Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator

I struggled with the stars on this one. It's a fantastic, overall read. Noesner, at face value, doesn't seem to pull any punches when it comes to failures and successes. At a deeper level, when I went over the documents related to some of these cases, it appears Noesner either failed to check back in on the final reports or purposefully omitted them.To take the most notable example, in the Waco incident, he comes to the end of the section, noting how he was certain Koresh was stalling and not writing the Seals. Except, when Ruth Riddle came out of the burning building, she carried a disk with the First Seal. Now, we could parse over the meaning of that, the validity of Koresh et. al. but Noesner clearly sidesteps and omits this, and actually directly contradicts this. At a deeper level, reading without emotion, it becomes clear Noesner struggles with his "government hero" need to deflect or explain away faults (and expressly makes notes when naming names, that he means no harm, which takes away the sting from the bite) and his "personally moral hero" in Noesner being a naturally wonderful human, who truly wants to improve the ability to save lives. This struggle comes out - likely subconsciously - when detailing events that could have been handled better.There are a few other places where there was "sin by omission".That said, it was also a fabulous read, generally documented well from Noesner's angle, and had great explanations in the negotiation strategies employed in various fields, contexts and situations around the world. Noesner does have the ability to read people fairly well, but there is a touch of feeling in situations where things went wrong, Noesner, himself, claims no fault and "should have listened to me". Noesner may well have had the best idea, but it can come across underdeveloped on WHY his strategy is the best. One scenario may explain it thoroughly, then another scenario with a different strategy is reduced to "just trust me I know best". I would clearly believe he does, but this is a book written for readers, so I'd like to have seen some of that explained more.

After thoroughly reading this book, I have a new found appreciation for the work done by the HRT and negotiation teams that keep our country and its allies safe. Mr. Noesner paints a very clear, but approachable picture of his experiences working for the FBI, both good and bad. As a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology, I have found many parallels between the process of securing hostages and diffusing crisis situations with building rapport with difficult clients. Honestly, I believe this book has helped me to be more strategic when working with my current clients. It is a must read for anyone looking to know the more personable side of the FBI and those who put their lives on the line. Noesner pulls no punches in his description of the events that he has witnessed and have been a part of and adds a very personal touch with his dialogue with the reader. An autobiography/memoir that is documentary worthy!!!

If the same arguments against the militarization of law enforcement were made by someone outside of law enforcement, I probably would not pay attention. I would, in all honesty, probably dismiss an outsider as someone soft on crime or part of the anti-government far right fringe. But given that Gary Noesner held very high positions in the FBI, he really made me think. When should a show of force take a backseat to negotiation? He is not opposed to force when necessary; the first anecdote in the book involves his difficult decision that negotiation would not work with one suspect -- so he lures the man out of a house to be shot by law enforcement.Mr. Noesner writes extensively about WACO, but also about many other incidents that he was involved in over his long career. In one incident, the FBI had learned from past mistakes and defused another potentially explosive situation. Mr. Noesner writes that the media drifted away, as a peaceful outcome was not news.

Crisis Negotiation is a fairly new tool for law enforcement, and this book is a fascinating read. Gary Noesner was instrumental in the development of the most effective tools to use when crises arise.What is most interesting is that Mr. Noesner does not pull his punches, yet at the same time remains respectful toward his former employer (the FBI) as well as the people he has worked with over the years. The author's descriptions ring true and fit with other details the reader can find through research, while at the same time filling in the blanks concerning much of what was happening behind the scenes. Mr. Noesner is a firm believer of hostage negotiations (and that negotiators should work closely with tactical agents), and that belief can be felt throughout the book.I also enjoyed the quotes prefacing each chapter. It is a side benefit that some of the the techniques employed by hostage negotiators can be used by anyone to enhance their relationships in the workplace as well as in one's personal life (this is not a point made by the author, just a personal reflection)."Stalling for Time" is an easy read, told in a story form that places the reader within the action. Many of the highlights of Mr. Noesner's career are some of the biggest news stories, such as Waco and the Freemen siege in Montana. For readers aware of these incidents this book will add to your knowledge, as well as educate those first hearing about these historical events.

Special Agent Gary Noesner shares lessons learned over a lifetime in service to America with the FBI. Using skills earned and taught as the FBI's top negotiator, Noesner portrays compelling events comparing and contrasting results attained through active listening and tactical use of deadly force His success and failure enthralled the reader and encourages contemplative consideration of strategies available to onscene commanders.

Interesting !Ever watched those TV police series and wondered how the authorities could mess it up so badly by ignoring the hostage negotiators and storming in full force. Hollywood can be dramatic indeed. When on the other hand you read Gary Noesner first hand experiences as FBI hostage negotiator you realize that Hollywood can be also pretty accurate.Reading Gary's experience as FBI hostage negotiator is like reading on the internal history of the FBI over 2 decades. And it is fascinating to read how the FBI evolved over time for the better - with the sad message that improvements often only happened after mistakes were made during certain standoff situations (Waco and others). His autobiographic view and his personal impact on the hostage negotiation approaches are clearly explained and illustrated by many well known hostage cases.Gary Noesner points out frequently in this work that just listening as a skill was often enough to allow hostage situations end for the best. Creating and allowing time to have a situation cool down first, followed up by listening does take time. The `stalling for time' strategy is certainly a powerful tool to apply in such high risk high pressure situations and these are nicely illustrated in this book by real events.The book reads very smoothly. Many high profile hostage situations are described in detail and especially if you want to read a book with a deeper look into the history of the FBI I would highly recommend this book. As a pure negotiation book I would suggest other books though such as `Negotiation Genius' and `Bargaining with the Devil'. Similar and also worthwhile to read is `Negotiate and Win' by Dominick J. Misino (as former NYPD Negotiator).PrefaceChapter 1: It's time to dieChapter 2: My startChapter 3: My first major siege (Amtrak Silver Star, 1982)Chapter 4: Trouble abroad (TWA Flight 847, 1985)Chapter 5: Crisis intervention: Listen and Learn (USS Yorktown)Chapter 6: From success to hubris (Talladega Federal Correctional Institution Alabama, 1991)Chapter 7: Negotiating with the sinful messiah (Waco, 1993)Chapter 8: Picking up the pieces (Southern Ohio Correctional Facility)Chapter 9: A hell of a siege (Justus Township, Montana)Chapter 10: Prepare the missiles (Davis Mountain Texas, 1997)Chapter 11: No shortage of challenges (Vieques Island, Puerto Rico 2000)Chapter 12: Being our best when others are at their worst (Washington sniper, 2002)Epilogue

I ordered this book after watching the Waco miniseries that covered one of the situations the author worked on as a negotiator.This book is fascinating - so many experiences, all told engagingly, with great warmth, humanity and humility. It is a great, engrossing read in its own right.While it is not intended to be an instructional textbook on negotiation, if you are studying the subject then it provides some great examples of how problems can be solved, but sewn into truly memorable case studies - so it is a great way to put meat on the bones of anything else you may be reading that you might perhaps be finding a little dry.A great book.

This is normally the type of book that I am engrossed in...Sorry but I found this boring. Too many people names and facts to remember as opposed to just telling the stories

Gary gives a clear account of his role and how the use of Negotiators has developed. A good account of the relationship/trust between the Negotiator and the incident commander, and how the benefits of negotiation were (slowly) recognised by the wider FBI. His account of Waco seemed a little too simplistic, but helped to illustrate the FBI is an organisation that learns from its experiences.Some good, practical examples of negotiation principles being used to save lives. Very much a US standpoint, which can be quite different to other countries, particularly in terms of the use of fatal force.VERY good value and a recommended read for anyone with an interest in negotiation, Armed Policing and incident command.Worth reading alongside Cialdini "Influence".

Definitely a worthwhile read. Every story is nail biting, frustrating and exhilarating. Get it.