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Rating: 
Summary: Keeping Secrets is their mission. USSS.
Review: Despite a slow start in the ultra dry chapter one, this book takes off slowly to reveal some top of the glacier secrets that define what is known as the US Secret Service.
This book discusses it's biggest loss - Losing Lancer on chapter 3 was such a traumatic event for the Secret Service, as well as the nation and ultimately the world.
Have we recovered from the assasination of John F. Kennedy? I would say that NO - we have NOT.
Changes still abound due to this tragic event in Nov 1963.
I didn't want to read yet another book on the topic of the JFK assasination, but this book really does address it from a different point of view. YES, many errors were made, and the president was gunned down, but still -- questions remain unanswered...even after all these years...(41 years)
Current president protective measures are discussed, including the homeland security that was needed since 9-11-01.
The Secret Service is stretched to it's limits these days; protecting important people such as the president is more high risk than ever in history. The SS in the age of terrorism is discussed in the last chapter.
I especially enjoyed Chapter 7 which goes into depth about the actual training of a secret service agent...the types of classess they enroll in and the details about weaponry.
Each SS agent is issued a 9-mm Sig Sauer semiautomatic pistol to keep on thier person 24/7/365. They learn to dress a certain way, keep physically fit, psychologically balanced and have trigger reflexes when it comes to guarding the president or another VIP worthy of SS protection.
All of this comes at a cost, and no taxpayer will applaud it too much, although, POST 9-11, we cannot offer any acceptable arguments against the Secret Service's existence.
Of course, protection of VIPs is the famous indication for this select group of men and women. But also tracing counterfieting operations is of equal importance ..... ever since 1865, the SS learned how to identify counterfiet money and track it's bogus printers.
This book is somewhat dry in places, but when you get into reading it, it proves to be chock full of pertinent information. If you or somebody you care about ever has the notion that they would like to be a man in black, they should buy this book and read it cover to cover.
It's full of credible information and it's interesting and I highly recommend this book for people who are curious about national security and the nutts and bolts of protecting our president from harm.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Source
Review: Dr Melanson and Mr Stevens have corroborated to produce a very informative work about the Secret Service. The history of the Service is largely unknown but in this work it has been organized and presented with clarity. This book will take the reader through the history of the Service and explores the way the Service has grown and adapted in response to tragic events such as the assassination of JFK. Additionally, the reader is given insight to the inner workings of the Service with respect to its special agents, their heroics and their tragedies.
This book is very objective, it pulls no punches. If something is wrong, it is noted. I did not always agree with the opinions presented but the information is so well articulated I have to give the book its due respect. I definitely recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Very informative, however...
Review: I found this book to be very informative as to the history and structure of the modern USSS. There are somethings that could have been done better.First, it could have been about 100 pages shorter. The authors tend to repeat information over and over as if the info were going to be on a test or something.Second, the relationships wth other agencies. The authors seem to cast the USSS in a better light while making it seem that other agencies are staffed with a bunch of under-trained clowns. Federal law enforcement is full of specialties. USSS agents on protection detail are never asked to investigate gun crimes, customs violations, illegal entry of immigrants or organized crime. Agents of other agencies however are frequently detailed to the USSS.For a good read on the USSS try Dennis McCarthy's "Protecting the President" or George Rush's "Confessions of an Ex-Secret Service Agent"
Rating: 
Summary: inaccurate and dull
Review: I think the most important a perspective reader needs to know is that this book is about 95% Presidential protection and only 5% law enforcement regarding counterfeiting. For me that was great, because that is about the breakdown I wanted. With that out of the way there were a few issues I had with the book. First off there are parts that are dry and repetitive. If that does not bother you then the in depth view of the Kennedy assassination might push you over the top. I admit I was interested in this area as much as the next guy, but the author did get really into the weeds on protective issues that broke down that day. It just stopped adding value after some time and got close to a sermon. The author also had something against the Hersh book on Kennedy and kept bring it up. The only other thing that disappointed me with the book is that they really did not cover much about the procedures and processes they use. Ok I know they can not give away all the secrets, but why could the author have not given me more detail about Presidential motorcades, hey those are public. What I did like is that the author was not shy about details about the Presidents and their families. I really liked the personal gossip bits tossed in here and there. The sections that covered which Presidents and First Ladies did not like protection and what they did to avoid it was interesting. The updated information after 9-11 was also a nice bit of info. Lastly, I thought the author did a good job presenting a book that covered politicians that did not slip into one political side or another. The author was very even handed and I have no idea his political leanings are. He was also surprisingly hard, at times, on the Secret Service. As the book goes on it is apparent that the author has a very positive view of the Service, which makes his criticism seem all the more accurate. Overall, the book was interesting and well put together. I do agree with other reviews here that there were some typos and parts that drug a bit. It does deliver a nice overview of the Secret Service.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting if poorly edited
Review: Minor criticisms aside (as duly noted by a few others), this is an excellent work on the U.S. Secret Service (Melanson took my advice---for the most part---after I gave him a pretty negative review to his original 1984 work entitled "The Politics of Protection"; this book acts as an updated version in many ways). As I am the leading authority on the U.S. Secret Service (esp. in regard to the period from FDR to Reagan, with special emphasis on the JFK years), I know of what I am talking about...and Prof. Melanson deserves a big round of applause for putting out a very readable and exciting overview of the Secret Service from the 19th century to the present. In addition, as I am on 8 pages [pages 74, 77, 80, 87, 343-344 (endnotes), 358 (bibliography), & 371 (index) ["etc."], I think I should be grateful, too---he makes good use of my material and gives a nice overview regarding the gross negligence in Dallas on 11/22/63 (he doesn't go as far as he could of, but I digress). Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: inaccurate and dull
Review: The book is both inaccurate, and dull. Other than that, it's a total waste of time!
Rating: 
Summary: A must read
Review: This book is a fascinating look at the Secret Service - one of the most visible government agencies but (I now know) one of the least understood. It's a really easy read, with lots of colorful anecdotes about the agency, its history and the job of being a secret service agent. The topic is timely (i.e. in the post-9/11 era and with the creation of the Dept. of Homeland Security) and Melanson seems to have done a tremendous amount of original research. A wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: This is a good account of the secret service and their job function. It provides a comprehensive history of the agency
from its inception to present. It's also a good account of how
not to spell because there are numerous spelling mistakes and
editorial mistakes that shouldn't have been overlooked.
Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: This is a good account of the secret service and their job function. It provides a comprehensive history of the agency
from its inception to present. It's also a good account of how
not to spell because there are numerous spelling mistakes and
editorial mistakes that shouldn't have been overlooked.
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