In Jawbreaker Gary Berntsen, until recently one of the CIA’s most decorated officers, comes out from under cover for the first time to describe his no-holds-barred pursuit of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. With his unique mix of clandestine knowledge and paramilitary training, Berntsen represents the new face of counterterrorism. Recognized within the agency for his aggressiveness, Berntsen, when dispatched to Afghanistan, made annihilating the enemy his job description. As the CIA’s key commander coordinating the fight against the Taliban forces around Kabul, and the drive toward Tora Bora, Berntsen not only led dozens of CIA and Special Operations Forces, he also raised 2,000 Afghan fighters to aid in the hunt for bin Laden. In this first-person account of that incredible pursuit, which actually began years earlier in an East Africa bombing investigation, Berntsen describes being ferried by rickety helicopter over the towering peaks of Afghanistan, sitting by General Tommy Franks’s side as heated negotiations were conducted with Northern Alliance generals, bargaining relentlessly with treacherous Afghan warlords and Taliban traitors, plotting to save hostages about to be used as pawns, calling in B-52 strikes on dug-in enemy units, and deploying a dizzying array of Special Forces teams in the pursuit of the world’s most wanted terrorist. Most crucially, Berntsen tells of cornering bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountains—and what happened when Berntsen begged Washington to block the al-Qaeda leader’s last avenue of escape. As disturbingly eye-opening as it is adrenaline-charged, Jawbreaker races from CIA war rooms to diplomatic offices to mountaintop redoubts to paint a vivid portrait of a new kind of warfare, showing what can and should be done to deal a death blow to freedom’s enemies. CIA Commander Gary Berntsen on… His eyebrow-raising style: “Most CIA Case Officers advanced their careers by recruiting sources and producing intelligence, I took a more grab-them-by-the-neck approach…I operated on the principle that it was easier to seek forgiveness than ask for approval. Take risks, but make sure you’re successful. Success, not good intentions, would determine my fate.” Doing whatever it took: “I didn’t just want to survive: I wanted to annihilate the enemy. And I didn’t want to end up like one of my favorite historical characters—Alexander Burns…He was one of the first of more than 14,000 British soldiers to be wiped out by the Afghans in the First Afghan War. Like Burns before me, I was also an intelligence officer and spoke Persian. This was my second trip into Afghanistan, too. The difference, I told myself, was that Burns had been a gentleman and I would do whatever it took to win.” Dealing with a Taliban official who controlled American hostages: “Tell him that if he betrays me or loses the hostages I’ll spend every waking moment of my life hunting him down to kill him. Tell him I’m not like any American he has ever met.” The capabilities of his Tora Bora spotter team: “Working nonstop, the four men directed strike after strike by B-1s, B-2s, and F-14s onto the al-Qaeda encampment with incredible precision. Somehow through the massive bureaucracy, thousands of miles of distance [and] reams of red tape…the U.S. had managed to place four of the most skilled men in the world above the motherlode of al-Qaeda, with a laser designator and communications system linked to the most potent air power in history…As I listened over our encrypted radio network, one word kept pounding in my head: revenge.” Also available as a Random House AudioBook

Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander

History

Pezzullo, Ralph

Berntsen, Gary

Military

Crown

The Book the CIA Doesn’t Want You to Read Gary Berntsen, the CIA’s key commander coordinating the fight against the Taliban forces around Kabul, comes out from under cover for the first time to describe his no-holds-barred pursuit—and cornering—of Osama bin Laden, and the reason the terrorist leader escaped American retribution. As disturbingly eye-opening as it is adrenaline-charged, Jawbreaker races from CIA war rooms to diplomatic offices to mountaintop redoubts to paint a vivid portrait of a new kind of warfare, showing what can and should be done to deal a death blow to freedom’s enemies.

Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander

Gary Berntsen, longtime CIA operative and the field commander who cornered Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, writing with award-winning novelist Ralph Pezzullo, offers in this edge-of-the-seat thriller a terrifying vision of where the next threat to America may come from. When a highly placed Iranian intelligence operative walks into a U.S. embassy claiming to possess explosive information, counterterrorism officer Matt Freed is dispatched to interview him and is warned of an impending attack on the United States that could kill millions. But is the man’s story precious truth or calculated fiction? Matt isn’t sure, but with a possible catastrophe looming in less than two weeks, his superiors reluctantly prepare for the assault. Matt can’t leave it alone, though. With questions still lingering about what is really going on, he defies his superiors’ orders and launches his own investigation. As the clock ticks down, he searches frantically for the truth at an Afghan prison under siege, an abandoned Uzbekistan bio weapons facility, and a Moscow hospital where an arms dealer is dying of a mysterious disease. Ultimately, Matt’s efforts brand him an out-of-control renegade, and he finds himself left out in the cold. Yet he may be the only one with the knowledge needed to avert unimaginable chaos. From a counterterrorism warrior who has spent a lifetime thwarting those who would do us harm, The Walk-In is an exhilarating plunge into tradecraft and terror.

The Walk-In: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

United States

A diabolical plot, a lone operative, and a threat far larger than anyone imagines . . . Writing with award-winning novelist Ralph Pezzullo, Gary Berntsen–longtime CIA operative and the field commander who cornered Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan–offers in this electric thriller debut a terrifying vision of where the next threat to America may come from. When a highly placed Iranian intelligence operative walks into a U.S. embassy claiming to possess explosive information, counterterrorism officer Matt Freed is dispatched to interview him . . . and is warned of an impending Iranian attack on the United States that could kill millions. With a possible catastrophe looming in less than two weeks, Matt’s superiors reluctantly prepare for the assault, but Matt obeys his instincts and launches his own unsanctioned investigation. Ultimately, his efforts brand him as an out-of-control renegade, and he finds himself left out in the cold. Yet he may be the only one with the knowledge needed to avert unimaginable chaos.

Broadway Books

This national bestseller is a dramatic insider account of the world of private military contracting. Armored cars, burner phones, top-notch weaponry and top-secret missions -- this is the life of today's private military contractor. Like author Simon Chase, many PMCs were once the world's top military operatives, and since retiring from outfits like US Navy SEAL TEAM Six and the UK's Special Boat Service, they have devoted their lives to executing sensitive and hazardous missions overseas. Working at the request of U.S. and British government entities as well as for private clients, he takes on jobs that require "zero footprint," with no trace of their actions left behind. Chase delivers firsthand accounts of tracking Bin Laden in Afghanistan and being one of the first responders after the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. We see his teams defuse terrorist bombs, guard dignitaries, and protect convoys traveling through perilous territory -- and then there are the really big jobs: top-secret "zero footprint" missions that include searching for High Value Targets and setting up arms shipping networks. The missions in Zero Footprint will shock readers, but so will the personal dangers. Chase and the men he works with operate without government backup or air rescue. If they die serving their country, they remain anonymous. There are no military honors or benefits. Contractors like Simon Chase are the unsung heroes in the war against terrorism, a strong, but largely invisible force -- until now.

Zero Footprint: The True Story of a Private Military Contractor's Covert Assignments in Syria, Libya, And the World's Most Dangerous Places

Biographies & Memoirs

Chase, Simon

Leaders & Notable People

Mulholland Books

SEAL Team Six: Hunt the Fox (A Thomas Crocker Thriller, 5)

In war-torn Syria, the heroes of the SEAL Team Six series defuse an ISIS warlord's explosive plot. On the way to a meeting with a CIA source in Istanbul, Chief Warrant Officer Crocker noticed he's being tailed. He suspects the men tracking his movements are members of Syria's intelligence agency, the Mukhabarat - their presence a sign of the region's increasing volatility. Syria's government is unraveling, with ISIS dangerously in the mix. Mohammad al-Kazaz, aka the Fox, leads the most threatening of the ISIS factions. The Fox has obtained a shipment of chemical weapons that would bring devastation to an already crumbling region. Crocker and his squad must set off deep into enemy territory with limited intel, no chance of rescue, and only one shot at saving thousands of lives.

Mann, Don

In war-torn Syria, the heroes of the SEAL Team Six series defuse an ISIS warlord's explosive plot. On the way to a meeting with a CIA source in Istanbul, Chief Warrant Officer Crocker noticed he's being tailed. He suspects the men tracking his movements are members of Syria's intelligence agency, the Mukhabarat - their presence a sign of the region's increasing volatility. Syria's government is unraveling, with ISIS dangerously in the mix. Mohammad al-Kazaz, aka the Fox, leads the most threatening of the ISIS factions. The Fox has obtained a shipment of chemical weapons that would bring devastation to an already crumbling region. Crocker and his squad must set off deep into enemy territory with limited intel, no chance of rescue, and only one shot at saving thousands of lives.

SEAL Team Six: Hunt the Leopard (A Thomas Crocker Thriller, 8)

Thomas Crocker's SEAL Team Six crew deploys to the Nigerian jungle to combat arms and human trafficking by Boko Haram, in Don Mann and Ralph Pezzullo's latest fiercely authentic military thriller. The charismatic Boko Haram leader Ratty Festus, also known as the Leopard, has been terrorizing drought-ridden northeastern Nigeria: raiding villages, blowing up government buildings, and kidnapping schoolgirls. When Thomas Crocker and his Black Cell team, who are in the country on a special training mission, hear about a possible arms-for-schoolgirls exchange between Boko Haram and a Russian arms dealer on the Cameroon border, they convince a Nigerian Special Forces unit to join them in trying to stop it. The operation quickly goes south, with a deadly helicopter crash and an ambush. They can't manage to save all of the girls, even with assistance from a quick-thinking group of British private-security contractors. A week later, the Leopard seizes control of a $500-million dollar Gulf Oil natural gas plant, demanding a $50-million dollar ransom and safe passage out of the compound. Crocker has just 24 hours to plan and execute a high-risk, low-probability, mission to rescue all eighty innocent hostages--including two of his own who are trapped with the civilians.

Thomas Crocker's SEAL Team Six crew deploys to the Nigerian jungle to combat arms and human trafficking by Boko Haram in this fiercely authentic military thriller.\nThe charismatic Boko Haram leader Ratty Festus, also known as the Leopard, has been terrorizing drought-ridden northeastern Nigeria: raiding villages, blowing up government buildings, and kidnapping schoolgirls. When Thomas Crocker and his Black Cell team, who are in the country on a special training mission, hear about a possible arms-for-schoolgirls exchange between Boko Haram and a Russian arms dealer on the Cameroon border, they convince a Nigerian Special Forces unit to join them in trying to stop it. The operation quickly goes south, with a deadly helicopter crash and an ambush. They can't manage to save all of the girls, even with assistance from a quick-thinking group of British private-security contractors.\nA week later, the Leopard seizes control of a $500-million dollar Gulf Oil natural gas plant, demanding a $50-million dollar ransom and safe passage out of the compound. Crocker has just 24 hours to plan and execute a high-risk, low-probability, mission to rescue all eighty innocent hostages -- including two of his own who are trapped with the civilians.

SEAL Team Six: Hunt the Viper (A Thomas Crocker Thriller, 7)

Don Mann and Ralph Pezzullo's shockingly authentic military thriller sends Thomas Crocker and his SEAL Team Six brothers to confront a notorious ISIS general, The Viper, during the occupation of Aleppo, Syria. Despite the efforts of the Assad government and its Russian and Turkish allies, Syria is succumbing to the Islamic State. While Crocker and his SEAL Team Six comrades try to help a small Kurdish border town organize a resistance army, he finds an unexpected connection with Severine, a French epidemiologist working for Doctors Without Borders. As Severine and her colleagues establish a makeshift hospital in besieged Aleppo, Crocker counsels caution. He knows too well that their NGO status will be no protection from the Viper, a notoriously vicious ISIS general with a deeply personal hatred of the West. When the Viper's men kidnap one of Severine's American colleagues, Crocker will pull every string at his disposal to launch a rescue mission. But in a situation where the US has no official business, he'll push every boundary of how far he's willing to go -- and how far his SEAL brothers in arms will follow him -- to save innocent lives.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Pezzullo, Ralph. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Pezzullo, Ralph

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Pezzullo, Ralph. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander

Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda: A Personal Account by the CIA's Key Field Commander

The Walk-In: A Novel

The Walk-In: A Novel

Zero Footprint: The True Story of a Private Military Contractor's Covert Assignments in Syria, Libya, And the World's Most Dangerous Places

SEAL Team Six: Hunt the Fox (A Thomas Crocker Thriller, 5)

SEAL Team Six: Hunt the Fox (A Thomas Crocker Thriller, 5)

SEAL Team Six: Hunt the Leopard (A Thomas Crocker Thriller, 8)

SEAL Team Six: Hunt the Leopard (A Thomas Crocker Thriller, 8)

SEAL Team Six: Hunt the Viper (A Thomas Crocker Thriller, 7)