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The Mirage Man: Bruce Ivins, the Anthrax Attacks, and America's Rush to War
For the first time, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist David Willman tells the whole gripping story of the hunt for the anthrax killer who terrorized the country in the dark days that followed the September 11th attacks. Letters sent surreptitiously from a mailbox in New Jersey to media and political figures in New York, Florida, and Washington D.C. killed five people and infected seventeen others. For years, the case remained officially unsolved€”and it consumed the FBI and became a rallying point for launching the Iraq War. Far from Baghdad, at Fort Detrick, Maryland, stood Bruce an accomplished microbiologist at work on patenting a next-generation anthrax vaccine. Ivins, it turned out, also was a man the FBI consulted frequently to learn the science behind the attacks.The Mirage Man reveals how this seemingly harmless if eccentric scientist hid a sinister secret life from his closest associates and family, and how the trail of genetic and circumstantia
464 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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362 people want to read
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February 20, 2023
Bruce Ivins was a freak. He stalked his female coworkers, sending them alarmingly frequent and personal emails with excessive punctuation. He collected and maybe wore some women’s clothing. But the most perverted part of Bruce worked as an army anthrax biologist in the part of Fort Detrick where they used to make biological weapons, although they promise they never ever do that anymore.
Apparently Ivins owned part of a patent on a new anthrax vaccine, for which he made $12,000 after the anthrax attacks. This is supposedly sufficient motive for individual bad actors like Bruce Ivins, but not for large monied entities like pharmaceutical corporations.
This book is engaging, and the author really does try to address the weaknesses in the government’s evidence against Bruce Ivins. Regrettably, Bruce can’t be with us today to stand trial in a court of law, because being investigated for the anthrax attacks made him very sad, and he killed himself to evade facing justice for his crimes. Case closed! Not even joking - the FBI closed the case after Ivins’s suicide.
The most revealing part in the book to me is the chapter where the author describes the search of the pond where the supposedly cleared suspect, Steven Hatfill, had reportedly disposed of a Biosafety Level 2 case. They actually DID find a biohazard cabinet in there. That information is so minimized in this text as to be noteworthy. For some reason, the author insists on framing it as if Hatfill was only supposed to have been working underwater in the case to keep anthrax powder from escaping. What if he just dumped it in there after the fact!?
In my mind, ANYONE who works with anthrax spores for the government is guilty of this crime. I’m sure if you looked into the psychic makeup of ANY of these mad scientists, you would find evils akin to Bruce Ivins’s. For instance, Steven Hatfill claimed to be part of the white army of Rhodesia - and just happened to be there during the world’s largest anthrax outbreak. What kind of a person plays around with these godlike powers? The fact is that anyone who creates dangers to the population like anthrax under WHATEVER pretext is a criminal and enemy of the people.
The author of this book, like the authors of the other books on the anthrax attacks, relies heavily on the same few inside USAMRIID sources like John Ezzell and Col. Arthur Friedlander, who I would say are doing damage control and deserve to be looked at in their own right. The author’s larger point is absolutely true - that the US government used the anthrax attacks to justify the war in Iraq even though it certainly knew right away that the anthrax came from a US military source - even if that fact gets intentionally lost in the Bruce Ivins Freakshow.
The author laments that the media didn’t report on the early confirmation that the anthrax found was American and not Iraqi, yet he also was writing for the LA Times… 🤔Brother, YOU could have sounded the alarm here…. Certainly if the media would have contained liars like Ken Alibek, Robert Kadlec, Tara O’Toole, and yes, Freaking Anthony Fauci back when they were managing the anthrax attacks, we’d have a different world today. Instead, we all continue to be outsiders to the truth, observing the spectacle of the US government fruitlessly investigating the crimes of its own military.
Apparently Ivins owned part of a patent on a new anthrax vaccine, for which he made $12,000 after the anthrax attacks. This is supposedly sufficient motive for individual bad actors like Bruce Ivins, but not for large monied entities like pharmaceutical corporations.
This book is engaging, and the author really does try to address the weaknesses in the government’s evidence against Bruce Ivins. Regrettably, Bruce can’t be with us today to stand trial in a court of law, because being investigated for the anthrax attacks made him very sad, and he killed himself to evade facing justice for his crimes. Case closed! Not even joking - the FBI closed the case after Ivins’s suicide.
The most revealing part in the book to me is the chapter where the author describes the search of the pond where the supposedly cleared suspect, Steven Hatfill, had reportedly disposed of a Biosafety Level 2 case. They actually DID find a biohazard cabinet in there. That information is so minimized in this text as to be noteworthy. For some reason, the author insists on framing it as if Hatfill was only supposed to have been working underwater in the case to keep anthrax powder from escaping. What if he just dumped it in there after the fact!?
In my mind, ANYONE who works with anthrax spores for the government is guilty of this crime. I’m sure if you looked into the psychic makeup of ANY of these mad scientists, you would find evils akin to Bruce Ivins’s. For instance, Steven Hatfill claimed to be part of the white army of Rhodesia - and just happened to be there during the world’s largest anthrax outbreak. What kind of a person plays around with these godlike powers? The fact is that anyone who creates dangers to the population like anthrax under WHATEVER pretext is a criminal and enemy of the people.
The author of this book, like the authors of the other books on the anthrax attacks, relies heavily on the same few inside USAMRIID sources like John Ezzell and Col. Arthur Friedlander, who I would say are doing damage control and deserve to be looked at in their own right. The author’s larger point is absolutely true - that the US government used the anthrax attacks to justify the war in Iraq even though it certainly knew right away that the anthrax came from a US military source - even if that fact gets intentionally lost in the Bruce Ivins Freakshow.
The author laments that the media didn’t report on the early confirmation that the anthrax found was American and not Iraqi, yet he also was writing for the LA Times… 🤔Brother, YOU could have sounded the alarm here…. Certainly if the media would have contained liars like Ken Alibek, Robert Kadlec, Tara O’Toole, and yes, Freaking Anthony Fauci back when they were managing the anthrax attacks, we’d have a different world today. Instead, we all continue to be outsiders to the truth, observing the spectacle of the US government fruitlessly investigating the crimes of its own military.
February 21, 2021
Przeczytałem wcześniej dwie książki o mizoginii z rzędu i chciałem sobie zrobić przerwę, bo to naprawdę męczące doświadczenie. Dlatego dla odprężenia sięgnąłem po historię amerykańskiego naukowca, który w 2001 r. rozesłał do mediów i polityków listy z wąglikiem.
Okazało się, że nie da się od mizoginii uciec. Bruce Ivins, nadawca listów, chciał w ten sposób zapewnić sobie pracę - zajmował się zawodowo przeciwdziałaniem wąglikowi jako broni biologicznej, pracował nad ulepszoną szczepionką. Rozesłanie śmiertelnego wąglika jako udrożnienie ścieżki kariery było w sumie znakomitym ukoronowaniem drogi życiowej gościa, któremu bardzo wiele rzeczy uszło wcześniej na sucho, bo "ach, ten nasz Bruce, hihi".
Otóż Ivins był stalkerem. Ba, był królem stalkerów. Odrzucony przez członkinię studenckiego siostrzeństwa Kappa Kappa Gamma tak to siostrzeństwo znienawidził, że m.in. włamał się do jego siedziby i skradł jego sekrety i kody, a potem potrafił zatrudnić się jako wodzirej imprezy w siostrzeństwie (był muzykiem i żonglerem) i w jednej piosence swojego autorstwa wyśpiewać znienacka wszystie te tajne informacje, aż przerażone dziewczyny wezwały policję. Maltretował psychicznie swoją współpracowniczkę, również członkinię tego siostrzeństwa na studiach. Graffiti na ścianach domu, listy o kontrowersyjnej treści, rzekomo jej autorstwa, wysyłane do redakcji gazet. Skrytki pocztowe zakładane na nazwisko jej i jej narzeczonego. Jego koleżanki z pracy podejrzewały, skądinąd słusznie, że włamywał się na ich konta mailowe i czytał ich korespondencję. Wszystko to uchodziło mu płazem - "ach, ten nasz Bruce". Dosłownie! Po angielsku brzmi to tak, że współpracownicy mówili, że to "Bruce being Bruce" (jest to też tytuł rozdziału książki).
Nie wiem, czy to wpływ moich wcześniejszych lektur, ale czytałem to przez pryzmat wąsatego patriarchalnego seksizmu i atmosfery przyzwolenia na molestowanie. Ktoś tam sobie hehe nie radzi z dziewczynami, trochę niekonwencjonalnie podchodzi do tematu, ale nikomu się przecież krzywda hehe nie dzieje, ach, ten nasz Bruce.
No, a potem rozesłał te swoje listy.
Okazało się, że nie da się od mizoginii uciec. Bruce Ivins, nadawca listów, chciał w ten sposób zapewnić sobie pracę - zajmował się zawodowo przeciwdziałaniem wąglikowi jako broni biologicznej, pracował nad ulepszoną szczepionką. Rozesłanie śmiertelnego wąglika jako udrożnienie ścieżki kariery było w sumie znakomitym ukoronowaniem drogi życiowej gościa, któremu bardzo wiele rzeczy uszło wcześniej na sucho, bo "ach, ten nasz Bruce, hihi".
Otóż Ivins był stalkerem. Ba, był królem stalkerów. Odrzucony przez członkinię studenckiego siostrzeństwa Kappa Kappa Gamma tak to siostrzeństwo znienawidził, że m.in. włamał się do jego siedziby i skradł jego sekrety i kody, a potem potrafił zatrudnić się jako wodzirej imprezy w siostrzeństwie (był muzykiem i żonglerem) i w jednej piosence swojego autorstwa wyśpiewać znienacka wszystie te tajne informacje, aż przerażone dziewczyny wezwały policję. Maltretował psychicznie swoją współpracowniczkę, również członkinię tego siostrzeństwa na studiach. Graffiti na ścianach domu, listy o kontrowersyjnej treści, rzekomo jej autorstwa, wysyłane do redakcji gazet. Skrytki pocztowe zakładane na nazwisko jej i jej narzeczonego. Jego koleżanki z pracy podejrzewały, skądinąd słusznie, że włamywał się na ich konta mailowe i czytał ich korespondencję. Wszystko to uchodziło mu płazem - "ach, ten nasz Bruce". Dosłownie! Po angielsku brzmi to tak, że współpracownicy mówili, że to "Bruce being Bruce" (jest to też tytuł rozdziału książki).
Nie wiem, czy to wpływ moich wcześniejszych lektur, ale czytałem to przez pryzmat wąsatego patriarchalnego seksizmu i atmosfery przyzwolenia na molestowanie. Ktoś tam sobie hehe nie radzi z dziewczynami, trochę niekonwencjonalnie podchodzi do tematu, ale nikomu się przecież krzywda hehe nie dzieje, ach, ten nasz Bruce.
No, a potem rozesłał te swoje listy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2011
Wow. This book makes the FBI look very bad, but I think it is more a cautionary tale about how people get fixed ideas that then become entrenched. Instead of doing a broad and effective investigation, the government first got fixated on the idea that the anthrax attacks were part of the 9/11 event (in all fairness, the timing certainly was suggestive). This was driven by media leaks, lack of scientific understanding, and some turf battles at USAMRIID. Then the FBI got fixated on the wrong suspect, and wasted several years on that investigation, while the real perp was doing what he could to obscure his involvement. But perhaps the most amazing thing is that the real perp was clearly strange and had a security clearance despite grave psychological problems of a nature that should have triggered alarm bells long before his actions. But people see what they want to see, and apparently accepted his oddness as within normal parameters in the science community. If I ever saw an example of paradigm blindness, this case is textbook. No one saw what they needed to see for a long time because of their preconceived notions. It's a blessing that there were not more anthrax attacks during the many years wasted on false leads and a false, and tragically harmed, suspect. Thank heavens a few FBI agents were able to shake free of the paradigm and identify the real killer. The book is a great read for psychologists, security experts, and law enforcement people.
May 3, 2021
It all started here, I mean the Covid-19 pandemic that is rampaging the globe. I read this book due to Nicholson Baker's recommendation: "See David Willman’s fascinating biography of Ivins, Mirage Man". He wrote the "The Lab-Leak Hypothesis" in New York Magazine. (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/artic...)
The anthrax letters started the US funding craze on biowarfare agents. Anti-terror budget went from $53 million in 2001 to $1.7 billion in 2003 and stayed big to the present. This led to "gain-of-function" experiments to make harmless viruses lethal (that were partially outsourced to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology) so that an effective vaccine and drugs would be ready for it.
The sad thing is, none of the trillions of dollars in research resulted in any of the successful vaccines we now have. All we got was billions of dollars spent on anthrax vaccine manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions, which uses an obsolete technology that Bruce Ivins was trying to replace. The cost per anthrax dose went from $3.35 to $30.(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/06/us...)
And the Emergent factory in Maryland was totally useless in making covid vaccines.(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/us...)
Triumph of the lobbyists! Poor taxpayer and poor world.
The anthrax letters started the US funding craze on biowarfare agents. Anti-terror budget went from $53 million in 2001 to $1.7 billion in 2003 and stayed big to the present. This led to "gain-of-function" experiments to make harmless viruses lethal (that were partially outsourced to China's Wuhan Institute of Virology) so that an effective vaccine and drugs would be ready for it.
The sad thing is, none of the trillions of dollars in research resulted in any of the successful vaccines we now have. All we got was billions of dollars spent on anthrax vaccine manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions, which uses an obsolete technology that Bruce Ivins was trying to replace. The cost per anthrax dose went from $3.35 to $30.(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/06/us...)
And the Emergent factory in Maryland was totally useless in making covid vaccines.(https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/us...)
Triumph of the lobbyists! Poor taxpayer and poor world.
April 16, 2021
Extraordinary work by Willman. This is first-rate detective nonfiction!
September 5, 2020
In 2001, letters containing anthrax spores killed five people and infected over a dozen more in the USA. In 2008, Bruce Ivins had become the main FBI suspect when he fatally overdosed on painkillers. Ivins had motive for the attacks: he’d worked for more than 10 years on an anthrax vaccine which was at risk of being de-funded. But after the attacks it was licensed and contracted by the US government for production. He also had the opportunity to take anthrax from the army lab where he worked, due to its lax security. The book describes Ivins’ late night hours before the anthrax letters were posted, his devious and spiteful personal behaviour, e.g. writing letters to the press in the name of a former colleague he had a crush on, and homicidal thoughts expressed online and in solo and group therapy. Some people doubt whether Ivins could have carried out the crimes alone, or even whether he was involved at all. What is agreed is that the strain of anthrax originated in the USA and the only serious suspects had links to the USA’s own military programmes.
December 12, 2021
Whoa! Better than fiction. A study, of a mad scientist. True to the title, you’ll learn about Bruce, Anthrax, & how we pointed the finger at Iraq. The reading felt like watching a gripping, suspenseful thriller movie. I felt both awe & pity for the FBI. On one hand, I admired the diligence of some key investigators & agents, and I lauded the stalwart efforts of those who were involved in the whole thing, such professionals as microbiologists, forensic experts, postal workers, psychologists, detectives, et. al., and I likewise found amazement in witnessing how accurately things can be traced from the barest or most miniscule of clues. The book’s a fascinating play-by-play chronicling of a cat-and-mouse ‘game’, only the mouse ultimately eludes the cat by choosing the poison over the trap, or the claws & teeth.
The FBI deserves some pity for being composed of mere mortals, so to speak, but should be accountable for having focused so narrowly on one suspect (Hatfill). There are several could’ve-would’ve-should’ve instances that are described by the author. For example, there could’ve been a more keen-sighted and perspicacious lead investigator, or the news media could have done a better job of journalism. Readers can also imagine their own responses to some of Bruce’s odd behavior, how they would proceed if a person expressed an urge to harm someone, or if they would ever suspect someone like Bruce of mailing letters laced w/anthrax. There’s an epilogue to the book, and it kinda touches upon the should’ves: the several instances wherein there should have been either greater caution, suspicion & intuition, or lesser haste, prejudgement, & authority (the top-down micromanagement that saddled the first half of the investigation). Bruce Ivins’ genius is on display for all to see. It is tellingly mad, undeniably real, terrifyingly significant. But his is a rare case. There is a concourse of pros & experts whose highly technical (and valued) skills are not so woefully & tragically belied by idiosyncrasies, personality disorders, mental derangements, or emotional anguish and bipolarity.
There is sadness in knowing that the guy sought mental help extensively. Psychiatrist, therapists & counselors have logs on him. He sincerely tried, I believe. But not every sore can be remedied. In retrospect, yea, he should’ve been screened & evaluated before employment at Fort Detrick notwithstanding his intelligence and highly-sought capacities.
High recommendation. It’s informative of pathogens & those institutes that address them. The fallibility of the latter is revealed. It mentions the promises & problems of the anthrax vaccine. Bioweaponry is discussed although taciturnly. Most of it is narrative, easy to follow, but there is a considerable amount of both microbiology AND law. Five stars for being so visceral, prescient, and important.
The FBI deserves some pity for being composed of mere mortals, so to speak, but should be accountable for having focused so narrowly on one suspect (Hatfill). There are several could’ve-would’ve-should’ve instances that are described by the author. For example, there could’ve been a more keen-sighted and perspicacious lead investigator, or the news media could have done a better job of journalism. Readers can also imagine their own responses to some of Bruce’s odd behavior, how they would proceed if a person expressed an urge to harm someone, or if they would ever suspect someone like Bruce of mailing letters laced w/anthrax. There’s an epilogue to the book, and it kinda touches upon the should’ves: the several instances wherein there should have been either greater caution, suspicion & intuition, or lesser haste, prejudgement, & authority (the top-down micromanagement that saddled the first half of the investigation). Bruce Ivins’ genius is on display for all to see. It is tellingly mad, undeniably real, terrifyingly significant. But his is a rare case. There is a concourse of pros & experts whose highly technical (and valued) skills are not so woefully & tragically belied by idiosyncrasies, personality disorders, mental derangements, or emotional anguish and bipolarity.
There is sadness in knowing that the guy sought mental help extensively. Psychiatrist, therapists & counselors have logs on him. He sincerely tried, I believe. But not every sore can be remedied. In retrospect, yea, he should’ve been screened & evaluated before employment at Fort Detrick notwithstanding his intelligence and highly-sought capacities.
High recommendation. It’s informative of pathogens & those institutes that address them. The fallibility of the latter is revealed. It mentions the promises & problems of the anthrax vaccine. Bioweaponry is discussed although taciturnly. Most of it is narrative, easy to follow, but there is a considerable amount of both microbiology AND law. Five stars for being so visceral, prescient, and important.
July 21, 2012
Most Americans remember the anthrax attacks that occurred through the U.S. Mail in the weeks following 9/11. However, the resolution of that case is not as widely known. David Willman examines the case in great detail in The Mirage Man, an excellent account of one of the most complex cases in the FBI's history.
In the fall of 2001, Bruce Ivins, a civilian scientist at an Army laboratory, sent deadly anthrax spores through the mail. Willman explores Ivins's life, from his early years with an abusive mother through his troubled adulthood and his mental issues. The book gives a detailed account of the investigation and its many missteps, including false information that was used to bolster the case for going to war against Iraq and the years spent focused on the wrong suspect. Willman also describes the science involved in the case in a way that is understandable to a layperson.
This is an important book for anyone with an interest in true crime, current events, and political science. It raises many questions about the security at U.S. research facilities, the integrity of FBI investigations, and the dissemination of false information.
In the fall of 2001, Bruce Ivins, a civilian scientist at an Army laboratory, sent deadly anthrax spores through the mail. Willman explores Ivins's life, from his early years with an abusive mother through his troubled adulthood and his mental issues. The book gives a detailed account of the investigation and its many missteps, including false information that was used to bolster the case for going to war against Iraq and the years spent focused on the wrong suspect. Willman also describes the science involved in the case in a way that is understandable to a layperson.
This is an important book for anyone with an interest in true crime, current events, and political science. It raises many questions about the security at U.S. research facilities, the integrity of FBI investigations, and the dissemination of false information.
September 6, 2011
I would be interested to hear what others have to say about this book. It appears very well researched, but the footnotes often don't supply any credible information. I am just not sure what to think.
June 17, 2013
Incredible book! Although the outcome was well documented in the media, the book still reads like a mystery novel and Willman does a brilliant job of providing only the most relevant details which keep the reader focused and intrigued.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
March 19, 2022
Seems like a very appropriate book to read in light of the COVID virus and charges that it originated in a research lab in Wuhan. Trusting the government with highly dangerous viruses and bacteria is questionable at best. Even worse is how politicians will twist a situation to their advantage. And worse still is the government's inability to investigate itself.
This is all demonstrated by the "Amerithrax" scandal of 20 years ago. I have recollections of it of course, but it all kind of faded from the news for me. Now I know why. It took the FBI 7 years to finally build a case against a suspect, who then committed suicide, meaning no one was ever charged in one of the most egregious examples of domestic terrorism to ever occur. Of course, that it originated within the government itself is one reason this event is rarely discussed. Another is that for most of those 7 years the FBI was "building" a case against someone who just rubbed them the wrong way! Steven Hatfill ultimately got a $6M settlement in return for having his life ruined. So much for the idea that if you have nothing to hide you shouldn't have a problem with the Feds snooping through it.
In the end that was the biggest storyline for me - the FBI willfully ignoring evidence that was gift-wrapped and handed to them. The FBI comes off looking like a bunch of politicians and careerists, turning whichever way the political winds blew. But the book also brings up the use of the Anthrax attacks to build up support for the invasion of Iraq, which was aided by a news media willing to skip facts in the search for sensational headlines. A lot of ire gets turned on George W. Bush, much of it justified, for the foolish decision to invade Iraq. Of course the news media played a significant role, but that is carefully ignored.
I was also struck by how easy it is to portray someone as a villain. Bruce Ivins had a lot of junk in his past that made him look guilty. But really, if someone went poking through your life, how easy would it be to find dirt that would make you look guilty of something? Keep in mind that there are still people today who are convinced Ivins had nothing to do with the Anthrax letters.
But in the end the author convinced me. There was just too much circumstantial evidence. Ivins had a motive: royalties from selling the vaccine (another parallel to COVID???). He had the skills to develop the dried Anthrax, and he had access. And he also had shady dealings in his past that convinced me he would be capable of sending the letters. There were people who knew him pretty well who were convinced from the beginning that he was behind the attacks, just based on their past experience with him. And yet the FBI willfully chose to ignore their warnings.
In another side note: anyone in the office building where the senators had their offices got antibiotics as a precaution against Anthrax exposure. But... nobody thought about the postal facility that sorted the letters, so two postal workers died. Those workers would have survived had anyone thought about it. To me it again just demonstrates how insulated DC is from reality. No one thought about the damn postal workers, who compromised most (all?) of the victims of the attacks.
So get the book. It seems even more important today than when it was published.
This is all demonstrated by the "Amerithrax" scandal of 20 years ago. I have recollections of it of course, but it all kind of faded from the news for me. Now I know why. It took the FBI 7 years to finally build a case against a suspect, who then committed suicide, meaning no one was ever charged in one of the most egregious examples of domestic terrorism to ever occur. Of course, that it originated within the government itself is one reason this event is rarely discussed. Another is that for most of those 7 years the FBI was "building" a case against someone who just rubbed them the wrong way! Steven Hatfill ultimately got a $6M settlement in return for having his life ruined. So much for the idea that if you have nothing to hide you shouldn't have a problem with the Feds snooping through it.
In the end that was the biggest storyline for me - the FBI willfully ignoring evidence that was gift-wrapped and handed to them. The FBI comes off looking like a bunch of politicians and careerists, turning whichever way the political winds blew. But the book also brings up the use of the Anthrax attacks to build up support for the invasion of Iraq, which was aided by a news media willing to skip facts in the search for sensational headlines. A lot of ire gets turned on George W. Bush, much of it justified, for the foolish decision to invade Iraq. Of course the news media played a significant role, but that is carefully ignored.
I was also struck by how easy it is to portray someone as a villain. Bruce Ivins had a lot of junk in his past that made him look guilty. But really, if someone went poking through your life, how easy would it be to find dirt that would make you look guilty of something? Keep in mind that there are still people today who are convinced Ivins had nothing to do with the Anthrax letters.
But in the end the author convinced me. There was just too much circumstantial evidence. Ivins had a motive: royalties from selling the vaccine (another parallel to COVID???). He had the skills to develop the dried Anthrax, and he had access. And he also had shady dealings in his past that convinced me he would be capable of sending the letters. There were people who knew him pretty well who were convinced from the beginning that he was behind the attacks, just based on their past experience with him. And yet the FBI willfully chose to ignore their warnings.
In another side note: anyone in the office building where the senators had their offices got antibiotics as a precaution against Anthrax exposure. But... nobody thought about the postal facility that sorted the letters, so two postal workers died. Those workers would have survived had anyone thought about it. To me it again just demonstrates how insulated DC is from reality. No one thought about the damn postal workers, who compromised most (all?) of the victims of the attacks.
So get the book. It seems even more important today than when it was published.
October 6, 2025
An interesting read. There's a bit of repetition here and there. What stands out is the tunnel vision of the FBI, probably caused by political reasons. Fascinating read about a highly functioning person with mental issues.
January 13, 2021
So intriguing, yet so frustrating read.
Not because of books quality at all, but because of all the mess caused by multitude of incompetence, ignorance, and conspiracy theories.
Recommended.
Not because of books quality at all, but because of all the mess caused by multitude of incompetence, ignorance, and conspiracy theories.
Recommended.
May 9, 2021
Good, but some contradictions in it.
July 21, 2022
Incredibly researched and gripping story!
May 15, 2025
It was a slog, but i am glad i finished it! Meticulously (at times exhaustively) well researched.
Read
August 2, 2011This is an important story in the insight it gives to our ideas on terrorism and the operating principles of our law enforcement people and our public spokespeople. It is also finally unsatisfying because it does not end with a trial where all the details are hashed out in public. The reader finally must looks at inference and circumstantial evidence and make up his/her mind. But it is a vital bit of history to cast light on what we have experienced and that influences our lives and community decisions to this day. A little editorial help could have been used to order the presentation of information a little less dryly (is wet the opposite of dry? -- sounds weird). I recommend it, as a historical review not as a true-crime thriller (maybe that's what the writer was going for!).
December 5, 2011
In 2001 a series of letters containing anthrax were mailed to several members of Congress and journalists. The book focuses on Bruce Ivins, an anthrax researcher, who ultimately was determined by the FBI to be the perpetrator, although since he committed suicide before confessing there isn't complete proof. Also covered is the relentless pursuit of the first suspect, Steven Hatfill, by the FBI in spite of almost no evidence against him.
The investigation is described in detail as well as Ivins' troubled upbringing and serious mental issues. The book was very easy to read and kept me interested all the way through.
The investigation is described in detail as well as Ivins' troubled upbringing and serious mental issues. The book was very easy to read and kept me interested all the way through.
January 4, 2012
Exhaustively detailed history of the 2001 anthrax attack and a very definitively made case presented fingering Fort Detrick biochemist Bruce Ivins as the culprit; a bizarre duck, Ivins' strange behaviors were tipped off to the FBI early on, but they concentrated on the wrong man. Hysteria over the anthrax attack being bioterrorism from Iraq helped to lead the country to war two years later, but the terrorism was close to home.
May 3, 2013
This was a fascinating look inside the investigation of the Anthrax attacks, and the reason it too over 7 years to finally come up with the real suspect. The information was well documented, and even though the eventual suspect committed suicide prior to prosecution, the author provides a very concise list of evidence that would have been used against this person, and it's compelling. Well written, fascinating tale of intrigue.
January 14, 2012
A good blend of thriller, psychological drama, and political commentary.
Reading this made me aware of how much we need to take responsibility for following up on current events that get bumped off the front page. Most Americans remember the anthrax-laced letters that were delivered soon after the 9-11 attacks; most of us probably forgot how it turned out.
Reading this made me aware of how much we need to take responsibility for following up on current events that get bumped off the front page. Most Americans remember the anthrax-laced letters that were delivered soon after the 9-11 attacks; most of us probably forgot how it turned out.
May 4, 2012
This is the first of two books that I have begun reading this year but could not stand to finish. The author did an amazing job of collecting information for the book, but his presentation falls short. To be quite blunt, the book is a boring read.
October 18, 2011
Well this started out really interesting and then got totally bogged down in minutiae......
December 27, 2015
Seems well researched. Scary how the govs sometime operate.
January 22, 2016
Fascinating psychological examination of the anthrax killer.
July 5, 2011
Scientifically, politically and physiologically fascinating.
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