Book cover of Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator

Book description

My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator

An enraged man abducts his estranged wife and child, holes up in a secluded mountain cabin, threatening to kill them both. A right wing survivalist amasses a cache of weapons and resists calls to surrender. A drug trafficker barricades himself and his family…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Stalling for Time as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Noesner’s book is a must-read for any professional hostage negotiator. 

At the FBI, Noesner was one of the founders of the discipline in the 1980s, and he worked tirelessly as a student, and later, master of the craft of crisis negotiation. The book is a deeply human and personal tale, and Noesner describes his many successes but also his failures – including Waco – where his patient, careful approach was overtaken by other events, subsequently resulting in tragedy and a loss of life. 

Noesner’s humility, dedication, and empathy shine throughout this superb book.

From Kenneth's list on hostage negotiation.

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A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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