| Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 43 reviews)
Sales Rank: 9011
Category: Book
Author: Fred Burton
Publisher: Random House
Studio: Random House
Manufacturer: Random House
Label: Random House
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 5.9 x 1.4
ISBN: 1400065690
Dewey Decimal Number: 363.28
EAN: 9781400065691
ASIN: 1400065690
Publication Date: June 3, 2008
Release Date: June 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
For decades, Fred Burton, a key figure in international counterterrorism and domestic spycraft, has secretly been on the front lines in the fight to keep Americans safe around the world. Now, in this hard-hitting memoir, Burton emerges from the shadows to reveal who he is, what he has accomplished, and the threats that lurk unseen except by an experienced, world-wise few.
In the mid-eighties, the idea of defending Americans against terrorism was still new. But a trio of suicide bombings in Beirut?including one that killed 241 marines and forced our exit from Lebanon?had changed the mindset and mission of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), the arm of the State Department that protects U.S. embassy officials across the globe. Burton, a member of DSS?s tiny but elite Counterterrorism Division, was plunged into a murky world of violent religious extremism spanning the streets of Middle Eastern cities and the informant-filled alleys of American slums. From battling Libyan terrorists and their Palestinian surrogates to having facing down hijackers, hostages, and Hezbollah double agents, Burton found himself on the front lines of America?s first campaign against Terror.
In this globe-trotting account of one counterterrorism agent?s life and career, Burton takes us behind the scenes to reveal how the United States tracked Libya-linked master terrorist Abu Nidal; captured Ramzi Yusef, architect of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing; and pursued the assassins of major figures including Yitzhak Rabin, Meir Kahane, and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the president of Pakistan?classic cases that have sobering new meaning in the treacherous years since 9/11. Here, too, is Burton?s advice on personal safety for today?s most powerful CEOs, gleaned from his experience at Stratfor, the private firm Barron?s calls ?the shadow CIA.?
Told in a no-holds-barred, gripping, nuanced style that illuminates a complex and driven man, Ghost is both a riveting read and an illuminating look into the shadows of the most important struggle of our time.
Praise for GHOST
?With spy thriller suspense and the clarity of a police report, former special agent Burton?s State Department saga reads like a brewing-storm prequel to the current war on terror ... Of obvious interest to anyone with an eye on world affairs.... Most striking is the material?s relevance twenty years later; Burton?s clashes with Hezbollah in Beirut and prickly diplomacy with Iran could almost be pulled from present-day newspapers??Publisher's Weekly
?In many ways, this book reads like a le Carre spy novel: it?s not flashy, not filled with pyrotechnics, not full of chase scenes and derring-do. Rather, it?s the story of a working man whose job involved trying to prevent people from attacking his country. Shorn of ideological rights and wrongs, it?s a fascinating look at what counterterrorism really means on a day-to-day level.? ?Booklist
?The world of counterterrorism is like that old jigsaw puzzle in the back of the closet: its many missing pieces and extra parts jumbled in from other puzzles make it almost impossible to assemble. But in Ghost, Fred Burton manages to join together enough pieces to give us a discerning look at that world. This is a story, told in human terms, that will help make sense of the great puzzle of our times.? ?Eric L. Haney, author of Inside Delta Force and executive producer of The Unit
?Burton?s memoir of fighting the defensive fight against the burgeoning terrorist threat in the 1980s and beyond is a revealing personal journal of the stress and boredom involved in putting the pieces of the puzzle together to obtain justice. Fred Burton was there, and you will be as well.? ?Bobby R. Inman, admiral, United States Navy (retired), former director of National Security Agency and former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency
"This memoir is all at once hard-hitting, well-researched, and an easy read. Organized into thirty-six chapters, with thoughtfully-placed transitions between each, Ghost becomes ones of those books that is easy to put down and return to in a few days." ?SmallWars Journal.com
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| Customer Reviews: Read 38 more reviews...
 Patriot Confusion September 18, 2008
4 out of 9 found this review helpful
OK. After glancing at the excellent reviews, I probably will continue to read this book. I am giving a rating only because posting the review requires it. In fact, I haven't finished the book. But what caused me to leave the book to see what others thought of it is this:
On page 30, upon Burton's entering the CIA headquarters for the first time, I read "" ... a statue of Nathan Hale, a Revolutionary War spy who went to a British hangman's noose with the immortal words 'Give me liberty or give me death' on his lips."
Give me liberty or give me death? Those are certainly immortal words! Nathan Hale? It's been quite a while since I took American history, but that quote is attributed to Patrick Henry. Hale is remembered for the words "I regret that I have but one life to give to my country."
So what made me pause in my reading - and write this - is that I am perplexed. Did Burton dredge up an inaccurate memory? Worse, might that what is actually written somewhere in the mysterious places of the CIA. Or, finally, is the Random House editor a little deficient in his/her American history, to let this error slip by?
I know, I know, some will same I'm picky. But it's so wrong that it stopped my reading dead in it's tracks. Has that passage caused any other readers at least a short pause?
Well, as I said above, because of the excellent reviews the book has received her, I will return to it and continue my reading.
 True American Heroes September 18, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Very much enjoyed reading this book, no it is not like a Robert Ludlum or John LeCarre novel. It is a true testament to the real American Heroes who tread into dark and dangerous places and situations that most of us would fear to go. What stands out here is the dedication and patriotism of these men and woman, who, though obviously highly skilled and intelligent choose a life of sacrifice and service over money and fame. They seek to protect the rest of us from horrors that we can barely appreciate, while often suffering the criticism from the ill informed. The big payoff if they are killed in the line of duty is an anonymous gold star on a wall at Langley. I would hope more people read this book if only to understand that it is a dangerous world in which we live, and perhaps, if only for a moment, take a break from American Idol and Monday Night Football to appreciate these American public servants.
 Not so hot September 10, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is a fun little book, but it's not much of a "confession" as billed. Burton was a DSS agent with an interesting career, but he was not a big player. Most of his involvement was at a low-level, conducting debriefings, meeting a few informants, and reading lots of cables. He does not document personal involvement in ANY top takedowns, no intelligence "coups" nor any real excitement. In spite of describing his countersurveillance training, his need to wear "tied shoes" to be able to fight, and running through his home neigborhoods watching for tails, he never really makes the bigtime. He does have some decent tips on countersurveillance and terrorist planning and execution cycle, and some interesting inside tidbits, but this is no true "ghost."
Counterterrorism school of hard knocks September 2, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Great book and classic story about learning "what you do not know". For those who do not understand what it is like to build a program without any guidance, Fred Burton gives a great insight into his personal school of hard knocks. This book is an in depth look at how the USA developed Counter-terrorism (CT) operations complete with failures and successes. You can feel the emotion, the challenges, and the personal toll it takes on normal people. He also gives some insight into the difference between "serving the country" and "being a politician." Fred is an American hero who stepped up to the plate when his country needed him.
 Spooked by Ghost! August 13, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I found this book hard to put down. The pages turned rapidly as I gleaned behind the scenes insights into events to which I had been exposed to via electronic and print media in the past. As I put down the completed book, I experienced two strong feelings: 1. I am very glad that I was able to experience a microscopic view into the activities of people working behind the scenes, with little or no publicity, to protect our nation all hours of all days 2. I am concerned that our intelligence community may still be hindering itself through a lack of cooperation between the various agencies; even with the advent of Homeland Security. I highly recommend this book to all concerned citizens.
As an aside, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this book becomes a successful movie.
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