BlackFive

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

Mindhunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker gives an insider’s view of FBI’s elite serial crime unit.  Douglas was the youngest agent not just as a lecturer at Quantico, but also at FBI Headquarters.  His resume is impressive having spent four years in the military, holds numerous graduate degrees, was a member of the SWAT team, a hostage negotiator, and the FBI’s criminal profiler pioneer.

With the bestselling book and now a Netflix original series, people are taken behind the scenes of some of the most gruesome and challenging cases.  FBI profilers gather up crime scene evidence to help predict the type of personality who commits serial murders.  Through interviews with some of the most ghastly killers such as Charles Manson, Edmund Kemper, and the Son of Sam, to mention a few, Douglas determines their motives, attempting to figure out why they did what they did and why in such a particular manner.  

The following is an interview with one of the FBI’s most legendary Agents:

Elise Cooper:  You speak of the why + how = who?

John Douglas:  I wanted to interview these serial killers because I found the best indicator of future violence is past violence.  To understand the ‘artist’ you must study the ‘art.’  I decided to go directly to the source to form an understanding.  

EC:  You spoke on how a good profiler should also walk in the shoes of victims.  Do you feel as Michael Connelly wrote, “I speak for the victims, for those who can no longer speak?”

JD:  I got very close with some of the families.  My goal with the interviews is to give families closure and help law enforcement solve crimes. We must remember the victims, but unfortunately we do forget those ‘surviving victims.’  They suffer from losing a loved one forever and ever.  We have seen these people break down, suffer from an illness, or get a divorce.  I also broke down from the work I was doing, walking in the shoes of the antagonists to better understand them.  But we also must reconstruct what the victims went through and why they took certain actions. 

EC:  You discuss in the book how you had PTSD and because you were so worn down you contracted viral encephalitis, a fever, which doctors said ‘fried his brain,’ and that if you did recover you would likely be left in a vegetative stage?

JD:  Success meant more work, which meant more stress and learning how to cope.  I was gone one-third of the year, traveling and talking to surviving victims and the killers.  I would run myself to exhaustion.  I had PTSD; psychologically it took its toll.  A lot of people in my unit got ill and died early. We felt pulled in all different directions:  personal family, FBI family, local law enforcement, the community, and victim’s families.

EC:  You had a powerful quote in the book, ‘I’m afraid too many of us in the Bureau, in the military, and in the Foreign Service give too little thought to the incredible burdens on the spouse left behind.’

JD:  It does take a toll on the family.  When I would come home I would need to decompress.  Hearing about my family’s day, like one of my children scraping a knee, seemed so trivial to everything I had done. I needed to decompress before I could react.  

EC:  You describe serial killers as controlling, manipulative, dominating, and egocentric?

JD:  They like to relive the excitement and stimulation of the kill. They mentally reassert domination and control.  They picked vulnerable victims, such as runaways, street people, prostitutes, and drug addicts.  We examined why did they pick a certain victim over another.  For example, if they walked into a bar they could pick out those with a broken wing.  Usually the victim has a certain posture or look.  

EC:  What makes a good profiler?

JD:  You need to be able to re-create the crime scene in your head.  You need to know as much as you can about the victim so you can imagine how they might have reacted, and put yourself in her place.  You have to be able to feel her fear as he approaches, or her pain as she is being raped, beaten, or cut.  You have to try to imagine what she was going through when she was tortured.

EC:  What are the traits of a serial killer and can you define the term?

JD:  Bed-wetting beyond a normal age, cruelty to small animals, and fire starting.  The FBI now categorizes them if there were two or more kills.  In the Netflix series we say three or more because that was the 80’s definition.  

EC:  But you also interviewed people who did not fit into that description like Sirhan-Sirhan, the killer of Robert Kennedy?

JD:  If I were in a prison I would not pass up anyone including a skyjacker, kidnapper, extortionist, serial rapist, arsonist, or a bomber.  I worked over 5000 cases.  I also interviewed James Earl Ray, the Martin Luther King murderer.  Perhaps we can see some of the other interviews if there is a season 2 or in the next book, Unmasking Evil.  

EC:  Did you ever profile a mass killer?

JD:  While I was in Scotland I was asked about a mass murderer of an elementary school where dozens of children were killed.  I thought the person targeted the school because they had some personal connection, and a middle age guy. The profile helped them find him. But someone like the Las Vegas killer is difficult to profile.  We look for warning signs and should educate the public to be aware of any comments and strange actions.

EC:  Do you think it is an environmental influence, genetic, or both?

JD:  From my experience with violent offenders I really can’t think of one where I found that they came from a loving and nurturing environment. I don’t believe there is a violent gene in ones genetic makeup. Certainly you find such things as addictive behavioral patterns running through a family’s genetic pool system but IMO it’s nurture and not nature that is the major contributor to violent crime. 

Experienced school teachers have told me that they can predict which child will grow up to be a violent offender one day. How do they know that? Because the children identified by them all come from dysfunctional families and they witness the child acting out at a very early age such as crimes of bullying, animal cruelty, destruction of property, and other antisocial acts. Having said that I will add that a dysfunctional family does not mean that every child is doomed. There are always survivors.

EC:  This concludes the first part of our interview.  Is there anything you would like to add?

JD:  What bugs me is my former colleagues who say things to the press, possibly jeopardizing the investigation.  Many of these killers follow the press.  For example, someone once said about the DC Sniper that he thought he was G-d.  The next day a little girl was shot in the stomach and a search of the area found a tarot card.  Written on it, ‘I am G-d.’  Also, many of the self-anointed experts do not even have the training and are just talking heads.  

Thank you.  For Douglas’ comments on specific killers and the realism of the Netflix show see part II of the interview.

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

Her Last Day is the first novel of a new series by T.R. Ragan. She is known for writing riveting thrillers whose antagonist always seems to be a gruesome serial killer. The three sub-plots throughout the story are brilliantly weaved together.

The plot has Sacramento California private investigator Jessie Cole drawn to detective work after her sister Sophie disappeared ten years ago. Reporter Ben Morrison who wants to write a series of articles on the still-missing Sophie approaches her. He feels somehow connected to Sophie after seeing her on a TV show about unsolved mysteries. He is hoping that finding her will help him regain his memory that was lost after a horrific car accident a decade ago. Besides finding out what happens to her sister, Jessie is raising her niece, facing charges for shooting a stalker, and is hired to find a mentally unstable girl who is somehow connected to the serial murderer, the Heartless Killer.

This novel explores many different types of illnesses, another signature of the author. She noted, “In this book there is a character, Zee, who has schizophrenia. I wanted to explore the different levels, because after taking her medication she functions normally. I also delve into Retrograde Amnesia, which is what Ben was diagnosed with after the car accident. Retrograde Amnesia is when the person does not remember anything before the incident. With the other types of amnesia people are able to remember most of their past, but have a hard time with short term memory. What Ben has is almost the direct opposite.”

The characters in the book are extremely well developed. People are able to sympathize with Ben, yet they also have some misgivings about him. Jessie is the poster child for the song in the Annie play, “It’s The Hard Knock Life.” She is impulsive, compassionate, caring, stubborn, and way too serious. Her mother left her when she was very young, her father is an alcoholic, her sister was always in and out of trouble, and then she disappeared leaving Jessie to bring up her niece.

On the other hand, the antagonist, The Heartless Killer, is very creepy. He has the traits of being controlling, manipulative, and very dominating. What he does to his victims is extremely horrific and he gets off on making sure they suffer. He could sing the song, “Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me;” although he is about the only one who would. Ragan spends a lot of time writing these types of evildoers. “For some reason, the easiest scenes to write were the ones with the serial killer. For me, the creepiest scene in the book is when he threw apples at the injured girl who is practically crippled. Readers tell me they will never go to the setting of my books, Sacramento, because that is where all the serial killers live.”

The plot of this novel takes off from the very beginning and never let’s up. There are so many twists and turns that readers could get whiplash. Ragan really knows to captivate her readers and keep their interest level high.

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

 End Game by David Baldacci brings back two of his best characters, Will Robie and Jessica Reel. Baldacci has a knack for creating a male and female lead that act in a homogeneous manner whether it’s Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, or his most recent series Memory Man with Amos Decker and Alexandra (Alex) Jamison. But, probably the best pair is Robie and Reel, who feed off one another in a cohesive partnership.

Reel and Robie are not the typical stereotyped characters. She is sarcastic and is not afraid to get into someone’s face. He is quiet, sensitive, and will hold back. Sometimes her abrasive behavior will cause an adverse reaction. For example, when she tells this to the leader of a neo-Nazi group, “I can see it probably gets you off.”

It becomes obvious as the story unfolds, that Robie and Reel care greatly for each other. Robie told her how hard it was for him to figure her out. The conversation, “I don’t get you most of the time.” Her response, “What can I say, Robie. It’s a Mars-Venus thing.”

She is a female sniper working for the US government. Is it realistic, to have that as Reel’s profession. Baldacci says, “Yes. They are finding females have better motor skills then men. This is a skill very much needed for snipers. They are also able to lie in one position for many hours a day. I have gone to military bases and fired the rifles so I have an idea what it requires. I put the descriptions in the book. Through Jessica people can understand it is not just falling on the ground, looking through a scope, and firing the rifle. It is actual a science that involves a lot of math and physics.”

The first few chapters has Robie on a mission in London where he must single-handedly take out a Jihadist terrorist cell and Reel in Iraq providing sniper support for the military. After the completion of these missions they are asked to find their supervisor, The Blue Man, Roger Walton, who has gone missing in Grand Colorado. Traveling to Walton’s hometown in Colorado they must use their lethal skills under a guise of secrecy to find him. They have faced evil overseas with the Islamic extremists, but now face it on the home front with Nazi wannabes, motorcycle gangs, and a drug cartel. They enlist the help of Sherriff Valerie Malloy who knows the local community, many of whom enjoy the isolated and sparsely populated town. Unfortunately, the three find themselves up against adversaries with superior numbers and firepower and no lead on Blue Man’s whereabouts.

Baldacci wants “people to realize wars could be fought in many different types of battlefields whether the desert in Iraq or the urban streets of London or America. These are two very different kinds of battlefields. Because many citizens have no direct engagement with the soldiers and their families they think they could not be harmed. We are never really safe wherever we are. It is an important cliché, ‘see something, say something.’ People should not be listening to their ear buds or staring at their phones oblivious to everyone around them.”

The Colorado Tourist Bureau will definitely not use it. The story shows how the state is a magnet for violent groups. Being a large state with many isolationist and unpopulated areas it is popular by those who want to avoid mainstream laws. The geography and undermanned police forces allows for secretive groups.

Also, in Colorado are hideaways for the super wealthy in case the world implodes. Reel responds to someone who is touring the facility, “Isn’t that why you bought your little insurance policy here? So they could protect you from the big, bad riffraff banging on the door to get in?”

This story is well worth the two-year wait and readers should be delighted in Reel and Robie’s return. This novel has a fast-action story where people realize that there are terrorists on both the domestic and international front. These heroes must use all their senses to confront and defeat the bad guys to keep the good guys safe.

Veteran’s Day is a time for Americans to step up and honor those who have served in the armed forces. From the days of the Founding Fathers to today, those in the military whether enlisted or drafted, made tremendous sacrifices for their fellow Americans. We should offer thanks, but the question is how do we go about doing it?

Today many people will tell a veteran “thank you for your service.” During the Vietnam War those who fought gallantly for this country would have welcomed that greeting instead of being spat upon and called baby killers. But for those who fought in the War On Terror is it enough? The recent book by David Finkel, and movie by Jason Hall, Thank You For Your Service, implies the sentiment is great, but more is needed.

The movie and book follow a group of US soldiers returning from Iraq and struggling to integrate back into family and civilian life. They live with the horrific memories of a war that threatens to destroy them here at home. Both film and book explore the reality of Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) that affects both the warrior and their family.

David Finkel’s first book, For The Good Soldiers, told of his experiences while embedded with the men of the 2-16 Infantry Battalion in Iraq during the infamous "surge." His follow-up book, Thank You For Your Service, and the movie based on the book shows what happens to these men after their deployments have ended. He stated, “They came with various psychological and moral injuries, and some are broken. I think the movie found the true heart of my book, getting the big picture. The war affected these guys, and they came home different, many times unable to talk about it.”

Jason Hall the screenwriter and director concurs, “I hope the movie opens people’s eyes regarding the continued war that these guys are fighting, trying to find their way back home. This is very much their second war, as they come home changed and altered by the war. Since I wrote the screenplay for the movie about Chris Kyle, I am calling this film the spiritual sequel to American Sniper.”

Some have criticized the book and movie because they say it implies that all soldiers coming home are broken. Finkel responds to the criticism, “I just do not buy it. Of course not every vet is broken, but every vet is affected. When I embedded with these guys for about eight months I saw a lot of them injured and lost. I think it is fair to say that there was not a man of those 800 that was not affected in some way, but this does not mean they were all broken. After my first book, some who returned from deployment contacted me and told of having a hard time with divorces, DUIs, depression, anxiety, medication, and suicidal thoughts. They came home with various psychological and moral injuries, and some were broken. The fact is they were changed and it will take some time to recover, but it certainly does not mean they are broken forever. It is a shame for people to say don’t tell this story because it buys into the broken vet idea.”

Hall added, “I am by no means saying everyone who comes home suffers from PTSD. I think it is one in four or one in five. It is certainly the minority. Yet, we have to be aware of those who have the feelings that everything feels different and looks different, with a different texture and meaning.” The book and movie should not be criticized for pointing out that approximately 25% of the soldiers need help because the goal is to start a discussion and make Americans more aware of these veterans who need support.

The relatives are also affected. While at war the soldier’s peers became their family, and their family at home was left to fend for themselves. Both appear to be strangers to each other in some way. A scene in the book has one of the returning soldiers, Staff Sergeant Adam Schumann, now retired, cooking pancakes for his daughter, making a happy face with chocolate chips. The problem is that the child does not like chocolate. Another scene has his wife finding a questionnaire, which shows his distressed mental state. It becomes obvious that the soldier feels out of place within his own family and the family feels like an outsider, unaware of everything the soldier has experienced.

Hall describes this process as “having these guys stepping through a door as they go off to war. When it closes the veteran has extraordinary experiences, profound and meaningful relationships. Their families back home are waiting for the door to open up and for the veterans to step back in their lives. In some instances the veteran has changed with the family left to grapple with and unravel the mystery of who is this person.”

Finkel wants to make it clear that being broken is not a sign of weakness nor should someone be regarded as crazy. He is hoping that anyone who utters the words thank you for your service “realizes it is not a conversation opener but a conversation closer. I want people to take away from the book that these people are noble. I want Americans to understand there are many protocols and don’t stereotype anyone. Some people are helped by medication and others by cognitive therapy. We should ask them how they are doing? We should appreciate them every day, not just on holidays like Veteran’s Day.”

The movie and book need to be applauded for bringing to the forefront how profoundly those serving have been affected by war. After all PTSD has existed since World War I in the form of “shell shock.” Basically for one hundred years soldiers have come home with psychological issues and what people should be asking is how much have we learned to help them. Today only one percent of the population is connected to someone serving, but we cannot ignore or forget about those coming home. Americans should see the movie and read the book to understand what the families and those who put their life on the line are going through.

The following review is a special for BlackFive readers provided by Elise Cooper. You can read all of our book reviews and author interviews by clicking on the Books category link in the right side bar.

Monticello by Sally Cabot Gunning is a fascinating historical novel about the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his eldest daughter Martha. Because the author based this book on actual correspondence between father and daughter it is immersed in reality.

The book begins with a letter from Martha to her father at the age of fourteen, “I wish with all my soul that the poor Negroes were all freed. It grieves my heart when I think that these our fellow creatures should be treated so terribly as they are by many of our country men.” This sets the tone for the rest of the book where readers see the struggle throughout their life with family, relationships, and issues of the day, including being a good wife, a good mother, honoring her father, and shaping his legacy.

The author’s research included, “I poured through her letters to her father and his to her and realized that she and I had embarked on a similar mission, to figure out her father. I read all the letters they wrote each other, letters to other people, and numerous biographies.  I searched through endless Jefferson documents online. I learned that as Martha matured she came to spend many evenings at her father’s dinner table in the company of Europe’s greatest men of arts, letters, politics, and science, enhancing her education still further.  I took many trips to Monticello and discovered something new with each trip, not just about the people who lived there, black and white, but also about the significance Monticello held for them.”

Martha idolized and admired her father and considered him a renaissance man with his greatest accomplishments as author of the Declaration of Independence, founder of the University of Virginia, and an advocate for religious freedom as well as an end to slavery. Telling the story from her point of view Gunning is able to have the characters come alive and takes readers back in time to the early days of America where Jefferson is viewed in a different light, that of father and grandfather. There is a scene in the book where he sends Martha and her children gifts, “books and toys for the children, chinaware, a Turkey carpet, and a pair of chairs...When Martha’s father realized she had no horse to ride, he lent her a gentle bay and paid the overdue mortgage bill.”

Monticello is also a character that played a significant role in their lives, the family's beloved Virginia plantation among lush mountains. It was a place where Jefferson escaped his political worries and thrived, and Martha sought security, as it became her haven. Both yearned for it when they are absent, and it became the soul of the family with its seasonal beauty, treasured gardens, walking and riding paths, as well as the Palladian house designed by Jefferson.

But it was also the family’s Achilles heel. Their increasing financial strain forced them to continue to own slaves, even as their conscience and beliefs told them slavery was wrong. It became a necessary evil where they needed to have slaves to manage the plantation. He did try to find a way to turn his slaves into tenant farmers, but the Virginian laws did not accept it.

Gunning noted, “It definitely was a character in the book. The place itself became so significant in their lives, especially if you think what they did to preserve it. They were hell bent on holding on to it. It was their sanctuary. She actually moved back during her troubled marriage. It explained many things including slavery, the relationship with each other, and the extreme debt of Jefferson. This is just my observation, but I believe had he not inherited slaves from his father and an enormous debt from his father-in-law he would not have been a slave owner. I also think had he not been in such financial trouble he would have freed his slaves after he died. Although he thought slavery was wrong, it became a necessary evil, a way to manage the plantation.”

Furthermore, she points out, “Jefferson did what he could to end slavery, but was stifled by others and the law. While in France, he had decided to set up tenant farming for those of his slaves who he felt were ready to take on the responsibility. He also believed legislation was needed to do away with slavery in its entirety. In 1769 he had someone file an emancipation bill because he was only a junior legislator. He had an elder respected legislator put it forth, but it was instantly tabled and not put up for a vote. He wrote this into the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, calling slavery ‘a cruel war against human nature itself,’ but others in the Congress had it deleted. He also said, ‘There is no G-d that would side with us in this conflict.’

This brings up the question of the relationship between Sally Hemings, his sixteen year old slave, and Thomas Jefferson. No one has a crystal ball and can only speculate on it. Beginning while he was the Minister to France, Hemings could have chosen to be free, but instead chose to come back to America with Jefferson. She was able to negotiate freedom for her children at the age of twenty-one and privileges for herself, including not doing the work of enslaved women. Her brothers were granted freedom of movement, paid for work, sometimes given spending money, and were taught to read and write. Whether the relationship was fondness or love between them cannot be determined, but regardless she was a slave and he was the master even though he never supposedly forced himself on her.

Gunning explained, “When she was fourteen she accompanied Jefferson, the American envoy to France, to take care of his youngest daughter Maria. I do think she had some agency in it although not total agency. She could have remained free if she stayed in France so she did have some decision making power in agreeing to return to America. Hemings negotiated freedom for her children and privileges: their children would be set free once they reached 21, and Hemings would never again do the work of the other enslaved women at Monticello.”

This book takes readers on a fantastic journey about one of America’s greatest Founding Fathers and his daughter. Through her life, starting with her return from France to a mother of eleven children people get a glimpse of the complicated and complex era.

King Of Spies: The Dark Reign and Ruin of an American Spymaster in Korea by Blaine Harden delves into the black-ops life of Donald Nichols during, before, and shortly after the Korean War. This biography allows readers to understand the current conflict with North Korea and the necessary steps taken to handle the Kim dynasties through the decades. The regime’s DNA has not changed, as it is still the same system of torture, rape, and murder.

Although Nichols did not have much of a formal education, and his training was limited to a short course on spy techniques, nevertheless, he rose in the ranks from Sergeant to Major. His expertise as a master spy came from immersing himself with knowledge of the inner-workings of the North Korean government and military. Harden describes Nichols, “He was an unbreakable war hero whose creativity and energy as a spymaster helped save countless lives in a confused and bloody war. He operated beyond the bounds of legality and morality. He was a superspy with a dark side.”

During his clandestine eleven-year career he developed his own base, secret army, and rules. Within Korea there were three centers of intelligence: the emerging CIA, army intelligence, the largest outfit, and NICK, created by Nichols where he supervised up to fifty-eight American intelligence officers and airmen, two hundred South Korean intelligence officers, and more than seven hundred agents comprised of defectors and refugees from North Korea. The Air Force brass quickly recognized him as “the best intelligence agent in the Far East.” Nichols was given open-ended authority to gather intelligence and conduct sabotage, demolition, and guerrilla operations behind enemy lines.

Harden emphasized how “US Air Force generals depended on Nichols just before, during, and immediately after the Korean War. He broke codes, found weaknesses in enemy tanks and jets, and identified most of the targets destroyed by American bombs in North Korea. During the war he reported only to the General of the 5^th Air Force, Earle Everard ‘Pat’ Partridge. For his accomplishments Air Force Generals gave him an abundance of praise, promotions, and medals.”

His accomplishments included helping to find weaknesses in the Soviet tank, earning him a Silver Star, salvaging a Soviet MIG 15, and then finding the electronic secrets on how it worked. This information was sent to the commanders who helped to redesign and modify the US F-86 to better equip them during an air fight. Hardin recounts in the book how in the early days of the conflict as the American GIs were retreating and being killed, Nichols’ “team of cryptographers broke the North Korean army codes, which helped the American forces hold the line, saving them from being pushed off the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula as well as helping in finding the targets for bombings of North Korea.”

Another achievement was his prediction of North Korea invading the South. This was much to the chagrin of General Douglas MacArthur’s chief of intelligence, army major General Charles A. Willoughby, who predicted just the opposite. Hardin recounts, “The American Ambassador in Seoul, John Muccio, wrote a response to Willoughby who tried to oust Nichols, ‘In my opinion, there is no other American intelligence unit or agency now operating in South Korea which produces a larger volume of useful intelligence material on Communist and subversive activities than does Mr. Nichols’ unit.’”

Harden also delves into the moral question, how far should covert operators go to save American lives, and does that include a legal license to murder? In his own words, Nichols described himself as a “thief, assassin, judge, jury, and executioner.” This master spy entered the dark side when he became a part of, the Republic of Korea Head Of State, Syngman Rhee’s world that included torturing, beheading, and killing tens of thousands of South Koreans. He was not a particularly nice guy. For example, there is a picture of him standing on the roof of the South Korean Army Headquarters next to a severed head in a bucket.

In reading this book, Americans also can get a better understanding of the current crisis. The present-day North Korean Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, is the grandson of Kim II-sung, the leader during the Korean War. Back then, as today, there’s no U.S. Embassy in Pyongyang, few Western business travelers, and even fewer tourists flowing in and out. American intelligence officers are unable to blend in undetected or gain a foothold. Harden explained, “Nichols knew his agents were disposable. When he sent them inside North Korea, he expected most would be captured, tortured, or killed, with as many as eight out of ten never coming back. Yet, he did provide answers for his bosses. I detail in the book how he conceived, organized, and lead covert missions inside North Korea. General E. Stratemeyer, commander of Far East Air Forces, wrote in his diary during the first year of the Korean War that Nichols had ‘performed the impossible.’”

Fast-forward to today, where the North Korean regime is still repressive, with closed borders and secret police. They have a strangle hold on the people because they eliminate their enemies and have a narrative to explain their actions. During the Korean War, General Curtis E. LeMay, head of the Strategic Air Command guessed that American bombs killed about 20 percent of the North Korean population, roughly 1,900,000 people.

Harden feels, “The Kim family is able to stoke anti-American hatred and perpetuate its rule, all the while telling a terrifying, fact-based story. It is a warning to the North Korean people that Americans will once again come with bombs, fire, and death, and the only ones to protect them are the leaders. I spoke to more than twenty North Korean defectors who were taught to fear and hate the Americans. Even after they arrived in South Korea they were very reluctant to criticize ‘the Great Leader, the Dear Leader, or the current leader.’ With their cruel and unsavory tactics, they not only keep the people at bay, but countries as well. These leaders through the years have used extortion and repressive techniques, but now they have missiles threatening South Korea, Japan, and the US. It is harder today to infiltrate, because North Korea concentrates all its resources on the border and has new technology for detection. So Nichols’ 20% success rate of infiltration is a far better ratio than what is transpiring today.”

This book delves into an engrossing hidden history of wartime espionage. Too bad, there is not someone like Nichols today. Although he was unsavory he was successful in gathering fact-filled intelligence. His superiors described him as brave, hard working, and creative as he gained knowledge about the inner-workings of the North Korean regime.