While the novel contains some fascinating trivia about the secret service and the men and women in their care, the writing is quite simplistic. Sometimes the dirt reads like a hollywood tell all AND with so many un-named sources it is hard to know how factual it really is.......Despite these problems, the reader learns a great deal about the men and women of the secret service. The author certainly did keep my interest and raised valuable questions concerning the protection of our country's leaders. This novel gives secret service officers credit for the important work they do, often without anyone's knowledge. Worth reading but could have been so much better...... (

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KC9333 | Nov 24, 2009 |

Offers some interesting tidbits about presidents past and present. No earth shattering revelations here, but Kessler seems hell bent on shaking up the Secret Service suggesting that it's poorly run organization will one day soon lead to disaster. Not the most elegant of writers, but workmanlike. (

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susanamper | Nov 8, 2009 |

This was interesting. Chapters alternate between secret service facts/history and anecdotes about the presidents and people they've protected. Some of it gets a bit dishy, so I was all about getting the dirt. For example, I did not know that LBJ was well known for his gargantuan manhood... (

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A.NovelGal_Reads | Oct 30, 2009 |

I actually liked this book. I did not really know what the Secret Service did other then protect the president ,until after I finished reading the book. It was very informative, easy to read, and understand. It amazed me of what went on behind the scenes of the president, his family,etc. Each protectee (president etc.) is assigned a code name. The names are randomly selected by the Secret Service , starting with the same letter for each family.
The Secret Service really do have a hard job. They sacrifice their lives both personel and professional for this job.Management also remains remains a concern for the agents and until they hire from outside things will remain the same. (

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laws | Oct 6, 2009 |

About: Kessler gives a far-reaching look of the Secret Service by interviewing agents and management as well as touring department facilities.

Pros: Interesting, if true.

Cons: Unremarkable writing, repeats information, photographs bunched in middle, much of book is shallow dirt on Secret Service protectees, if agents really did provide all of this information, they severely violated the tenets of the job, stupid chapter on how a psychic supposedly prevented an assassination, no citations or bibliography.

Grade: D (

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charlierb3 | Sep 11, 2009 |

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What is truly dangerous is the kind of National Enquirer-style gossip in Kessler's book. In the future, without "trust and confidence" in their agents, presidents will want to keep them at a distance, out of spying range -- and out of safety range, when split seconds may count.

added by SqueakyChu | editThe Washington Post, James Bamford (Aug 23, 2009)

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In the President's Secret Service

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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0307461351, Hardcover)

Never before has a journalist penetrated the wall of secrecy that surrounds the U.S. Secret Service, that elite corps of agents who pledge to take a bullet to protect the president and his family. After conducting exclusive interviews with more than one hundred current and former Secret Service agents, bestselling author and award-winning reporter Ronald Kessler reveals their secrets for the first time.

Secret Service agents, acting as human surveillance cameras, observe everything that goes on behind the scenes in the president’s inner circle. Kessler reveals what they have seen, providing startling, previously untold stories about the presidents, from John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as about their families, Cabinet officers, and White House aides.

Kessler portrays the dangers that agents face and how they carry out their missions–from how they are trained to how they spot and assess potential threats. With fly-on-the-wall perspective, he captures the drama and tension that characterize agents’ lives.

In this headline-grabbing book, Kessler discloses assassination attempts that have never before been revealed. He shares inside accounts of past assaults that have put the Secret Service to the test, including a heroic gun battle that took down the would-be assassins of Harry S. Truman, the devastating day that John F. Kennedy was killed in Dallas, and the swift actions that saved Ronald Reagan after he was shot.

While Secret Service agents are brave and dedicated, Kessler exposes how Secret Service management in recent years has betrayed its mission by cutting corners, risking the assassination of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and their families. Given the lax standards, “It’s a miracle we have not had a successful assassination,” a current agent says.

Since an assassination jeopardizes democracy itself, few agencies are as important as the Secret Service–nor is any other subject as tantalizing as the inner sanctum of the White House. Only tight-lipped Secret Service agents know the real story, and Ronald Kessler is the only journalist to have won their trust.

(retrieved from Amazon Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:11:01 -0400)

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