Manhunt

The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden - from 9-11 to Abbottabad

By: Peter L. Bergen

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of the New York Times best-selling Holy War, Inc., this is the definitive account of the decade-long manhunt for the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden.

Al Qaeda expert and CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen paints a multidimensional picture of the hunt for bin Laden over the past decade, including the operation that killed him. Other key elements of the book include:

• A careful account of President Obama’s decision-making process as the raid was planned
• The fascinating story of a group of CIA analysts—largely women—who never gave up assembling the tiniest clues about OBL’s whereabouts
• The untold and action-packed history of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and the SEALs
• An analysis of what the death of OBL means for al Qaeda, and for Obama’s legacy.

Just as Too Big to Fail captured, in riveting detail, the anatomy of this decade’s financial disaster, so too is Manhunt one of the key stories of this decade: the authoritative, immersive account of the operation that killed the man who organized the largest mass murder in American history.

©2012 Peter L. Bergen (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

"In Manhunt, Peter Bergen has produced a page-turner rich with new information and insight into the search for Bin Laden and his killing. Only Bergen, America's foremost counterterrorism writer, could have produced a book of such energy and authority - a triumph." (Steve Coll, author of Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001)
"Ten years of grit, intelligent hard work, and daring led to Operation Neptune Spear, and Bergen captures it all in a story that is both a riveting page turner and a definitive history. Revealing details of bin Laden's last years in self-imposed prison, the debates of the CIA analysts who tracked him, and the training of the SEALs who killed him, Manhunt is essential reading for anyone who wants to know the real story of how the world's most wanted terrorist was finally brought to justice." (Eric Greitens, author of The Heart and The Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL)
"With masterly reporting, Peter Bergen takes us where we've never been: behind the high walls of Osama bin Laden's last hideout and behind the scenes of the heroic and painstaking hunt for the Al Qaeda mastermind. Manhunt is a thrilling read." (Anderson Cooper, CNN anchor)

Packed with information making it a short read

This book is ten years of terrorist information pack in a 384 page book, so it moves along quickly. I read Holy War Inc., so I thought I would give this a listen. Who doesn't like a good manhunt anyway. The author looks to lean left, which is ok as President Obama and CIA made a decision to go without seeing UBL at the compound. The author says the POTUS deserved the Noble Peace prize for his extraordinary efforts. Really (extraordinary)Bergin?
All in all a good book and praise to the Seals, CIA, and administration for the successful mission. The US government was not looking anywhere else for UBL at this time. They had no other leads at all after Tora Bora. No plan B, no other site. So it was all or nothing in Abbottabad.

A look behind the scenes

This is a great book if your interested in what it took to hunt down UBL. Everyone from the CIA, to the military, the presidents cabinet and the President himself

Exhilarating

Great in depth discussion of intelligence and operations that went into hunt for UBL.
Thanks

fact is better than fiction

What did you like about this audiobook?

I thought this book might get slow or or be slanted one way or the other.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

It's just the facts. It really gets into how the terrorists work and how the CIA works.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Just how the structure of both the terrorists and the CIA are so different than anything you read in fiction.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

How risky the hit on Bin Ladin's compound was. There were a number of other outcomes from that situation that could have spun US foreign relations in vastly different directions.

Do you have any additional comments?

I'm not much for politics but this was a quick read and a great look in at how decisions, for good or bad, are really made with regard to foreign policy, as well as the role the president played in everything.

Extraordinary and Intensely Informative

What made the experience of listening to Manhunt the most enjoyable?

The facts and the insight.

What did you like best about this story?

Behind the scenes insights and reasoning for the actions being taken.

Which character – as performed by Mark Deakins – was your favorite?

I could not choose. His vocal changes for each character made listening much easier.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to, however, I travel and my listening experiences are limited to the road.

Any additional comments?

I rarely listen to books of this nature. I was intrigued to know more about why Bin Laden had evaded the most technologically and militarily advanced country on the planet. Now I know. Great book!

Objective and engaging

What did you love best about Manhunt?

This book read like a novel, but with the added benefit of being real. It was objective with plenty of detail, but not boring or too detailed. It presented the terrorist position so that it was understandable, giving insight into how the terrorists arrive at their actions, what it means to them. And it was interesting to hear contrasting points of view from within the enemy position. And of course, the details of the raid were interesting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Manhunt?

The most memorable part was the detailed description of the raid.

Have you listened to any of Mark Deakins’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard this reader before.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

The most interesting tidbit was that there were at least two strong opposing recommendations, from Gates and Biden. And the President himself thought the raid was worth it even if there was only a 50/50 chance he was there, because even that chance was better than anything since Tora Bora.

Any additional comments?

I recommend it as an objective account of a fascinating event.

Exceptional

Fascinating subject, well researched, well written. Must ”read” for those who are interested in an exceptionally difficult effort to find Osama bin Laden post 9/11.

Finding A Needle In A Haystack

Excellent! Provided many little-known details on the 10-year manhunt for Osama Bin Laden. I recommend the book if you are interested in knowing about how the US Government and Military was able to find the proverbial "needle-in-a-haystack".

Great detailed inside detail of events

The book goes into detail on the minor items that get left out of the operator type books. Good read if you enjoy getting into the weeds and hearing all angles of the story.

Decent book, horrendously annoying narration

Reasonably well-written and informative BUT almost gave up on the Audible version due to the narration. Why, oh, why did he need to do pathetic imitations of all the foreign characters’ dialogue? Off-putting to say the least.