From Publishers Weekly
This close-up look at the FBI's most elite unit by a 15-year veteran including firsthand accounts of actions at Waco and Ruby Ridge is alternately funny, exciting and disturbing. With his liberal arts background and experience as a D.C. speechwriter, Whitcomb was an unusual candidate for special agent. Currently director of information management for the Bureau's Critical Incident Response Group, he recounts his 1980s epiphany, following a State of the Union address, that he wanted to help preserve American democracy; he chose the FBI as his medium. He details the tricky, competitive process of becoming an agent, and humorously recalls how, as a cocky, ambitious FNG ("fucking new guy"), he clashed with his conservative superiors, yet soon valued their expertise as he chased an assortment of fugitives, bank robbers and kidnappers from a rural Missouri field office. He details these cases and his own growing expertise, then depicts with gallows humor the "physical and emotional hell" of applying to join the Hostage Rescue Team's (HRT). He succeeded and became a sniper, and offers excellent insight into the science and mindset of this rarefied killing art. In skillful prose, Whitcomb upholds the FBI's party line. Alongside sharp observations of the rituals and absurdities of federal law enforcement, he fiercely espouses an unreconstructed "thin blue line" philosophy whereby he perceives figures such as David Koresh and Randy Weaver simply as evil men and incompletely addresses civic disillusionment with the Bureau following Waco, Ruby Ridge and the FBI crime lab scandals. Still, Whitcomb ably portrays conflicts between the agency's factions Washington bureaucrats, profilers and negotiators, and the gung-ho HRT during these major crises. This valuable book makes a compelling read for armchair G-men everywhere. (Sept. 13)Forecast: There's always a market for insider FBI stories, and Whitcomb's involvement in the controversial Ruby Ridge and Waco incidents gives this one extra currency. A six-city author tour and print advertising in major newspapers should lead to brisk sales.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Special Agent Whitcomb here recounts his early years in the FBI, which included stops at Ruby Ridge and Waco as a sniper in the elite Hostage Rescue Team. Whitcomb is not only a true adventurer with interests in mountain climbing and sharpshooting but master of the "cold zero" shot the first, perfect shot. He is also a talented writer. Although he tends to go a little overboard with his patriotism and pride, this fast-paced memoir never lags. His realistic portrayal of the grinding training and work regimen coupled with the strains on family life make the "you-are-there" accounts of FBI operations in Waco, Bosnia, and, most recently, Vieques more gripping. A bit more background on these events would have helped with historical context. Still, it's hard to believe that Whitcomb has been an agent for only 15 years. Let's hope he stays with the FBI and continues writing. Karen Sandlin Silverman, Ctr. for Applied Research Philadelphia Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
This insider's view of federal law enforcement sounds a bit much like the party line. While providing us with a fascinating view of the FBI and the author's role in the events at Ruby Ridge and Waco, it is very much a look at how the government views itself. Whitcomb writes well, and his reading is fine. He employs the same clear and disciplined voice throughout the production, his inflection keeping the listener's interest. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
A member of the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team, Whitcomb's detailed, firsthand knowledge of the team's hairraising experiences in such highprofile missions as Ruby Ridge and Waco helps to offset his somewhat awkward prose style. The book isn't badly written, by any means, it's just a little bland. Like a secondstring toughguy novel, there is plenty of action and energy but little finesse. Still, it's a fascinating story, a closeup look at a group of agents whose job requires them to put their lives on the line so the lives of others may be saved. Controversy often surrounds the work of the HRT, and while Whitcomb, of course, is not an objective analyst, he does offer valuable information about why the group does what it does. Expect this account to generate interest from those on both sides of the arguments over Waco and similar incidents. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
A former journalist from Franconia, New Hampshire, Christopher Whitcomb was hardly a typical FBI recruit. Yet over the course of his career, he climbed into the bureau's most lofty ranks: the Hostage Rescue Team (HRC). In his riveting first book, Cold Zero, the 15-year FBI veteran takes readers deep inside the nation's elite force of G-men.

In Cold Zero, Whitcomb renders this transformation in powerful, razor-sharp prose. Following a rigorous personal exam, he reports to the FBI training facilities in Quantico, Virginia, where he passes the physical and mental tests with flying colors. He's then promptly shipped off to Kansas City, and shortly thereafter, Springfield, Missouri. He struts into the Ozarks and encounters oddballs of all stripes, from a nuclear physicist stalked by angry Mormons to a construction foreman with the blueprints to Saddam Hussein's secret bunker. Not all the work is so funny; he cuts his teeth on tough cases, attends his share of funerals, and deals with battered wives.

Intent on pushing himself, Whitcomb rises to the challenge in 1991 when presented the opportunity to work for the HRC. He drops 25 pounds and becomes a sniper. Slowly, ineluctably, he draws the reader into his mind-set as he describes the FBI's standoffs with Randy Weaver and David Koresh, shedding a cold light on these events. In his mind, such men are hardened criminals, beyond earthly salvation. Reading this book, it's sometimes difficult to argue with this assessment. And thanks to Whitcomb's bold storytelling skills, we feel like we are up in the trees with him as he makes this judgment, rifle poised. (John Freeman)

John Freeman lives in New York City.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

With the immediacy and force of a sniper's strike, Cold Zero is a blistering first-person account of life inside the FBI and its elite Hostage Rescue Team.
Of the hundreds of thousands of U.S. law enforcement officers, only 200 have ever been in Christopher Whitcomb's highly trained and specialized branch of the FBI. Equivalent to the Navy's SEALs and the Army's Delta Force, the Hostage Rescue Team is charged with terrorist capture, hostage release, and other emergencies in the United States and around the world. Whitcomb is the first HRT member ever to write about his experience.
With breathtaking clarity, Whitcomb describes his journey from civilian to FBI agent and from field agent into the highly competitive HRT—the brutal training, the weapons and tactics, and the unbreakable camaraderie of the HRT. In short order, after joining the HRT in 1991, Whitcomb was sent on missions to:
Ruby Ridge. Trained as a sniper, Whitcomb was in position in the first team to surround the cabin and gives an unsparing account of the communications and leadership issues there.
Waco. For several excruciating months, Whitcomb took up his position in the Branch Davidian standoff. Day after day he held David Koresh and other gunmen in his crosshairs—only to watch, stunned, the fiery debacle that broke the stalemate.
Kosovo. As part of the evidence-gathering FBI mission, Whitcomb saw the aftermath of genocide and the urgency of bearing witness.
Whitcomb's frank assessment of these and many other missions is must reading for anyone interested in modern law enforcement and covert operations.
Cold Zero is not just a story of missions, weapons, and tactics, though. It is the story of the human being behind the sniper's scope, the people who put on badges and strap on guns to represent the law of the United States. It is a book of rare action and emotion, and one that introduces a remarkable new writer to the world.

Author Biography: Christopher Whitcomb is an active fifteen-year veteran of the FBI and director of strategic information management for the Critical Incident Response Group. He is a recipient of the FBI's Medal of Bravery for exceptional courage in the line of duty, and he has participated in virtually every high-profile federal investigation in recent years.

SYNOPSIS

An active 15-year veteran of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, Whitcomb recounts his adventures as a sniper with the Hostage Rescue Team. He changes all the names except well- known public figures, and alters some events and details to protect investigative techniques. The high points are his accounts of Ruby Ridge and Waco.

Annotation © Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

David Baldacci

An absolutely terrific read; storytelling at its best...Whitcomb is that rare treasure..[he] can deliver every mesmerizing detail with the skill...of a seasoned novelist.

Sebastian Junger

I could not stop reading his account of the intense, murky world he was once a part of. I love this book. —author of The Perfect Storm

Doug Stanton

￯﾿ﾽa gritty thriller told with an angel's voice￯﾿ﾽWhitcomb is that rare combination of tough guy and poet￯﾿ﾽimpossible to put down. —author of In Harm's Way

Publishers Weekly

This close-up look at the FBI's most elite unit by a 15-year veteran including firsthand accounts of actions at Waco and Ruby Ridge is alternately funny, exciting and disturbing. With his liberal arts background and experience as a D.C. speechwriter, Whitcomb was an unusual candidate for special agent. Currently director of information management for the Bureau's Critical Incident Response Group, he recounts his 1980s epiphany, following a State of the Union address, that he wanted to help preserve American democracy; he chose the FBI as his medium. He details the tricky, competitive process of becoming an agent, and humorously recalls how, as a cocky, ambitious FNG ("fucking new guy"), he clashed with his conservative superiors, yet soon valued their expertise as he chased an assortment of fugitives, bank robbers and kidnappers from a rural Missouri field office. He details these cases and his own growing expertise, then depicts with gallows humor the "physical and emotional hell" of applying to join the Hostage Rescue Team's (HRT). He succeeded and became a sniper, and offers excellent insight into the science and mindset of this rarefied killing art. In skillful prose, Whitcomb upholds the FBI's party line. Alongside sharp observations of the rituals and absurdities of federal law enforcement, he fiercely espouses an unreconstructed "thin blue line" philosophy whereby he perceives figures such as David Koresh and Randy Weaver simply as evil men and incompletely addresses civic disillusionment with the Bureau following Waco, Ruby Ridge and the FBI crime lab scandals. Still, Whitcomb ably portrays conflicts between the agency's factions Washington bureaucrats, profilers and negotiators,and the gung-ho HRT during these major crises. This valuable book makes a compelling read for armchair G-men everywhere. (Sept. 13) Forecast: There's always a market for insider FBI stories, and Whitcomb's involvement in the controversial Ruby Ridge and Waco incidents gives this one extra currency. A six-city author tour and print advertising in major newspapers should lead to brisk sales. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal