Rating: 
Summary: HORRIBLE!!!
Review: My classmates and I voted on this book because it seemed very interesting. As I began reading chapter after chapter, everything started to get confusing. There would be times in this book where the story would just stop and jump into another story, such as unnecessary letters. The book did not stay right on point with its story about Hanssen being a spy. As the story got into the Opus Dei's "religion" or their beliefs, I asked my self WHAT does this have to do with beig a SPY? I do not recommend this book to anybody. It's not a steady pace book.
Rating: 
Summary: Gets the Word Out
Review: Post 9-11, how many people really know how deeply Robert Hanssen damaged national security? A recent dinner with several academics suggested, not a whole lot, if that sample counts in any way. Havill's book may not satisfy the connoisseurs of this niche of investigative journalism, but the book serves an important function; it exposes the depth of the betrayal and the nature of the agency that he ravaged. That system and the people who oversee it, have much to be ashamed of. The press has magnificently implied that the damage was minimal. The adopted supposition then by a large part of the citizenry was that it was "low level" information that he handed to the Russians. The press did a great job of keeping the public snookered. Havill does his darndest to refute that suggestion with the details of the top secrets that were handed over to the Russians. As a psychological case study; Hanssen is the archetype of the Jungian shadow. The religious, dour and convinced patriot by day and the vulgar, ... depraved, traitor at night. Indeed Hanssen betrayed everyone, primarily his overworked and short-changed wife, but also his country, his church and of course, his employer. Why then, did people just fall for his act? They didn't according to the author; there were members of his own extended family, starting with his brother in law, a fellow agent and fellow employees who at least hinted at the deceptive and twisted nature of his allegiance or lack thereof.
How can we correct such ... neglect of self-policing in our governmental offices? Well, it will not be easy, if the educated voter and the concerned public is somehow "picking up" that the damage was superficial. There are, afterall too many government sponsored daily security news items to sift through and ponder. Havill's work needs to be read and if it is as a form of entertainment; which it can be, all the better!
Rating: 
Summary: Informative light read.
Review: This book provides a wealth of information for those of us who have not followed the Hanssen story closely, but find its murkey contours intrigueing. Yes, many of the sources (aside from interviews) are available on the Net, but who has the time and the inclination to compile this material merely to satisfy a superficial curiosity? I don't, and thus I found the book well worth the purchase price. One aspect of the book I find particularly interesting is that Hanssen reminds me of most of my former neighbors in the DC area. Middle Class, intelligent, somewhat geeky, no people skills, and suffering from ego wounds inflicted in high school and earlier. It is a personality type more prevelent in the DC suburbs than anywhere else I have lived. The book renewed my determination never to live in the Washington area again, or even to visit. A note on writing style: I don't like it. I find it cutesy and kitchy, the use of "Bob" particularly annoyed me for the first 30 pages or so. Things get better when Opus Dei is addressed and thereafter.
Rating:
Summary: REFUND!!!!!!!
Review: This book was the opposite of what I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be interesting, but I was totally wrong.
Those letters threw me off completely. At one point it would be telling a story and then there would be a letter he wrote to the ussians. Maybe the author didn't think about the sequence before writing the book. Thats why I believe this book was a rushed job.
Rating:
Summary: Solid writing - Nothing fancy
Review: This is a well-written and footnoted account of the Robert Hanssen spy case. Author Havill provides ample background information on Hanssen's early years and his involvement in Opus Dei that sheds some light on the spy's troubled personality. On the face, Hanssen was dedicated to his family, his religion and was a right of center flag waver. On the other side of the coin, Hanssen spent tens of thousands of dollars on a stripper he "adopted" while his family struggled financially, and was a traitor who sold out his country for ego strokes and money. Havill did a solid job of describing Hanssen's acts of espionage, but Hanssen's motivation remains an unexplained, contradictory jumble. The biggest shocker in all of this is how a genuinely fouled-up personality like Robert Hanssen eluded the FBI's internal security apparatus for 25 years, rising quite high in the Counter-Espionage hierarchy. One can only hope that FBI Director Mueller and Attorney General Ashcroft will do a better job at policing the agency than their predecessors did. With people like Robert Hanssen in the FBI it is no wonder that terrorists can have their way with us and we never find-out about it until they fly airplanes into buildings. On September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists hijacked four airliners with horrific results. We all know the rest of the story. After you read this book you will not feel as safe as you beforehand. Hopefully there is not a Robert Hanssen in the Middle-East Section.
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