Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent

by Fred Burton

book data

131 ratings, 3.56 average rating, 49 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		19%
4		30%
3		37%
2		10%
1		1%

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published

June 3rd 2008 by Random House

details

Hardcover, 336 pages

isbn

1400065690 (isbn13: 9781400065691)

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 k…more

[close] 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. [close]

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Feb 13, 2009

Resonance rated it:

Read in January, 2009

Ghost had some interesting contents. For people who have read espionage 'nonfiction' there will be things everyone's read several times -- discussions of dead drops, brush passes, surveillance and evasion. There's a couple of intriguing passages that I haven't read anywhere else -- especially speculation about the death/assassination of Zia in Pakistan. And the book brings back a lot of memories about how we viewed terrorism in the 80s.

However, the book is short, and quite short on ...more Ghost had some interesting contents. For people who have read espionage 'nonfiction' there will be things everyone's read several times -- discussions of dead drops, brush passes, surveillance and evasion. There's a couple of intriguing passages that I haven't read anywhere else -- especially speculation about the death/assassination of Zia in Pakistan. And the book brings back a lot of memories about how we viewed terrorism in the 80s.

However, the book is short, and quite short on details, which is probably unavoidable due to security regulations. It seems to try and focus more on what it was like to be a CT agent, how your life changes, and at this task Burton both succeeds and fails -- you get a sense of how different his life has become and what sacrifices the people in his life have had to make, and how his personal resolve and reflection drive him to save lives and nail the bad guys. And this is interesting -- if not expertly rendered, at least rendered well enough to draw the reader in somewhat. Yet it's hard to avoid the realization that this focus on the personal aspects of his life is chosen because there's comparatively little that he's allowed to talk about because of security concerns, and while I'd imagine most readers understand that the bulk of his day to day duties can't be discussed for obvious reasons, the relative dearth of this data is still a little unsatisfying for the reader. The whole point of the book's appeal is that he's a counterterrorism agent, yet like so many other intelligence professionals have found, it's very hard to make a gripping story if you cut out all the stuff you're not supposed to talk about. Although Burton's role grew in importance as time went on, we hear less and less of what he was actually doing in that time and more and more of the focus on personal things, and it almost seems like filler.

The bottom line is that this is an interesting read and worth a look, but don't expect something earth-shattering. For fans of this sort of work, you will find comparatively little to distinguish this work from several others in its kind, but enough that you won't be unhappy.(less)

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Dec 26, 2009

Shannon rated it:

The information is interesting and Burton has worked some major cases, which is the reason I scored it as high as I did. However, Burton is not a good writer. He is a self-congratulatory cowboy who uses cutesy nicknames for things ("The Dark World" for anything spy-related, for example)which make it hard to take him seriously. He doesn't try to present a nuanced view of terrorism. The terrorists are bad, he is ostensibly good, and that's the end of it. These terrorist events don't...more

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Aug 31, 2009

Gonzalo rated it:

(review of isbn 0345494253)

bookshelves: 11th-grade

Read in January, 2007

This is the first book i've read this summer, it's really interesting and it's a memoir by Fred Burton, who was recruited in the DSS and was assigned to it's counter-terrorism branch. Fred Burton at the time was surprised because counter-terrorism wasn't that big of a thing back then in the 70's but then as you read through the book you could see the growth of counter-terrorism and how the tactics used evolved. And you can also see Fred's expertise increases. You will see how both Fred Burton an...more

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May 17, 2009

Joseph rated it:

Read in May, 2009

I enjoyed most of this book, a memoir by a former Diplomatic Security Service Agent. Mr. Burton writes in the crisp clear voice of someone who has been there done that and has the T-shirt to prove it.

In highlighting his career Mr. Burton adds depth to my memories of the newspaper coverage of those events but nothing that is really new. The downfall of the book is the last few chapters. In those chapters he falls into that seemingly all to common complaint the 'Bureaucracy' hinde...more

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Feb 18, 2009

Jesse D. rated it:

Great book, if you want to know just how long we have been fighting the war on terrorism in America, here's your book. This man, who runs www.stratfor.com, was part of the second group of counter-terrorism agents. There was one man before him and countless have followed in his footsteps and protocols. This gave me an entirely new appreciation of the work our counter-terrorism agents have to do both at home and abroad. Highly recommended. The ONLY reason I gave this four stars was because it ...more

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Dec 19, 2008

Jim rated it:

bookshelves: nonfiction, nonfiction-middle-east

Read in January, 2009

An interesting foray into the dark world of counterintelligence by a member of the DSS. They protect US diplomats and embassies, as wel as visiting dignitaries, and Burton was on the groundfloor of antiterrorist activities. It scares you when you see how ill-equipped we were to handle the emerging terrorist threats. This book focuses mostly on the 80s and early 90s: the hostage crisis in Lebanon, the Libyans, the assassination of Pakistani leader Zia, Lockerbie, and the first WTC bombing, and th...more

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Nov 04, 2009

Lisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0345494253)

bookshelves: i-have--or-would--re-read

Owns a copy — Read in September, 2008

recommends it for: anyone interested in memoirs, government, intrigue

Burton was one of the very first counterterrorism agents in the US. He believes that knowledge is power, so he talks about practical ways to make oneself safer in the modern world, as well as divulging a lot of juicy stories about his past experiences (which are no doubt now de-classified).

Burton now works in the private sector doing the same sort of work, making people safer.

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Sep 02, 2009

Tree rated it:

Read in January, 2009

Good book, especially if you want to see "behind the scenes" at some of the work done by special agents of the Diplomatic Security Service. The prose is a little plain - it's almost as if the writer were making notes in his police journal, rather than writing a story. That said, the content makes up for any of the other shortcomings.

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Dec 16, 2008

Lydia rated it:

Read in December, 2008

If I could give this book a 3.5 I would. It started out very slow for me. But picked up later on. It was fascinating insight into the life of a spook and how the DSS as changed in the past couple of decades and why.

Good insights into the Iran-contra affair, first bombing of the WTC, and multiple plane bombings.

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Jun 15, 2009

Jen rated it:

Read in June, 2009

I had high hopes for some real-life spy action in this book. There is some of that, but not enough to make it a thrilling read. It was interesting, and I learned some about the inner workings of the DSS. The author's clear conservative bias pulled me out of the text fairly often and was annoying.

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Jun 25, 2009

Janice rated it:

Read in June, 2009

Behind the scenes of our intelligence groups. I learn some history about what is really going on instead of what is on the news. I like the up front and personal accounts. This guy checks out leads on terrorism to see if they are credible or not. Very good.

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Nov 20, 2009

Dannika rated it:

(review of isbn 0345494253)

Read in November, 2009

This book was at times both interesting and intensely boring. It didn't coincide with some of the things I believe about the intelligence and "dark" world, so it read a little like fiction to me. It was very interesting though, and I enjoyed it.

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May 27, 2008

J rated it:

Read in May, 2008

Non-fiction but well written (apparently without ghost writer) account of a career in U.S. government surveillance and "HUMINT" (jargon for human intelligence).
Covers some key events in recent history ('88 downing of plane bearing Pakistan's Zia, first bombing of WTC in '93).
Not too long or too technical. Provides fascinating fundamentals of the the national security spy industry. Shows the industry's evolution into the computer age.
I really appreciated that author F...more

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Mar 09, 2009

Jocelyn rated it:

bookshelves: government

Read in March, 2009

A look through the eyes of an agent for the Defense Security Service and all the stress and drama it entails. There are not many gritty details, but considering his work was classified, that's not too surprising. Nonetheless the book gave me a new appreciation for what counter-terrorists do to keep people safe.

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Jan 26, 2009

Debi rated it:

Read in January, 2009

Burton's memoir of counter terrorism is like sitting on the stairs and secretly listening to the adult's uncensored talk downstairs. Interesting insights, although at times a little self serving. Otherwise recommended reading.

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Aug 26, 2009

Ryan Potter rated it:

Read in July, 2009

This book blew my mind. Fred Burton's stories from his career in counterterrorism, especially in the 1980s, are amazing. I don't read much non-fiction, but I'd recommend this book to anybody.

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Feb 06, 2009

Phillip rated it:

Pretty good book about the early days of chasing terrorists. Can scare the crap out of you realizing what goes on out there. A bit too personal, but interesting. Good book.

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Apr 04, 2009

Jeff rated it:

Read in March, 2009

The most incredible behind the scenes look at counterterrorism. This guy is Jack Bauer's boss in real life. Eye-opening and educational. You won't be able to put it down.

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Jan 06, 2010

Zach rated it:

(review of isbn 0345494253)

bookshelves: 2010-books, audio-books, audio-books-2010, intel, law-enforcement-true-crime, terrorism

Interesting perspective on behind the scenes of early counterterrorism efforts in 1980s responding to bombings in Beirut, the disco in Berlin as well as responding to the airplane crash in 1988 that killed General Zia and much of Pakistan's military leadership.

The book provides a street level view of the day to day work that goes into counterterrorism.

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Apr 17, 2009

Topher rated it:

Read in April, 2009

Saw the author on Colbert, thought'd be worth checking out. Got through 95+% of it while I gave a final exam. Entertaining, not surprising though.

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