U.S. Marshals: The Greatest Cases of America's Most Effective Law Enforcement Agency – An Insider Memoir by a Legendary Lawman's Descendant

by Mike Earp, David Fisher

If you are a fugitive in America, your worst nightmare is a deputy U.S. marshal on your trail: each year the Marshals Service takes more criminals off the streets than every other federal law enforcement agency—combined. Tasked with apprehending the most dangerous and elusive criminals, the Marshals have been essential to numerous famous manhunts, from the D.C. sniper to Whitey Bulger to Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.

From Mike Earp, the former associate director of operations for the Marshals Service, and #1 New York Times bestselling author David Fisher, this book tells the thrilling inside story of today's U.S. marshals in their own words. Based on interviews with more than fifty current and former deputies, as well as Earp's personal case notes, here are the greatest cases, hairiest arrests, and most unforgettable moments, all revealed for the first time. Here also is a history of how the marshals of legend have evolved into the country's frontline law enforcement agency, charged with arresting the most notorious suspects. This is the untold story of the new U.S. Marshals Service, as seen through the eyes of the men and women who were pivotal in solving many of the most high-profile and dangerous cases in recent history.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Crime, True Crime, Memoir, Audiobook, Biography

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 2014

Reviews

[Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional book of stories of the breakneck pursuit of murderers, rapists, drug lords, kidnappers, terrorists and many other dangerous felons who hide out in America from coast to coast and border to border. It has spoiled me for reading fiction of this genre because these nonfictional accounts are so fast-paced and hard-hitting and all the more powerful for being true.

A mild start, which explains the Old West history of the force and how the US Marshals work in the 21st century, soon gives over to rapid fire stories of case after case of the difficult and dangerous work of chasing down some of the most brutal criminals on the planet. A page turner.

Written by Mike Earp, yes, a direct relation of Wyatt, and read with appropriate grit by John Pruden in its audiobook version.

[Koren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of people don't know what a U.S. Marshal does. Basically, it is a cross between the FBI and a bounty hunter. A marshal doesn't investigate the crimes. They are given the name of a fugitive or fugitives and track them down. The book tells us what is involved in this very dangerous job and gives numerous short case stories that the author experienced. Very interesting and at times humorous. It is amazing what lengths some criminals will go to to avoid arrest. This book was very interesting but I am deducting one star because some of the stories started to sound the same after a while.

[Kat V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is VERY pro-cop. I mean to the extreme. It assumes that everyone is guilty before a trial and there is a serious lack of human empathy. The stories are action packed and make for an interesting read. Bit racist and sexist. Admittedly I enjoyed most of stories I just didn’t like the author. Absolutely hate when animals get hurt though. I guess 2.5 stars?

[Chris Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A detailed biography of the jobs of deputy marshals in the US Marshals Service! Detailing their time hunting fugitives across the world, they detail incredible stories of how the agency came to be and the time-consuming work in finding fugitives.

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down, fascinating! The narrator was wonderful. I'll probably listen to it a second time it was that good.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retired U.S. Marshal Mike Earp draws upon 29 years of service and his extensive professional network as the former Associate Director of the U.S. Marshals to offer one of the few books with an insider's view of the agency. Earp focuses almost entirely on the Marshal's mission of apprehending fugitives, leaving out other duties such as running the Federal Witness Protection Program, and seizing and selling criminal assets. 'U.S. Marshals' reads more like a collection of short stories and anecdotes as told by current and former Marshals than a thorough overview of the Agency. I found myself flipping through it and reading stories at random; this book could have benefited from a good editor. For fans of true crime however, the stories are insightful and engaging. Tracking and capturing the most notorious and dangerous wanted criminals, the Marshals in this book have some riveting stories to tell. Plenty of car chases, fistfights, gun battles, and detective type work. In one story the Sheriffs mailed fake prize invitations to fugitives to a party where they supposedly would be awarded Super Bowl tickets. They created an elaborate party at a hotel complete with food servers and hosts who were actually Sheriffs. Once all the fugitives had arrived they were promptly arrested. As one guy was being led away in handcuffs, he asked if he was still going to get his tickets. There are a surprising amount of humorous stories like this, and made Earp's book well worth reading.

[Kimberly Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a cool book filled with action packed and heroic stories. I have more admiration now for law enforcement, particularly US Marshals and the vigor in which they go after violent fugitives. They have to make tough decisions while bravely stand in front of front doors, not knowing what awaits them on the other side. Takes a lot of guts!!

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting

Interesting read, but it could have been edited to be much more concise. I felt it went on and on.

[Adam Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stories were great, but the interludes were badly organized and written. Would have been great as an oral history, but that requires skill beyond what these hack writers possess.

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

The US Marshals service is the most storied Law Enforcement Agency in America. It was originally formed by the order of President George Washington back in 1789. When the Western United States was lawless the Marshals had fugitives to find and posses to form, but eventually, they lost their place behind the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other Law Enforcement Agencies such as the DEA. By the 1970s, the Marshals was a derelict institution with little to do, reveling in its former glories. Most of the people that had even heard of the Marshals related them to Old Hollywood movies. However, all of that changed following some events in 1979.

Suddenly, an infusion of young blood was sent to the Marshals Service, and they were hungry for action. These people were fresh from the Vietnam War, they wanted more than offering summonses for court and guarding Court Houses with their Judges. The book says straight up that Mike Earp had a great role to play in this development. Through action by Congress, the Marshals were given more responsibilities. The first steps were rather tentative, the Marshals gained a central office where all the information was shared, they received standardized training and equipment, and they had jurisdiction over the entire country so a criminal couldn’t just run to another county or state.

The book is at turns entertaining and grim, with both laughter and thrills between the pages. Former Marshals recount the arrests that they made and the things that went awry. The book is separated into eight chapters, with each chapter being the main theme for the stories told within them. I figured it would be interesting when I saw it at the Library and I was not disappointed.

[Steven Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The U.S. Marshals Service has been romanticized in the old Western films, and received a bit of attention in the 1990s with the films THE FUGITIVE and US MARSHALS. It wasn't until the hit series JUSTIFIED that the public started to become aware that the Marshals had a bit more of an impact in federal law enforcement than they thought.

The book U.S. MARSHALS: INSIDE AMERICA'S MOST STORIED LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY gives a very insightful source as to the modern history of the service. It shows the initial shift from strictly court duties (security, delivering summons), to their initial fugitive manhunts in the 1970s and 1980s, to the massive shift they experienced post-9/11, when the FBI shifted almost solely to counterterrorism, national security, and white collar crime.

Earp's style and the style of those interviewed for the book is direct, and at times humorous (I laughed for about five minutes at the family member of a fugitive saying he was going to sue the government for "radioactive back pay"). It pulls no punches and shows that truly, every day in the Marshals Service is different from the last. The tales of derring-do in pursuit of their objective made for an extremely thrilling read.

The only real annoyance I found with it was there were sections where Earp was referred to in the third person. I can only guess since he had a co-author, those sections were written by the co-author, but it still felt a bit jarring. However, it wasn't jarring enough to detract a star.

Highly recommended reading for aficionados of American law enforcement history and anybody looking for a thrilling read of cops and fugitives.

[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining book with back to back personal accounts of fugitive chasing. Less historical and only a little political. This book doesn't seem to be well organized as a whole, but rather as a collection of thrilling, suspenseful, and humorous details of daily U.S Marshal life. It gets a little redundant halfway through, but I didn't mind since I was reading it at the same time as another book so I picked it back up here and there. Overall I recommend it for anyone in the law enforcement field, anyone who enjoys watching the TV show cops, or anyone interested in criminal vs justice interactions. Personally it was interesting to find out where criminals tend to hide, how you can catch them by surprise, and some of the motivations for their crimes. Psychologically, this book has more stories to tell.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting work on an obscure organization.

The book uses a number of anecdotes to illustrate the range of some of the duties of the Marshals. Specifically, the work pays attention to the aspect of the job involving apprehending fugitives. This dramatic and interesting work requires a certain sort of courage. Maybe a little recklessness.

Not that much of a historical work. It also doesn't deal much with the Witness Protection program. Again, the focus seems to be in manhunting. I should think this focus should be entertaining to a reasonably large group of people. The work also avoid obvious political leanings, which is appreciated.

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book may seem to some (even me) like a bunch of bragging about physical and mental prowess by law enforcement And there's probably a lot of that in this book. That said, this book represents the US Marshals service in the highest regard... something I'd ask the author is, when abuse occurs (as it does in any government agency) who is there to question/prosecute that abuse? There was no reflection or introspection in this book. Otherwise, it was a great/easy read even though it was long All the stories had purpose merit and were entertaining. Who could ask for a better real-time novel regarding true crime!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I was expecting to read a history of the Marshalls; which this was. It was, also, filled with anecdotes which illustrated what the Marshalls do. I laughed, I gasped, I almost cried; by the end, I had an even better opinion of the Marshall service than the already good one I had at the beginning. This was well-written, interesting, and informative.

[Matt Connolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. I was expecting it to be a memoir of Earp’s career as a U.S. Marshal, instead it was a collection of short stories loosely organized into chapters. For anyone interested in federal law enforcement it’s a good primer but by no means definitive.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The opening part of the book was pretty dry and could have been shortened or maybe not included. The rest of the book included many short stories that followed a particular theme. It was interesting about what marshals do, if not kind of a macho-themed story line.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yup. I would definitely want to be a U.S. Marshall if I had to do it all over again .

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to audionbook.

Very interesting information but written in a somewhat dry manner.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was expecting the entire history of the marshal service. However, it was entertaining.

[April Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I super enjoyed this. It was like listening to a bunch of people tell stories about "this one time..."

[Carol Nease]

True stories. Very good

[Chuck Mankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. A really great read. If you are interested in law enforcement, the Marshals Service, or just like true crime this is a great book. Some amazing stories in here.

[Pamela Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently writing a book with a US Marshal hero so needed this book for insight and it delivered.

[Alex Bonis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Very interesting look inside the us marshals

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed all the little first-person POV interview stories... the hiding place ones were crazy... imagine hiding in the refridgerator or in the back of the oven

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was awesome! like a highlight real of a bunch of cases, learned a lot about the history of the US Marshalls as well .

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, three stars. Here's why:
The book is redundant. Just to be clear, I liked this book. The stories were engaging and it was interesting to get some of the inside scoop on the Marshals and how they fit in to modern law enforcement.
The Marshals Service was created by George Washington in 1789--I didn't know that! They are Federal officers with arrest powers in every state of the US and most of its territories and protectorates. The creation of the new model for law enforcement was led by the Marshals Service by using "force multipliers" in the creation of task forces comprised of local, state and Federal agencies. Many people don't even realize the US Marshals still exist, and those that DO know they are still around, don't even know what they do!
I think that is fine with Mike Earp, a co-author of this book. The US Marshals continues to function as the most effective law enforcement body in the United States. The FBI couldn't get it done, the Marshals come in and clean up the town. So to speak. And they go quietly about their business. And people forget they are there. Then they catch the bad guys and the bad guys are like "Who are you guys really? This isn't the Old West. The Marshals aren't real anymore." I think what Earp and his co-author are trying to get to is that this obscurity surrounding the Marshals is what allows it to be such an effective tool in getting worthless scumbags off the streets.
I can recommend this book if your are interested in finding out a little more about the Marshals (or finding out about the Marshals Service period...) I just felt that the stories, anecdotes, and examples were repetitive. Earp and his co-author could have done what they did in half the book.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part I really enjoyed this book and it gave a greater appreciation for the job that the U.S. Marshalls do. It also brought me back to my beginnings of when I first began in law enforcement and the lack of equipment and then how over the years the training actually got much better. In this book you get to see the growth of the agency and how through their unique way of tracking down a suspect that they are able to get their man or woman faster than anyone else because of the way they are made for investigation and surveillance, just to name a few. The stories are interesting but by the last third of the book they seem to be repeated, and that is the only part of the book that I have a problem with. Everything else in the book is good and is very interesting to know. Overall not a bad book.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have always wanted to read a book on the US Marshals which would detail their success in a fashion that lionizes the FBI or comparable fashion. Unfortunately Mike Earp's book does a good job of telling a bunch of stories but he doesn't tie it all together. If the title of this book was LA Swat you could see these stories being told about the SWAT team for example. There is nothing I find compelling about the story that makes me want to learn more about the US Marshals. The work is obviously good but there is nothing to tie it all together and make us all appreciate the work of the Marshals service. There is no structure no organization or anything that tells us the story of what the Marshals Service does in a concise fashion.

You can pass on this one.