Advance praise for The Mirage Man “Finely drawn sketches of the individuals and forensics involved in a case that vexed investigators, politicians and the general public. A well-told true-crime story with vast ramifications.”—
Kirkus Reviews “Willman, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, offers a nuanced account of the bungled FBI investigation…Willman makes the case against Ivins—and against the political uses of the case—with admirable fair-mindedness and narrative flair.”—
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“
The Mirage Man is a mystery story about murder committed on the national stage. The characters include an innocent man hounded by investigators and the press, politicians fixated on justifying a foreign invasion, a mixed bag of FBI agents, and scientists who try to crack the code. And, at the story’s heart, we have a twisted villain whose secret life is laid utterly bare. Unlike most mysteries, this one is literally true, carefully documented and skillfully told by one of America’s finest investigative journalists.”—John S. Carroll, former editor of the
Los Angeles Times “This is a book of alternative history and alternative truth about one of the most misrepresented incidents of our 9/11 trauma. David Willman has set a grand standard for investigative reporting—and investigative history—in his account of America’s anthrax scare. There are few heroes in this story of psychosis, official dithering, and political scaremongering, but it is uplifting nonetheless. It is simply fun to read someone at the top of his craft.”—Seymour M. Hersh, author of
Chain of Command:The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib “Peering through David Willman’s magnifying glass into the anthrax-laced heart and soul of Bruce Ivins is chilling. Willman’s investigative chops and skilled yarn-weaving make for a compelling read. Most strikingly, Willman shows how this emotionally warped man pumped the bellows that fanned the flames of war with Iraq. It’s a haunting and heartbreaking tale.’’—Mark Thompson, national security correspondent,
Time
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
Two big surprises in this new book about the anthrax murders. It is a vivid look inside the twisted mind of Bruce Ivins, a madman who nevertheless had unsupervised 24/7 access to some of the most lethal biological toxins on this planet. Author David Willman has done a fabulous reporting job tracing the sordid history of a psychopath from an abusive mother in an Ohio small town to a painful suicide from an intentional overdose of Tylenol. He was a man of bizarre obsessions for decades, while convincing at least some of his friends that he was just an eccentric,cheerful guy who loved to play music at church services.
Deep in the book, like buried treasure, comes a second surprise--a no-holds-barred inside account of the bungled FBI investigation. It is a rude wake-up call for those whose impression of the FBI and law enforcement comes from TV shows such as CSI. Here in the real world, a high-priority investigation personally monitored by none other than the FBI director himself stupidly and blindly pursued the wrong suspect for many years. In one of the more ridiculous moments, senior FBI officials believed they had a dog so smart that it could pick out the real anthrax killer.
In his relentless exposure of bungling FBI executives, unprincipled White House officials who manipulated anthrax fears, fatuous and sloppy news media coverage, negligent security procedures and other breakdowns, the author may lose a few friends in Washington. But readers will learn what the world is really like.
