence, and redemption.

James Keene is an American author of several novels, "In with the Devil", "The Chicago Phoenix" and "The Wanderer." He was an Executive Producer of "Black Bird,” the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series based on Keene's life and his novel, “In with the Devil,” which globally captivated lovers of true crime. His past work with the FBI continues to inspire his writing to this day. The son of a former highly decorated police officer and star football player he took a few wrong turns and ended on the wrong side of the law, eventually being charged with a federal conspiracy. While facing a prison sentence, he accepted an offer from the federal government to go undercover as an FBI Operative in the nation’s toughest maximum security prison for the criminally insane in order to help solve the case of a serial killer who was incarcerated there. In exchange, he would gain his own freedom. Keene's story is one of perilous redemption. After his release, he returned to college and earned a second degree in business. He now lives in Chicago.

Hillel Levin has been an investigative reporter for The Nation, New York magazine, Metropolitan Detroit, Playboy, and editor for Chicago magazine. He is the author of Grand Delusions and coauthor of When Corruption Was King.