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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “This is one of those books that will go down as the seminal work—the determinative work—in this field. . . . Terrifying.”—Rachel Maddow

The first definitive account of the rise and fall of the Secret Service, from the Kennedy assassination to the alarming mismanagement of the Obama and Trump years, right up to the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6—by the Pulitzer Prize winner and #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of A Very Stable Genius and I Alone Can Fix It
 
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST

Carol Leonnig has been reporting on the Secret Service for The Washington Post for most of the last decade, bringing to light the secrets, scandals, and shortcomings that plague the agency today—from a toxic work culture to dangerously outdated equipment to the deep resentment within the ranks at key agency leaders, who put protecting the agency’s once-hallowed image before fixing its flaws. But the Secret Service wasn’t always so troubled.

The Secret Service was born in 1865, in the wake of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, but its story begins in earnest in 1963, with the death of John F. Kennedy. Shocked into reform by its failure to protect the president on that fateful day in Dallas, this once-sleepy agency was radically transformed into an elite, highly trained unit that would redeem itself several times, most famously in 1981 by thwarting an assassination attempt against Ronald Reagan. But this reputation for courage and excellence would not last forever. By Barack Obama’s presidency, the once-proud Secret Service was running on fumes and beset by mistakes and alarming lapses in judgment: break-ins at the White House, an armed gunman firing into the windows of the residence while confused agents stood by, and a massive prostitution scandal among agents in Cartagena, to name just a few. With Donald Trump’s arrival, a series of promised reforms were cast aside, as a president disdainful of public service instead abused the Secret Service to rack up political and personal gains.

To explore these problems in the ranks, Leonnig interviewed dozens of current and former agents, government officials, and whistleblowers who put their jobs on the line to speak out about a hobbled agency that’s in desperate need of reform. “I will be forever grateful to them for risking their careers,” she writes, “not because they wanted to share tantalizing gossip about presidents and their families, but because they know that the Service is broken and needs fixing. By telling their story, they hope to revive the Service they love.”

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House (May 18, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 560 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399589015
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399589010
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.85 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.62 x 9.54 inches
Reviewer: D. Arnold
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A history worth reading
Review: This books serves as a general history of the Secret Service and focuses on several key issues it has faced in that history. It follows the service through multiple administrations and key events during those administrations which they observed from a closer and more intimate place than any other Americans. It also shows their relationship with each administration, sometimes they are treated like family and sometimes they are treated like servants. Overall well written and an interesting read.

Reviewer: L. Primus
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Very interesting deep dive into the Secret service
Review: covers decades and all sorts of things I never knew. Took a left leaning political position at the end but supported it with facrs. good read.

Reviewer: AuH2O
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Chilling Account of a Malfunctioning Agency
Review: Ms. Leonnig has written a very thorough history of the United States Secret Service which reveals a picture of an agency of the federal government which must not ever fail in its mission.Regrettably, as Ms. Leonnig recounts, it fails on a regular basis.Her reporting details an agency which, in modern history, certainly has good and capable agents--often ones who have selflessly and courageously worked in service of the country by placing themselves directly in harm's way with no thought of how they will survive.Specifically, there is the account of Tim McCarthy who stepped between Ronald Reagan and John W Hinckley Jr. to take a bullet in the attempted assassination.There is also a moving account of the unnamed agents who, on September 11, 2001, obeyed the suicidal order to rush to the roof of the White House with their long guns when word finally reached the USSS that a commercial jet--believed to be highjacked--appeared to be on a course that could take it into the building.The fact that the plane, in fact, was headed for the Pentagon instead of the White House does not lesson the dedication the agents displayed when they went to the roof to see if they could stop a jumbo jet on a suicide dive by shooting it with rifles.Unfortunately, these splendid agents are mixed in with a healthy number of them who are much less dedicated--who have reported for duty while intoxicated, who have failed to respond to threats, and who have utterly failed to perform basic aspects of their duty which have endangered the lives of those they are sworn to protect.Compounding this situation of the uneven performance of the agents in the rank-and-file, Ms. Leonnig recounts a history of unimaginable and uninterrupted incompetence among management at the USSS. The service described in these pages is so ill-led that it's impossible to imagine how Presidents are not physically attacked on a daily basis.The tales of seeing the agency's mission rapidly expand as its budget is constrained are familiar ones for those who can observe congressional members who spend their energies preening for the television cameras and tossing red meat to their constituents by proudly boasting of the problems they see in Washington with no regard at all for what to do about those problems.While the writing is very strong and Ms. Leonnig's reporting is obviously very detailed, some of the criticisms I have read of her work seem to have some merit. There are some minor errors in the book which were overlooked--such as recounting during one incident that President Obama was at a men's college basketball game that was entering the fourth quarter. Men's college basketball games do not have a fourth quarter.There were other events recorded here that could have stood some more in-depth reporting, I feel, than they received. For example, some reviewers have disputed the account that JFK ordered agents to stay off his car while driving through Dallas on November 22, 1963. I am personally aware of some historical accounts that support the idea that this instruction was given and others that dispute it. I would have enjoyed an account of the day that would have revisited those accounts and more clearly outlined why Ms. Leonnig finds some accounts more persuasive.There are accounts of agents being mistreated by their protectees recorded in these pages. LBJ fares worse than others, in my opinion, in this regard. However, there are instances in which Ms. Leonnig seems strangely uncurious about this history. She notes--without any exploration of the topic--that there were accusations that Mrs. Clinton did not permit agents to speak within her earshot. The Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, is recorded as being very openly discourteous to the agents tasked with safeguarding her while living in the White House. These accounts are not fleshed out to determine to what extent they are indicative of ghastly behavior by the family and to what extent they are remembered as being more than they are.Other times, the Secret Service is painted as being complicit in actions Ms. Leonnig clearly feels are objectionable. For example, she allows to stand congressional criticism of the Service providing security for President Trump's private residence in Trump Tower and the cost to taxpayers.The fact is that, even though the cost to the taxpayers was exponentially larger in this case than in any other in history, the Service was not free to refuse this mission. The law dictates that the USSS protect the private residence of the President--and that the location of that residence is determined solely by the President.It's a law worthy of reconsideration, but the USSS is not to blame for it. The congressional members who criticized the Service for undertaking this mission seemed curiously unaware of who writes the laws and who enforces them.It is certainly true that the financial costs to the Service during the Trump presidency were out of control, but much of that stemmed from the constant expansion of the agency's mission, the growing list of protectees, and the whims of the man in the Oval Office.A chapter or two near the end that would have proposed remedies to some of these issues would have been interesting to read, but the absence of such an accounting does not truly diminish what is otherwise a very strong piece of reporting in an era too often devoid of such work from the nation's journalists.

Reviewer: LIttle Girlie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Amazing Book:
Review: I love Carol Leonnig's writing, she moves things along fast and never allows it to become boring. I remember all of the presidents and most of the larger things that happened in all of the years that are written about here. I am a Kennedy fan and their are two things I don't ever remember reading or understanding to my satisfaction in all of these years. One is I didn't realize that someone saw a man with a gun up in the window of the building before the shooting, that I have never read and am glad to know. Second, I had heard that the President had this casket in Texas and then it was changed out in Washington DC. I could never find the answer to that. After Carol Leonnig's greatness to detail now I realize that the first casket was pretty well mangled getting it on and off the planes going from Texas to Washington. Now I will just say, I can't imagine our Secret Service doing some of the things they have done. Knowing that we are all humans and we all fail at times, this service has to be the BEST!! IT MUST! Our presidents and other top ranking officials have to be kept safe and it's so important. I am so upset that there were this many things that happened over the years where we could have lost someone, simply from not enough equipment to guys drinking too much and so forth. I do hope that this will get straightened out. This is the USA and we should have the best in the world! It haunts me to think of some of the things that I knew happened and some that she brought to our attention. We the people need to be sure we have the most top notch of Secret Service Agents all of the time. Even if it has to cost more money, it is well worth it. We need our presidents to be kept safe and be able to run this country. I was so upset to realize that President Obama was upset with them, and what they had been doing, such a great President and he had to worry about this? It makes no sense i this country to have things of this nature going on. I wish every single person in the USA will read this book. Carol Leonnig is an excellent author and gives us the best each and every time. I thank her for all of the knowledge and wait for her next book. She never leaves one wanting for more or not being completely satisfied with what information she gives, she is complete in her writing and her knowledge. An excellent author. Thanks for this wonderful if disturbing book, it is good for the people of our country to know what is really going on behind the scenes. We care for this country and want the best for our leaders and our Secret Service.

Reviewer: Lourenço
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Loving the book, it gives an inside perspective of the S.S and I would never imagine that a few days after buying the book, president Trump would have an assassination attempt, with another major fail for the S.S

Reviewer: SirThomas46
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Carol Leonnig is a brilliant writer. She is a Pulitzer Prize author. This book outshines anything she has ever done. The Republican that I am most angry at is Abraham Lincoln. Why? Because if he had posted two guards outside his box at the Ford theatre, American history would be so different. 🤔🇺🇸👍

Reviewer: Christian
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Whenever I thought of the secret service, I thought of an elite- with the most important task in the world. Protecting the powerful people of american policies.The look behind the scenes showed the usual bureacracy, a circle of old men, more luck than skill- it was fascinating.Fascinating, like watching a trainwreck. In a morbid kind of way. The amount of reasearch that had to go with this book is simply amazing.

Reviewer: mrs b kenway
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Look forward to reading soon, have added to my pile of recent books with a related theme.

Reviewer: Gordon von Hollen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Zero Fail is a well written book and a good read! Thoroughly researched!Brings the history of the Secret Service from its origins to the present day!Thanks Carolfrom Gordon von Hollen