COLD ZERO is not your typical Rambo insider look at a macho unit of Alpha males exposed to danger and violence who save society by indescribable feats of heroism. Instead it is the unique perspective of a former speechwriter who aspired to challenge himself and make a difference in American society by becoming an FBI agent. It describes the extreme mental and physical torment he endured and overcame to be selected. After paying his dues as an agent, he applied for the elite Hostage Rescue Team and became a sniper. He gives insight into Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas operations and the effect they had on him personally.

The importance of the book is found in its perception of the United States in terms of vulnerability, preparation and response to a terrorist attack as seen through the eyes of the FBI and its specialized departments and programs. The book was written prior to September 11 but after the FBI was designated the lead agency in any foreign or domestic act of terrorism. Whitcomb describes what Hostage Recovery, Critical Incidence Response, and the Strategic Information Operations Center are designed to do in a crisis. His book now begs for a sequel which would inform and educate the public on its operations post 9/11. He could follow up a very good book with another. If it is close to being as good as COLD ZERO it will be HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Christopher Whitcomb gives readers a rare look inside both the FBI and the highly elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team. I loved this book because it had all the action and intrigue of a Tom Clancy novel, but was written in the first person by someone who actually lived those stories.

Whitcomb does a tremendous job of conveying his thoughts and emotions throughout every stage of his career: the unnerving waiting game that is the FBI application process, being the new guy learning the ropes the hard way in his first office, going through the incredibly grueling physical selection process for the HRT, giving a behind-the-scenes account for such cases as Ruby Ridge and Waco, and finally detailing his current position as director for Strategic Information for the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group.

Besides just the action and adventure, Whitcomb describes with literary savvy his childhood, his supportive and loving family, and the type of friendship that is born only in situations that the team members of the HRT find themselves in. He allows us into his emotions and thoughts; and we can see that there is much more in him than just an FBI "yes-man"-- he stuggles at times with the decisions that are handed down to the street agents and the HRT members from the bureaucratic ladder climbers.

Overall, this is a thrilling read that will be thoroughly enjoyed by a variety of people. More than anything, I was inspired by Whitcomb's ability to turn his amazing experiences into one flowing story that entertains from cover to cover.

As a 15-year veteran who has worked on some of the most infamous cases in recent American history, Christopher Whitcomb gives us the opportunity to take a peek inside the FBI. But not only the inside story in the field, also a look at the day-to-day dealings from headquarters.

We follow his story from the unbelievable moment he is told that he's been accepted into the FBI and then into the elite Hostage Rescue Team (HRT). It's in this unit that he was involved in some of the FBI's most well known hostage situations and has been awarded the FBI's Medal of Bravery. Whitcomb's account reads like any best-selling thriller, the only difference being that this is real life. You can track the author's fast learning curve that takes him very rapidly from a raw recruit to a seasoned veteran. But it's not only the action that the author saw that really makes a mark. The amount of training that this unit goes through is truly phenomenal, and gives you an amazing insight into just how dedicated these men must truly be.

We get a unique inside view on events surrounding such high profile and high-pressure situations as Ruby Ridge and Waco and even the atrocities he witnessed towards the end of the Kosovo conflict. This gives us a fascinating insider's view of what goes on inside the FBI as well as the toll, both emotional and physical, that it takes on the agents. A brilliant and fascinating read for anyone interested in true crime, action stories and the workings of the FBI.