Lost Son: An American Family Trapped Inside the FBI's Secret Wars

by Brett Forrest

A  Foreign Policy  Best Summer Reading Pick

A young American lost in Russia. An FBI-cover up. A mystery leading from Washington to the heart of the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.  When Billy Reilly vanished, his parents embarked on a desperate search for answers. Was their son’s disappearance connected to his mysterious work for the FBI, or was it a personal quest gone wrong? Only when Wall Street Journal reporter Brett Forrest embarks on his own investigation does a picture of the FBI's exploitation of US citizens through a secretive intelligence program, a young man's lust for adventure within the world's conflicts, and the costs of a rising clash between Moscow and Washington. Sept. 11th roused Billy Reilly's curiosity for religions, war, and the world and its people beyond his small town near Detroit. Online, Billy taught himself Arabic and Russian. His passions led him into jihadi Internet forums, attracting the interest of the FBI. An amateur drawn into professional intelligence, Billy became a Confidential Human Source, one of thousands of civilians who assist FBI agents with investigative work, often at great hazard and with little recourse. When Russia stirred rebellion in Ukraine, Billy set out to make his mark. In Russia, Billy's communications dropped. His parents, frantic, asked the FBI for help but struggled to find answers. Grasping for clues, the Reilly family turned to Brett Forrest. Commencing a quest of his own, Forrest applied years' worth of research, along with decades of extensive experience in Russia, illuminating the inner workings of the national-security machine that enmeshed Billy and his family, picking up the lost son's trail. A masterwork of reporting, composed like a thriller, blending political maneuvering and international espionage,  Lost Son  illustrates one man's coming of age amid new global dangers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia, Politics, Religion

400 pages, Hardcover

Published May 23, 2023

Reviews

[WM D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost son was an excellent idea for a book. I really liked the concept of the book and the characters. It told the story of how a family who ‘s son goes missing will find other ways to get the answers they need to find out what happened to him. The result was a coverup by the FBI and people in Russia.

[Umar Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll review this later. Best Book of the year thus far. Amazing read. I've known a lot of young men like Billy, and I have a lot to say. Of particular interest is his conversion to Islam, FBI involvement, and just how and why he ended up in Russia.

[Jenya Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad, true story covering FBI use of low-paid, practically volunteer operatives, Russia/US relations from the 90s to now, and a Mid-west family searching for their lost son. Heartbreaking to read, but very interesting and well-written.

[Terry Solfest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to this on Audible. It was an absolutely fantastic story very well narrated by the writer. It is a highly intriguing tale. Highly recommended! It made me want to start reading Russian history.

[Mh Weyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story but filled with a lot of political and social leanings. Lots of loose ends as to what really was behind the lost son’s movements. Did confirm the antics of the FBI and other government agencies, even if there were reasons behind their movements.

[June]

Through a Glass Darkly….

Billy’s determined parents, and a determined journalist, seek for him after he disappears in Russia. They learn that besides their son’s jihadi connections on social media, both the FBI and various agencies of the Russian government are doing things they ought not. And that almost everyone is some kind of liar.

I felt with each chapter of this book that the parents and the author were putting themselves in danger with asking questions of powerful people that didn’t really want to answer. Yet that danger never materialized. Even among liars there is something compelling about their simple wish for the truth. They get bits and pieces of information, interspersed among all the lies and disinformation, that together make some kind of picture, not a clear one but it’s something.

The question that probably never can be answered is Why.

This is a great piece of journalism, and a haunting and disquieting story.

[jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was Billy’s story supposed to be meaningful? It wasn’t to me. This book made me angry for a couple of reasons. For one, Billy was an idiot, through and through. From his converting to radical Islam and studying the ways of terrorists (like bomb making!), to joining the russians to fight a terroristic war against sovereign Ukraine. The author, goes on a journey to figure out what happened to Billy, but the truth is he was corrupt of the mind, got killed because he was asking for it, frankly, and that’s the end of it. Meaningless. Two, the author obviously leans pro-russian sentiment. How he describes Ukraine and Ukrainians in some parts compared to russians is despicable (for example, he described Ukraine as never having been a nation but a people. - what does that even mean? That’s the exact narrative russians have toward Ukraine, and they use it as reason for their hellish invasion.)

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I’ve found a book so compelling that I read it cover to cover in one day. The author’s investigation into this case is so well done, at great risk to his own safety, that it should be used as a teaching tool for training investigators. He shows great empathy and respect for the missing man’s family.

Unfortunately, I was somewhat distracted by the naivety of the missing man and his family. For an almost thirty year old man to make such poor choices and to act so rashly was incredible to me. His family were classic enablers, but I do admire that they never gave up searching for him.

Overall, this was a very well written, interesting read. I highly recommend it.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This book is filled to the brim with information. Though it was a slow read for me, I thought the timeline was well told in the disjointed order that it was. It was interesting and appropriate that facts unfolded for the reader as they did for Forrest. I liked learning more about the FBI, CIA, and all the various border conflicts in Russia. It's an emotional read! At times, I felt as though I were reading a thriller, only to be hit again with the very real desperation of the Reilly's. There's something beautiful about following Brett Forrest and the Reillys in their fortitude and indomitable insistence on nothing less than the truth.

I was sent a finished copy to voluntarily read and review from the publisher.

[Anna Tsurkan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, at some point, I thought that it was a bit too bloated. Lots of repetitions of the same facts but in various interpretations. Moreover, some facts or leads were just dropped. On the other hand, I understand that the book reaches a much wider audience than a research paper or even an article. It’s definitely brilliantly written - kept me in suspense the whole time. On the side note, it’s upsetting to see what has been happening in Russia. The level of hatred and violence is beyond comprehension. But that’s a totally different story, as it seems that the author is investigating how his own country did nothing to investigate the case. Well, and I, in turn, look at what my country did to him..

[Ernst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think we go to vote assuming there are no families that go through this sort of experience, or that if there are any they bring it on themselves. This gripping real life odyssey of a young American trying to figure out what to do with his life and a reporter, who feels some empathy for the young man, trying to figure out what was going on is a page turner and a bracing reminder that there are good people who get into trouble by making decisions we will never understand.

[Captain Absurd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't want to judge the behaviour of the "lost son", but he has definitely died because of many unwise choices. That's why I am reluctant to see a meaningful story here. Mostly I was angry and disappointed while reading.

"When we are young, we seek our fates. We find we have no great destiny, only lives".

3.5

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating

This tale of hardship, adventure, and uncertainty was hard to put down. I can't imagine how helpless the parents felt throughout the entire process. Kudos to the author for persevering against all odds.

[Wes Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really gripping book that kept me on the edge of my seat although I was expecting the tragic end. Even with the end there are still open questions that I hope are released in some future FBI declassified dump. Also Putin is a bum.

[Dan Schaeberle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty disappointing book. “Book 1” (part 1) was pretty good but “Book 2” was not great. The ending was extremely disappointing and left a ton of questions.
I don’t know, I was looking forward to this book and it was disappointing.

[Jessica G · Rating 5 out of 5]

😳

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a journey into the intracies of International and domestic (U.S) Security, defense, military, police states.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.2 stars
Very interesting and tragic story of parents who never quit until they find their son.

[Thomas John Kneesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic novel

I truly enjoyed this book. Very well written and an incredible story. Well worth the read. I would highly recommend this book.

[Leonardo Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story, good read. Totally recommend it.

[Cindy H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t grab me the way I was expecting. Feel like a magazine article could have provided the same effect.

[Sara]

DNF. I’ve tried twice to read this and just haven’t been to able to get into it at all. I ended up googling the story instead.

[Georgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking true story.

[Lucy Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book on accident, a truly wild underreported story.

[Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. A little long around page 200 or so, but I love books written by journalists so I stuck with it.

[Lmornn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un roman sombre mélant reportage et thriller. J'ai été très touchée par les parents de Billy et leurs détermination pour retrouver leurs fils disparu.