The Threat Matrix: Inside Robert Mueller's FBI and the War on Global Terror
H**E
"Investigative Reporting at its best!"
This history of the FBI is very well written and researched with it forthcoming on the Bureau's 80th birthday, 17 June. The Nash incident in Kansas City , MO (KC Massacre) was used to justify anti-crime laws that professionalized The Bureau. The FBI story is told especially well in the "flash back vignettes" that exquisitely provides the background the reader requires to view the FBI legacy. The agency has expanded from 441 agents at that time to 13,500, now serving in 60 countries."This is the story of the world these men and others created, the precedents they set, and the cases they worked that together established the groundwork for how we combat terrorism and international crime today." I very much appreciated chapter one, 1972, which brought me back to what I witnessed but had forgotten.The book is divided in three sections chronologically with personal stories that were interviewed by the author on many agents and officials of the FBI which produced a well organized story that provides much credit to the agency. This work appears to have not been sanctioned by the agency and the author was provided full cooperation to compose the material. I found the chapter on SCOTBOM fascinating as to how the FBI had matured to inter-actor with other international organizations to bring the Lockerbie bombers' to justice.This book provides excellent reference for the history of the FBI and recommend it to the interested reader.
C**R
The many failures of the FBI
I bought this book thinking that it would deal with the current terrorist threats to the US. It does somewhat but only after telling the FBI story from the start to the present day. It is well written and tells an interesting story that is not always (in fact, mostly not) favorable to the FBI. Once you finish the book I will be suprised if you have any confidence left in the FBI to protect the country from any serious terrorist threat in the future. That will be partially because of the bumbling of the FBI and then in greater part because the threats come from so many sources and are so hard to detect.I grew up in the era where the FBI was held in god like esteem. This book walks us through that time period exposing the total dysfunctionality of the Hoover G men. It clearly details how we, the public, have been lied to and deceived by our chief law enforment department. After reading this you will understand why the current "Fast and Furious" debacle is just business as usual. I recommend this book to any one that wants to understand why the FBI is now held in such low esteem and why other agency's are being created to try to fill the void left the repeated failures of the FBI.
T**Y
Time capsule
Was pretty funny reading parts where Bob and Jim Comey had to join forces and dissuade the president's less-than-legal practices. If anything, this book is a quick cure for Fox News' attempt to poison Mueller's reputation. Like, Sean Hannity would have this book burned in public square if he could. Trump, if he knew how to read (which I'm not convinced he does... Ever seen him do it?) would know he's done and already locked up for life if he understood what's in this book.
P**E
Outstanding history
Garrett Graff does a splendid job of blending suspenseful narration of all the key FBI international investigations, from Lockerbie to 9-11 and beyond, with a detailed and fascinating account of the FBI’s shotgun evolution from Hoover’s paper-driven domestic-focused agency to a truly global and digitized investigatory and intelligence-gathering force. By anchoring the book around key FBI insiders — above all the estimable Robert Mueller — Graff humanizes the history, analysis and dates. A must-read.
T**E
Loved it
I enjoy movies and books about the CIA and FBI in general but this book was really interesting because it is factual and still a great read. Wow some nights I put it down and tried to sleep and I felt somewhat afraid. The men and women of the FBI are all amazing and we could never pay them enough or thank them enough for their daily sacrifices.
P**E
page-turner of intrigue!!
I, too, heard the NPR Diane Rehm interview with this author yesterday. I downloaded the sample and immediately started reading it. I just downloaded the book on my Kindle and can hardly put it down! I'm not a fan of nonfiction books, but this reads like a better-than Tom Clancy book. The memories of the Germany-hosted Olympics where the Israeli athletes were mowed down by Palestine terrorists and then the Southern Airlines terror of having to fly back and forth from USA to Cuba are fully described in the early chapters of The Threat Matrix. What an awakening to terror from the "gangsta" days of J.Edgar Hoover!! This book is going to fly off the shelves and into the Kindles when the accolades get out!Thank you, Amazon, for making it immediately available!!
M**N
It was one of the best reads ever
I bought this book after hearing Garrett Graff inteviewed on NPR. It was one of the best reads ever! Because it was written some time before our current political culture, the portraits of people who are now in the news are informative and believable. It is a phenomenal book on the beginnings of the FBI and CIA from their inceptions to the present. I highly recommend it!
T**S
Brilliant work
Graff is a natural storyteller, which makes this book fascinating to read. He splits the book into sections which are in chronological order, starting with the inception and on through the Mueller years. This is a must read for anyone interested in the FBI.
R**D
Insight !!
Really worthwhile reading