Rating: 
Summary: Great Details and Stories
Review: Whenever I read a book about specialized police or military force staff like this HRT person, undercover agents, Special Forces etc. I am always prepared for a large helping of ego and bravado mixed into the story. I just expect that if these guys are brave enough to perform these very dangerous tasks then they must have to have a very healthy self-image. With that said, I did not find the same ego in this authors writing. He presented himself as a very professional, business like person that just happened to shoot people for a living. Because of the lack of the over the top "We Are The Best" tone through out the book, it made the book seam to be a very honest and accurate reflection of this persons job and the department he worked in, it added credibility to the text. The book could be broken down to three main sections, the entry into the FBI, general FBI training, HRT training and training for the sniper part of the job. The second main section covers his part in the Ruby Ridge standoff and shooting. The third section handles his time at Waco. There are some other shorter story's mixed in, but these are the main ones. I think the general reader is really going to find the three sections very interesting. I learned a lot on the Ruby Ridge section; it presents the side of the story of the people that were actually doing the shooting - very detailed. Overall this is an interesting and detailed view into a part of the FBI that has not been written about before. The book has a good amount of newer info and the author holds your attention through the whole book. If you are interested in American law enforcement, the main incidents in the book or just a good old action non-fiction book then you will enjoy this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Reading!!!
Review: No, I did not buy the book, but that did not stop me from picking it up at the library and enjoying it in a big way. It was a highly readable book that kept your interest right down to the last page. I have to confess went I was younger I very much wanted to be a FBI agent. Well, if you cannot actually "cut the mustard" it is great to read about one who did. I think that the author could write an interesting book about any subject he was truly interested in.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling, a real page turner!
Review: From someone who isn't into guns or bravado I can honestly say this book was amazing. The author doesn't try to impress you because he has no need. His writing ability is evident only after you've gotten sucked into the book and realize that you can see and smell everything he's describing. It's nice to read a book of this nature where the author is a true writer.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating! Uplifting! A Must Read!
Review: "The world looks different through a rifle scope."....So begins a fascinating account of one man's experiences as a member of the FBI and more specifically, it's elite Hostage Rescue Team. I had the good fortune and genuine pleasure to meet the author who spoke to a group I am a member of recently. After reading his book, I am amazed that he can maintain a sense of humor and his enthusiasim for what is a deadly serious and often unpleasant business. A former speech writer for a U.S. Congressman, Whitcomb uses his writing ability to easily convey to the reader the essense of what it takes to (1) want to join the FBI (2) actually do it and (3) become a member of the HRT. He then takes us to places we thought we had been before - Ruby Ridge - Waco - and we see them through a different lens and the perspective is jolting. Because of his enthusiasim for the subject he sometimes tells us a bit more than we really want or need to know about some of the nuts and bolts of how things are done, but you never lose a sense of awe and respect for what these people do to keep us safe. In his speech to our group he mentioned that the members of the Hostage Rescue Team are none too pleased with the current popular use of the acronym, HRT.(Hormone Replacement Therapy) Be that as it may, their hormones are clearly in proper place and alignment and you will gain some new respect for these people who operate without fanfare to catch bad guys - free the innocent - straightening things out. You will sleep a little sounder and you will thank them for their service. This is a book about very special people and some of them are on the HRT. Others support them from the homefront, which you will see as you read this, is far from easy. Rosie Whitman deserves our thanks and earns our admiration as well. What other profession expects wives to accept without question their husband's sudden absense without explanation and without information as to whether it will be a day, a week or a month or more? And they know that they always travel in harm's way. It takes real love, committment and understanding and Chris Whitman is blessed with this in abundance.
Rating:
Summary: No sugar, this
Review: I am mad at myself. How could I have missed this book when it came out last year! For once, there is a book in my hands where the FBI is not Efrem Zimbalist sugar-coated, where warts are admitted and quite openly discussed. Don't go to the library, brother, buy it. And how I hate to admit that other book reviewers can be right! Don't bother to read anymore reviews (of course, my own is excepted), but go into what Tim Smith and Dianne Davidson had to say. All I wish to add is that this is the first FBI-sanctioned publication where (page 21) you find out that chubby he-man J. Edgar had a predilecton for "madras sun dresses and suede pumps". But what poleaxed me was one sentence I almost missed: where Whitcomb speaks of the magic bullet that went through bones and soft tissue of two people, twisting and turning all the way, and yet, two days later was found in remarkably clean, nay pristine condition, looking as though it just had been recovered from the water barrel, found on a gurney that was never used to transport JFK. One sentence - but how revealing. Where is this sentence? Go buy the book, it is worth it. PS: Going back to the sentence that nags me so. Will I live long enough to read a rewrite of the US's lengthiest series of one-subject fiction, the Warren Report?
Rating:
Summary: Begs For A Sequel
Review: COLD ZERO is not your typical Rambo insider look at a macho unit of Alpha males exposed to danger and violence who save society by indescribable feats of heroism. Instead it is the unique perspective of a former speechwriter who aspired to challenge himself and make a difference in American society by becoming an FBI agent. It describes the extreme mental and physical torment he endured and overcame to be selected. After paying his dues as an agent, he applied for the elite Hostage Rescue Team and became a sniper. He gives insight into Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas operations and the effect they had on him personally. The importance of the book is found in its perception of the United States in terms of vulnerability, preparation and response to a terrorist attack as seen through the eyes of the FBI and its specialized departments and programs. The book was written prior to September 11 but after the FBI was designated the lead agency in any foreign or domestic act of terrorism. Whitcomb describes what Hostage Recovery, Critical Incidence Response, and the Strategic Information Operations Center are designed to do in a crisis. His book now begs for a sequel which would inform and educate the public on its operations post 9/11. He could follow up a very good book with another. If it is close to being as good as COLD ZERO it will be HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST!
Review: I highly recommend this book. It opens your eyes to what these heroic people do everyday to protect us. Chris Whitcomb's descriptions make you feel like you were there. The amount of training that goes with becoming part of the Hostage Rescue Team is rough. The elements that these men and I hope women have to endure to get the bad guys. He also sheds the TRUE light on what happend at Ruby Ridge and Waco. Washington with their "Cover your ..." attitude and how the FBI, HRT and RENO were the scape goats. I dont know how anyone could have thought David Karesh and his followers as well as Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge were not dangerous. Everything was attempted to get these criminals out alive. David Karesh and Randy Weaver sealed their own fate. ANYWAY, my point is GET THIS BOOK!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Double dipping g-man?
Review: I thought the FBI had a prohibition against outside employment?
Rating:
Summary: A Surprisingly Good, Readable Book
Review: This is simply a very good, very interesting book. Whitcomb has an excellent writing style that comes across as very personable to the average Joe. Don't pass up the opportunity to read this one.
Rating:
Summary: To Think I Almost Missed This One!
Review: Had I not run into this author accidentally I might never have been encouraged to read his book. As it was I was attending a book signing that I thought featured only David Baldacci. To my surprise this young man was most intriguing - so much so that I purchased his book and read it before the Baldacci book; and that's not to say that Baldacci need worry about his fans. Nonetheless, because Mr. Whitcomb put a human face on the FBI and in particular the HRT, I felt compelled to take a peek and see just how much he was willing to share with Jane and John Q. Public. I must admit that portions of the book gave me nightmares. If you are not prepared for some of the gory scenes described in detail by Mr. Whitcomb then you may want to skip some pages. The vigorous training that he mentioned in the early parts of his book left me exhausted and while for the most part I'd done nothing more than flip the pages and ate cookies, I nevertheless felt as if I'd been the person running and training, shooting and sweating beside him - so you could say portions of the book will also leave you exhausted and breathless! However you elect to look at this novel you will find that it is not your "run-of-the-mill-agent-tells-all" dull textbook reading. There is humor, excitement, drama, and yes, if you look hard enough there's even a bit of a love story in there. How else could his lovely wife put up with the demanding and unpredictable lifestyle of an aspiring agent like Mr. Whitcomb? If you're reading this, sir, I must say it was indeed a pleasure meeting you while you visited us in Washington, DC. You are undoubtedly on your way to building up quite a fan club, and I count myself amongst them. I look forward to reading your future works.
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