Book Review: Ghost by Fred Burton

Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent
by Fred Burton
Random House, $16, 288 pages, Released: June 9, 2009

"The bodies fell out of the sky and plummeted into a shepard's field. A Greek peasant, minding his flock of sheep, discovered them battered and smashed almost beyond recognition. Before this horrible day, the trio had been a family: one grandmother, one daughter, one infant granddaughter. These were terror's latest targets."

Fred Burton served in the Diplomatic Security Service, part of the Department of State. From the mid-80's to 1998, Burton investigated terrorism acts against the United States. He advised the government on ways to protect assets and personnel. Burton also shuffled world leaders around town, protecting them as they met with American officials or appeared at public events. In his memoir, "Ghost" he remembers with stinging detail both the perpetrators and victims of terrorist attacks.

Burton takes readers by the hand, leading them a variety of events. Making calls on a scrambled, high-security phone system, he becomes familiar with Oliver North. We see Terry Waite, hostage negotiator, asking to speak with Oliver North on the phone.

"I look at the number. It is a direct White House line. I glance down at the STU-III and wonder what I should do next. Something doesn't smell right here. Why is Waite tied in with the NSC? Is Waite the administration's go-between with Hezbollah? I thought he was working on behalf of the archbishop of Canterbury."

Later, we learn: "Terry Waite was just a cover for the real negotiations,ones that treated each hostage as capital that the Iranians and Hezbollah could use to buy TOW missiles."

 Burton investigated the death of Pakistani President Zia, and provides evidence on how the KGB took his plane down. He also discusses Ramzi Yousef and the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, and how he assisted in the capture of Yousef.

These episodic stories are structured in a whodunit form, fraught with tension. Burton describes his own role with humility. He is not heroic in these stories. Rather, he presents himself as a public servant who cannot forget the innocent men and women who have been killed. It is reminiscent of "Dragnet", except in this case, the protagonist has more personality.

Burton makes certain that readers identify with the victims of terrorist attacks. It will be difficult to forget the sad details of the attacks, along with the sociopathic mentality of the terrorists. While presenting new information about historical events, Burton manages to involve readers emotionally. "Ghost" is a compelling book.

Comments

[Fred Burton]

Hello Laura,

Thank you for the very nice review.

Best Regards,

Fred Burton
VP, Counterterrorism
Stratfor
www.stratfor.com

[Laura]

Thanks for dropping by. Good luck with your book!