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The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency
Melanson, Philip H. With Peter F. Stevens, Secret Service, The Hidden History Of An Enigmatic Agency
374 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 11, 2012
This book is a brief and cursory review of the history of the Secret Service (330+ pages simply cannot do this agency justice), but that's not what I'm choosing to focus on with this review. Instead, I'd like to comment on the absolutely terrible writing and editing of this book. I found it nearly impossible to read at times, due to overly complex grammatical choices by the author, absolutely terrible editing, and even some sections where the same sentences and paragraphs have been cut and pasted into multiple pages. The author overuses quotes, referencing them multiple times in completely different chapters, relating them to entirely different topics. The last chapter is a commentary and set of recommendations for the Service which (in my opinion) has no place in a historical re-telling of the Service's history. Who appointed the author to the head of the Secret Service restructuring committee?
Although you may (like me) be interested in learning more about the Secret Service, please, do yourself a favor and skip this book. There are far better texts on the topic, and frankly, this one is a waste of your time and money. It certainly was mine.
Although you may (like me) be interested in learning more about the Secret Service, please, do yourself a favor and skip this book. There are far better texts on the topic, and frankly, this one is a waste of your time and money. It certainly was mine.
February 26, 2022
Jesus where do I start. JLA must’ve used the same editor as these guys because the typos, misuse of bracketing, re-use of quotes, and repetition of information as if two people wrote different version of the same information was absolutely rampant throughout. The paragraphs were poorly thought out/outlined and the writing itself was tedious, repetitive and uninspired. If I didn’t have a thing about finishing anything I start reading, I would’ve DNFd this one around a 1/3 of the way through.
July 29, 2011
The typos, my God, the typos! One of the worst edited books I've ever picked up. And while I learned a lot, I didn't appreciate the snarky attitude the author seemed to take toward the Secret Service. Hard to imagine me not liking snarky, I know, but it seemed very disrespectful of a group of men who put themselves in front of bullets for the President and his family.
May 21, 2015
Got hold of this book just because of the name of the author. Melanson had written on the JFK, RFK and MLK murder cases, perhaps the only researcher to cover all three.
The expanded edition of 'The Secret Service' was published in 2005, just before Melanson passed away in 2006.
Much of this history is completely new to me, beginning in the 1860's through to the present, i.e. 2004. Unfortunately as the 20th century progressed I found the writing a bit of a drag. Also the book becomes a tad repetitious with many typos and poor editing.
Surprisingly, I found a number of inaccuracies on the chapter that covered the Kennedy assassination. Nothing earth shattering, but certainly odd for someone who had published on this subject previously.
The expanded edition of 'The Secret Service' was published in 2005, just before Melanson passed away in 2006.
Much of this history is completely new to me, beginning in the 1860's through to the present, i.e. 2004. Unfortunately as the 20th century progressed I found the writing a bit of a drag. Also the book becomes a tad repetitious with many typos and poor editing.
Surprisingly, I found a number of inaccuracies on the chapter that covered the Kennedy assassination. Nothing earth shattering, but certainly odd for someone who had published on this subject previously.
August 13, 2020
Decent cursory overview of the Service. Other reviews aren't lying about the typos and poor editing, but for whatever reason I found them more amusing than annoying. My biggest complaint though is that we'd occasionally get snippets of what sounds like fascinating stories. Counterfeiters in the 1800s went to pretty extreme lengths. Did you know the Service infiltrated and took down a group who would arrange the murder of your spouse so you could collect the insurance? That's some "devil in the white city" level stuff right there. I can already see the mini series being produced. And the book talks about it as much as I did. Point is, it made me want to learn more about the history of the Secret Service, which was probably the point.
April 28, 2024
Simple book that provides more information about the Secret Service than anyone probably wants to know. What was most interesting about this book is that legislation protecting our president followed the credence of other laws in that actions produced reactions from Congress.
It was interesting to read how the service started because of the massive counterfeiting when the nation set up a national currency in 1862, having our federal government taking over printing dollars instead of different states producing our cash. This explains why this service still is under Treasury instead of the FBI or another federal police force as Hoover had fought to achieve many times.
According to the book, we can thank President McKinley for not allowing the protection of president not being contracted out to the Pinkerton firm, a private firm that tried to cozy up to Lincoln with the allegation that his trip to DC was being targeted by assassins. The authors share the chronological growth of the agency and protection of our president, including the massive growth of the agency, the better protection of the White House, to the expansion of those running for president and past presidents and their families. Each change was because of some new threat, some new attempt on the president’s life, or the threat on those running for the position. Repeatedly the reader was given massive information about each assassination attempt, many I had read about in past books but put together in one book.
I bought this book from a Goodwill store since it looked mildly interesting. It was, mildly. The authors would have done the reader a favor by skipping the conspiracy theories on JFK’s assassination since people could find such writing in books with less research and not shared his views of those who serve our country in this tough assignment. But for those who love reading about security issues, this book might be a perfect match.
It was interesting to read how the service started because of the massive counterfeiting when the nation set up a national currency in 1862, having our federal government taking over printing dollars instead of different states producing our cash. This explains why this service still is under Treasury instead of the FBI or another federal police force as Hoover had fought to achieve many times.
According to the book, we can thank President McKinley for not allowing the protection of president not being contracted out to the Pinkerton firm, a private firm that tried to cozy up to Lincoln with the allegation that his trip to DC was being targeted by assassins. The authors share the chronological growth of the agency and protection of our president, including the massive growth of the agency, the better protection of the White House, to the expansion of those running for president and past presidents and their families. Each change was because of some new threat, some new attempt on the president’s life, or the threat on those running for the position. Repeatedly the reader was given massive information about each assassination attempt, many I had read about in past books but put together in one book.
I bought this book from a Goodwill store since it looked mildly interesting. It was, mildly. The authors would have done the reader a favor by skipping the conspiracy theories on JFK’s assassination since people could find such writing in books with less research and not shared his views of those who serve our country in this tough assignment. But for those who love reading about security issues, this book might be a perfect match.
May 18, 2021
I managed to stick with the book because parts of it were well written, like the first couple chapters and other pages throughout, but OMG the typos are outrageous. First one I noticed was deep in the middle, an innocent little "a" instead of "as" but then it quickly went downhill. A paragraph ended mid-sentence with the sentence continuing in the next. Fat fingered words like "prot1ective" and "tempatation." I'm like, who published this thing?? .. Oh. Maybe Barnes & Noble should stick to being a bookseller and not a book publisher? Very redundant at times, like a weak attempt to blend the work of two authors. A couple chapters are random fillers, very general and mundane. There's a part towards the end with excessive quote brackets that don't replace words, but just act as parenthesis to explain every little detail, as though we might not understand that by "take a hit" the person meant a bullet for the president. Then the book goes back to using the brackets only to adjust tense and nouns. Seems like this would've been better with just one author. Interesting little details throughout, taken with a huge grain of salt given the overall sloppiness.
January 29, 2018
As you may be able to tell from the picture, the cover of the hardback is a decades-old photo of trainees learning to ride on the running boards of a moving vehicle. I was intrigued by the photo and found myself staring at it time and time again. Much of the text was less intriguing. The first third of the book is a history of the Secret Service up through the 2002 writing of the book. It includes stories of the various rogues thwarted by the SS (they may not approve of that acronym) and the early directors who shaped the agency's direction. The last few chapters include amusing anecdotes of the merry chases on which agents were lead by Eleanor Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and the Bush twins, among others. The middle was a lot of dry administrative stuff, some of which I am sure is outdated because of changes to the organization since 9/11.
On the whole, I found the book enjoyable and some of the discussion of the need for a massive protective presence for American leaders now seems quaint as such protection now is so common as not to be noticeable.
On the whole, I found the book enjoyable and some of the discussion of the need for a massive protective presence for American leaders now seems quaint as such protection now is so common as not to be noticeable.
November 30, 2016
The Secret Service is a surprisingly vivid read for a history book. It gives a few interesting inside details about past presidents and their interaction for the secret service, although don't expect to learn any actual secrets of the SS. This book keeps a pretty tight lip on any actual true secrets of how they do things. I think the book could have been condensed somewhat as it repeats a lot of the same information two and sometimes even three times.
I think for depicting the history of the secret service this book does a fairly descent job at that and would be a good first book to wet the appetite of anyone looking to learn more about the organization.
I think for depicting the history of the secret service this book does a fairly descent job at that and would be a good first book to wet the appetite of anyone looking to learn more about the organization.
August 14, 2022
This is a very shallow overview of the history of the Secret Service, but the author still manages to dip into conspiracy theories about the JFK assassination and other “mistakes” made by the agency. The tone of it is just off, and the book is riddled with typos and repetitive phrasing that makes reading it a chore. There have to be better books out there on the subject than this one—look for those.
May 22, 2020
The Secret Service has a long and storied history many people do not know about. This book sheds light on how it has performed its duties and continues to do so in a rapidly changing world. Many people might be surprised how often the "person of the President" and those around him have been targeted. I highly recommend reading it.
April 28, 2018
Very informative book; had some typos and after a while, I concentrated on finding them.
June 3, 2018
Excellent history book. Highly recommend it.
February 3, 2019
A fair, balanced, interesting history of the US Secret Service
March 28, 2024
Skipped around and didn't read it all. Not written in a style I found compelling.
November 5, 2025
Good and interesting information, but definitely riddled with typos and errors, like other reviewers have noted. It honestly feels like the publisher released the first draft with no proofreading.
December 31, 2008
I picked this book up from the library because when I saw it I realized I didn't know jack about the Secret Service, other than it protects the president from harm. But everyone knows that - that's nothing special.
So now I know a little more. Is that special? Probably not.
Anyway, I didn't know that the Service is a Civil War creation that fought counterfeiters. It did not protect President Lincoln - it instead was designed to protect the money supply, which is why its home is the Treasury Department. There was a lot of funny money floating around during the Civil War, and the Service put a dent in it.
It didn't begin protecting presidents until the late 19th century, and it did so without any authorization from Congress. Congress didn't want the president protected, because that smacked of royalty or a standing army. Congress did not fully authorize the Service to protect presidents until World War II.
In the meantime, the Service continued to hunt counterfeiters, and also served as an intelligence agency during the Spanish-American war and World War I, and did it quite well. This was before the days of the CIA and even the FBI, so the service was the federal government's only law enforcement agency.
Until the service's protection duties were legal, it often protected presidents, their wives, or their children upon request, without getting the attention of Congress. However, the Service did get the attention of J. Edgar Hoover, who in the late 1920s and 1930s tried to take over the Service and give its unofficial protection duties to his own FBI. But FDR put the kibosh on that. In return, the Service relinquished its counterintelligence duties, with much regret.
The authors go into detail about President Kennedy's assassination, and conclude the Service really botched it. The route was horribly exposed and too slow, which made the President a sitting duck for snipers. When the first shot was fired, the Service driver slowed to a near stop, rather than speeding up and taking evasive maneuvers. This made it easier for Oswald to shoot JFK the second time with the killing shot. The authors quote doctors who believed that the initial wound would not have killed Kennedy, provided he received medical attention very quickly.
In short, the assassination was preventable and should not have happened.
Same with John Hinckley's attempt on President Reagan's life. The Service failed to adequately scan the press club and pick out the obviously out-of-place Hinckley. The rope lines were too close to the President, allowing the assassin to get to within 20 feet for the shots.
However, what saved Reagan's life was the quick reactions of the Service agents. One tackled Reagan into the limo, and the others blocked the president Hinckley from Reagan, willingly taking bullets not meant for them.
What also saved Reagan was luck. At first, Reagan said he was unhurt, then he complained of chest pains and started coughing up blood. The agent with Reagan ordered the limo driver to a Washington hospital. Because of crappy 80s era technology, they could not call ahead to the hospital and let them know an injured president was on the way, so no staff or stretcher were waiting for them. Reagan actually walked into the hospital with a bullet in his lung.
While surgeons rushed to save the president's life, the hospital remained vulnerable to further attack. If Hinckley had been part of a larger conspiracy, his fellow murderers could have killed Reagan in the limo on the way to the hospital or in the hospital itself. The Service did not adequately secure the hospital for several hours after Reagan's arrival.
The book examines the organization of the Service (very complicated for a small agency) and taps into the lives of some of its agents (burn-outs, alcoholics, and so on). It discusses how various presidents reacted to the Service's protection duties (some chafed under it, and others accepted it) and how the Service dealt with problem presidents like LBJ, who often sneaked away from his protection detail and once willfully pissed on a secret service agent. This book makes clear what a classless boor was LBJ.
This is an interesting book, very readable, though the writing isn't spectacular. The authors got hold of some good stuff - much of what the Service does is classified, for obvious reasons.
So now I know a little more. Is that special? Probably not.
Anyway, I didn't know that the Service is a Civil War creation that fought counterfeiters. It did not protect President Lincoln - it instead was designed to protect the money supply, which is why its home is the Treasury Department. There was a lot of funny money floating around during the Civil War, and the Service put a dent in it.
It didn't begin protecting presidents until the late 19th century, and it did so without any authorization from Congress. Congress didn't want the president protected, because that smacked of royalty or a standing army. Congress did not fully authorize the Service to protect presidents until World War II.
In the meantime, the Service continued to hunt counterfeiters, and also served as an intelligence agency during the Spanish-American war and World War I, and did it quite well. This was before the days of the CIA and even the FBI, so the service was the federal government's only law enforcement agency.
Until the service's protection duties were legal, it often protected presidents, their wives, or their children upon request, without getting the attention of Congress. However, the Service did get the attention of J. Edgar Hoover, who in the late 1920s and 1930s tried to take over the Service and give its unofficial protection duties to his own FBI. But FDR put the kibosh on that. In return, the Service relinquished its counterintelligence duties, with much regret.
The authors go into detail about President Kennedy's assassination, and conclude the Service really botched it. The route was horribly exposed and too slow, which made the President a sitting duck for snipers. When the first shot was fired, the Service driver slowed to a near stop, rather than speeding up and taking evasive maneuvers. This made it easier for Oswald to shoot JFK the second time with the killing shot. The authors quote doctors who believed that the initial wound would not have killed Kennedy, provided he received medical attention very quickly.
In short, the assassination was preventable and should not have happened.
Same with John Hinckley's attempt on President Reagan's life. The Service failed to adequately scan the press club and pick out the obviously out-of-place Hinckley. The rope lines were too close to the President, allowing the assassin to get to within 20 feet for the shots.
However, what saved Reagan's life was the quick reactions of the Service agents. One tackled Reagan into the limo, and the others blocked the president Hinckley from Reagan, willingly taking bullets not meant for them.
What also saved Reagan was luck. At first, Reagan said he was unhurt, then he complained of chest pains and started coughing up blood. The agent with Reagan ordered the limo driver to a Washington hospital. Because of crappy 80s era technology, they could not call ahead to the hospital and let them know an injured president was on the way, so no staff or stretcher were waiting for them. Reagan actually walked into the hospital with a bullet in his lung.
While surgeons rushed to save the president's life, the hospital remained vulnerable to further attack. If Hinckley had been part of a larger conspiracy, his fellow murderers could have killed Reagan in the limo on the way to the hospital or in the hospital itself. The Service did not adequately secure the hospital for several hours after Reagan's arrival.
The book examines the organization of the Service (very complicated for a small agency) and taps into the lives of some of its agents (burn-outs, alcoholics, and so on). It discusses how various presidents reacted to the Service's protection duties (some chafed under it, and others accepted it) and how the Service dealt with problem presidents like LBJ, who often sneaked away from his protection detail and once willfully pissed on a secret service agent. This book makes clear what a classless boor was LBJ.
This is an interesting book, very readable, though the writing isn't spectacular. The authors got hold of some good stuff - much of what the Service does is classified, for obvious reasons.
March 12, 2014
this is the first book I read about the Secret Service and I found it truly intriguing. I think what I found the most interesting about this book was how little we as a society know about what the Secret Service actually does. You also get a lot of very detailed history as this book starts out. It has a way of blending history, and modern-day happenings, to what the Secret Service will evolve into as we now live in a world where terrorism is not far from everyone's mind.
I also never really knew that much about what actually went into protecting the president. In this book you get a clear picture of how protective practices changed over time. Starting with Abraham Lincoln who had really no protection at all to a few agents protecting James Garfield, as well as the assassination of William McKinley, and my favorite the protection of John F. Kennedy and what all was involved to protecting him. Then you have the attempts on Harry Truman at Blair House which I never knew I know I would've been out of order there. Then late 70s and 80s we have attempts on Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. My point in being is you see the chronological side of how the service has evolved.
I also found intriguing that during the Clinton years in the White House there was a few times Hillary swore at her detail. Furthermore, it talked a lot about how the first families and their kids always tried to outsmart the Secret Service. Those stories gave the book its humor and kept you coming back for more.
The book also goes into great detail about what it takes to become an agent and what a life changing experience that can be not only for the agents themselves but the families of the agents. I was also surprised at how in depth the book talked about the mental health aspect of agents and how in till after the Kennedy assassination this was not really an area that was explored.
So for anyone interested in learning more about what the Secret Service does and what is involved in the job. I would say this book is for you. It is one of the few books I have read about government agencies that is for the most part written in plain English.
I also never really knew that much about what actually went into protecting the president. In this book you get a clear picture of how protective practices changed over time. Starting with Abraham Lincoln who had really no protection at all to a few agents protecting James Garfield, as well as the assassination of William McKinley, and my favorite the protection of John F. Kennedy and what all was involved to protecting him. Then you have the attempts on Harry Truman at Blair House which I never knew I know I would've been out of order there. Then late 70s and 80s we have attempts on Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. My point in being is you see the chronological side of how the service has evolved.
I also found intriguing that during the Clinton years in the White House there was a few times Hillary swore at her detail. Furthermore, it talked a lot about how the first families and their kids always tried to outsmart the Secret Service. Those stories gave the book its humor and kept you coming back for more.
The book also goes into great detail about what it takes to become an agent and what a life changing experience that can be not only for the agents themselves but the families of the agents. I was also surprised at how in depth the book talked about the mental health aspect of agents and how in till after the Kennedy assassination this was not really an area that was explored.
So for anyone interested in learning more about what the Secret Service does and what is involved in the job. I would say this book is for you. It is one of the few books I have read about government agencies that is for the most part written in plain English.
July 24, 2013
I go back and forth between 2 and 3 stars, but it will get 2 stars because there are likely many other books on the subject that are a) more interesting, b) better written, and c) have better information.
The Secret Service did not respond to requests from this author, so the book is from other sources, Freedom of Information Act requests, disgruntled former agents, etc... It is also poorly written with several spelling and grammar errors. In addition, there are copy/paste issues where whole sentences are repeated verbatim, and sometimes in the same chapter. Lastly, a good quarter of the book should be cut out by just writing more concisely.
In the end, there are a few interesting stories but the book is largely a criticism of the entire history of the Secret Service. I did find the first few chapters interesting as they give a historical account of how the agency started and the changes it went through. However, the majority of the book is critical and repetitive. No doubt the Secret Service has made mistakes, but there are plenty of successes.
In my opinion, the book should have had a lot more success stories to balance out the failures of the Secret Service. The author does give the agency its due respect, which it deserves. However, the book is more about the author's opinions of what the agency needs to change.
The Secret Service did not respond to requests from this author, so the book is from other sources, Freedom of Information Act requests, disgruntled former agents, etc... It is also poorly written with several spelling and grammar errors. In addition, there are copy/paste issues where whole sentences are repeated verbatim, and sometimes in the same chapter. Lastly, a good quarter of the book should be cut out by just writing more concisely.
In the end, there are a few interesting stories but the book is largely a criticism of the entire history of the Secret Service. I did find the first few chapters interesting as they give a historical account of how the agency started and the changes it went through. However, the majority of the book is critical and repetitive. No doubt the Secret Service has made mistakes, but there are plenty of successes.
In my opinion, the book should have had a lot more success stories to balance out the failures of the Secret Service. The author does give the agency its due respect, which it deserves. However, the book is more about the author's opinions of what the agency needs to change.
July 3, 2013
It's worth noting from the onset that this book was not what I was hoping for. I wanted information on the Secret Service's history, especially its role in investigating counterfeit currency. I wasn't misled or anything, I just picked this book up cheap in the hopes that the first couple of chapters would have what I wanted. They didn't. After a (very) cursory explanation of the founding and early history of the Secret Service, the book got into the meat and potatoes of what it wanted to discuss: protecting presidents.
This book does a pretty good job of describing how the Secret Service protects presidents. It does so by dedicating each chapter to a different facet, or failure, of the agency's president protecting career. By focusing on how the agency screwed up during the Kennedy assassination, however, it allowed a better understanding of what the Secret Service does (or ought to do!) today.
All in all, it was a better read than I expected, but not quite what I wanted. The history and counterfeiting felt a bit rushed. If you want to learn how presidents are protected, then, you'll want to take a glance.
This book does a pretty good job of describing how the Secret Service protects presidents. It does so by dedicating each chapter to a different facet, or failure, of the agency's president protecting career. By focusing on how the agency screwed up during the Kennedy assassination, however, it allowed a better understanding of what the Secret Service does (or ought to do!) today.
All in all, it was a better read than I expected, but not quite what I wanted. The history and counterfeiting felt a bit rushed. If you want to learn how presidents are protected, then, you'll want to take a glance.
December 23, 2013
From 2002, Philip Melanson & Peter Stevens's "The Secret Service" is an interesting read that tells the history of the organization from their founding in 1865 to serve as a way of preventing counterfeiters in the aftermath of the Civil War through their current task in the wake of 9/11. Across over 300 pages we the reader get a chance to understand the formation of the organization & the changes it has gone throughout the years as it's mission has changed. The reluctance of the various presidents over the years to have the protection is examined as well as what it takes to become a member of this group as well as an insight into just what goes on in the minds of the men & women who become these agents. The book itself is based on fact & is done in a way that gives we the reader a chance to examine all facets of the organization. Overall a very well done history & must read for anyone who has an interest in this very unique federal agency.
August 31, 2016
This was a complicated book to review. It started really interesting to me, with a lot of history about the secret service that I didn't know. And I liked (kind of....) the organization, rather than doing a straight up history of the service, in chronological order. But, it was pretty opinionated, with opinions stated as facts. Now that's not a problem if it's a "theory" book, positing an argument and making it clear that this is an argued position about the weaknesses of the service (and, preferably, why that is). Instead, I found this to be an outside look at the service, pointing holes that may or may-not be there, given the incompleteness of public records. It wasn't my favorite read, in the end.
September 23, 2012
Very rough read so far, the editor maybe got bored reading the authors overly complex writing but there are tons of errors. I wish the writer was as grandiose with his research and putting together an informative book as he is with his vocabulary. For anyone who knows anything about the Service, this is a very rudimentary overview. More of a collection of stories than an account. The author jumps from subject to subject like a child with ADD who gets distracted by shiny objects.
It's entertaining if you have nothing else to read, its worth a quick sit through. I have about 40 pages left but I would not highly recommend it.
It's entertaining if you have nothing else to read, its worth a quick sit through. I have about 40 pages left but I would not highly recommend it.
November 29, 2016
Fascinating - I learned a lot of interesting facts. But several sections could've been made a lot shorter by being less repetitive.
It was very interesting to see the Secret Service's point of view about the Kennedy assassination and the attempted assassination of President Reagan. There were some "juicy details" that kept me reading.
It was fascinating to learn how threats have changed over time and how protective measures have changed accordingly. This was a very satisfying book to have read (even though I started skipping sections during the last half of the book because I was discovering the chapters were repetitive near the end.)
It was very interesting to see the Secret Service's point of view about the Kennedy assassination and the attempted assassination of President Reagan. There were some "juicy details" that kept me reading.
It was fascinating to learn how threats have changed over time and how protective measures have changed accordingly. This was a very satisfying book to have read (even though I started skipping sections during the last half of the book because I was discovering the chapters were repetitive near the end.)
January 29, 2008
If you would like to read this book, I HIGHLY recommend you get the 2nd edition. Although an interesting topic, this first edition was almost unreadable. The editor must have been nonexistent because there were typos almost every page, and whole paragraphs would be repeated twice in the same chapter. The author also became preachy at times which might have been toned down in the 2nd edition. The topic was enjoyable, and the book informative. If there weren't so many typos, I would have given a 3.
January 18, 2009
An indepth, eye-opening expose on the agency and people charged with protecting our president.
It covers the history, mistakes and the human factors involved in this unique group.
It makes you wonder what is the appeal of being president with so much responsibilty and yet so little personal freedom.
It covers the history, mistakes and the human factors involved in this unique group.
It makes you wonder what is the appeal of being president with so much responsibilty and yet so little personal freedom.
February 2, 2012
I wanted to love this book, I really did. It has some of my favorite things in it -- Pinkerton agents, early 19th century history, Andrew Jackson going after would be assassins with his walking stick. But the jumping around from subject to subject was way too distracting. I understand that not all historical tales can be told chronologically, but I really lost the thread of the history here.
October 15, 2012
Ugghhh. Nothing like having no editor or proofreader to ruin a potentially good book. The best parts are the discussions of the interactions between the service and the protectees. The rest of the book was rambling and full of typos. I had to force myself to finish it looking for that one nugget to take away from it all.
August 12, 2016
Quite possibly the most poorly edited book I've ever read. Two disparate styles of writing, heaps of grammatical, punctuation, and typing errors. My favorite glaring errors were when the authors was deciding between two words and both were left in. If you could get past all of that, the information was interesting.
October 23, 2011
I learned quite a bit of interesting background about the secret service. Some of the historical information was a little dry, and there were portions that were repetitive, but overall a good read if you are interested in learning what is behind the sunglasses and nice suits.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews