Ghost

A friend from Nuevo Laredo recommended Fred Burton’s Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent last fall, then a neighbor lent it to me last week.  I started it yesterday afternoon and finished it tonight after work.  This was an interesting, if melodramatic, look at the creation of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service’s (DSS) Counterterrorism division.  It covers the period from Agent Burton’s entrance into the division (of three employees at the time) in 1986 through 1995.  Lots of very bad terrorist acts were committed during that timeframe and Agent Burton was either on the scene or behind the scene shortly after most of them.  The book was an intriguing history of DSS and how it interacts with the other intelligence and security agencies.  Agent Burton’s writing style was a bit over-the-top, and I quickly tired of the incredible number of references to his trusty Barbour Beaufort jacket.  Aside from that, it was a fun read and gave me some insight into the DSS CT division.  Here are two slightly lengthier reviews from Duffbert and SWJ.