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)

History Exciting as any Thriller

Manhunt is one of those rare books that is packed with details but remains really exciting. I literally could not put this one down and finished it in one sitting. I got a lot more from this book than I had from news sources and other books and it was enjoyable to boot. The narration is excellent. It is not entirely unbiased, but is generally quite fair. Manhunt explores each aspect of the search for bin Ladin, intelligence, military, political, and counter-measures al-Qae???da took. It answered virtually all my outstanding questions about the final raid and give an excellent overall perspective.

Enlightening

The book is a glimpse into the past that helps us understand the present. It is neither dry nor boring. It reads more like a novel than a history book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had difficulty pushing "stop" at times. If you like politics and current affairs/news, you will like this book.

Fabulous in detail, unbiased and riveting

Fast paced and thoroughly wrought account of this famous and important event in U.S. History

Thrilling

Any additional comments?

Bergen takes us from pre 9/11 to the killing of Bin Laden in a fast paced and exciting way. Anyone familiar with CNN knows that Bergen knows al Qaeda and his expertise on the matter is on display where. Bergen also brings the perspective of having actually interviewed Bin Laden so his insights help shape his account. A great read.

Fast paced and compelling.

This is a solid history of the manhunt. Lots of details about the politics and the policies behind the operation. This is worth your time and at just 8+ hours maybe worth a double listen. You will be more informed for having read this book.

Fine current history

Worthwhile read. The first part covering the early days of Bin Laden was slow. The coverage of recent events was more interesting with lots of color on just how much Obama had going on at the same time, and his role in adding a backup SEAL team, which turned out to be needed.

I was especially interested in how the military people dealt with both Bush and Obama, and vice versa, with object lessons for future presidents. Bergen seems to cover such aspects of the manhunt well, but he doesn't get much into what might have been done better, emphasizing mainly what happened and who did it. He does that competently, but I'd hoped for more.

A true "page turner"

Would you consider the audio edition of Manhunt to be better than the print version?

Bergen's detail account loses no momentum from beginning to end. Researched, documented and well written, the docudrama pulls the "reader" forward toward a very satisfyingly suspenseful conclusion. Mark Deakins narration adds zest and pace and his voice impressions are mostly in character.
All in all, a very worthwhile investment of time and money/

Holds your attention

Would you listen to Manhunt again? Why?

I liked the book and will probably listen to it again sometime because there are a lot of details in the book. I did enjoy the book, but the author is not totally objective. I like the insights into how difficult the decision was for President Obama. .

Excellent!

An excellent book on the hunt for Bin Laden, with an excellent narration. Surely one of the best books on the overall hunt and it covers the operation to kill him with compelling detail. Strongly recommended.

Factual yet frothy

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A good listen for anyone following news or recent history

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Final tracking of bin Laden

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

First one

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

A bit too long for one sitting but it never became wearisome

Any additional comments?

As good as a tale like this can be told.