Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator *(Epub)
The FBI’s chief hostage negotiator recounts harrowing standoffs, including the Waco siege with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, in a memoir that inspired the miniseries Waco, now on Netflix. In Stalling for Time, the FBI’s chief hostage negotiator takes readers on a harrowing tour through many of the most famous hostage crises in the history of the modern FBI, including the siege at Waco, the Montana Freemen standoff, and the D.C. sniper attacks. Having helped develop the FBI’s nonviolent communication techniques for achieving peaceful outcomes in tense situations, Gary Noesner offers a candid, fascinating look back at his years as an innovator in the ranks of the Bureau and a pioneer on the front lines. Whether vividly recounting showdowns with the radical Republic of Texas militia or clashes with colleagues and superiors that expose the internal politics of America’s premier law enforcement agency, Stalling for Time crackles with insight and breathtaking suspense. Case by case, minute by minute, it’s a behind-the-scenes view of a visionary crime fighter in action. Praise for Stalling for Time “Riveting . . . the most in-depth and absorbing section is devoted to the 1993 siege near Waco, Texas.”—The Washington Post “Captivating . . . an electrifying read . . . No Hollywood movie can top this story for thrills, suspense, or action.”—New York Journal of Books “Certain to fascinate true crime readers . . . The compelling centerpiece of the book is Noesner’s analysis of ‘what went wrong at Waco’ with the Branch Davidians.”—Publishers Weekly “An intense, immersive narrative . . . vicariously entertaining.”—Kirkus Reviews “Engrossing . . . The book is also an intimate history of contemporary American militia movements.”—New Republic Read more
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Why Must Read Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator?
I struggled with the stars on this one. It's a fantastic, overall read. Noesner, at face value, doesn't seem to pull any punches when it comes to failures and successes. At a deeper level, when I went over the documents related to some of these cases, it appears Noesner either failed to check back in on the final reports or purposefully omitted them. To take the most notable example, in the Waco incident, he comes to the end of the section, noting how he was certain Koresh was stalling and not writing the Seals. Except, when Ruth Riddle came out of the burning building, she carried a disk with the First Seal. Now, we could parse over the meaning of that, the validity of Koresh et. al. but Noesner clearly sidesteps and omits this, and actually directly contradicts this. At a deeper level, reading without emotion, it becomes clear Noesner struggles with his "government hero" need to deflect or explain away faults (and expressly makes notes when naming names, that he means no harm, which takes away the sting from the bite) and his "personally moral hero" in Noesner being a naturally wonderful human, who truly wants to improve the ability to save lives. This struggle comes out - likely subconsciously - when detailing events that could have been handled better. There are a few other places where there was "sin by omission". That said, it was also a fabulous read, generally documented well from Noesner's angle, and had great explanations in the negotiation strategies employed in various fields, contexts and situations around the world. Noesner does have the ability to read people fairly well, but there is a touch of feeling in situations where things went wrong, Noesner, himself, claims no fault and "should have listened to me". Noesner may well have had the best idea, but it can come across underdeveloped on WHY his strategy is the best. One scenario may explain it thoroughly, then another scenario with a different strategy is reduced to "just trust me I know best". I would clearly believe he does, but this is a book written for readers, so I'd like to have seen some of that explained more.
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