Within Arm's Length

By: Dan Emmett

Narrated by: Kevin Foley

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

Dan Emmett was just eight years old when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The events surrounding the president's death shaped the course of young Emmett's life as he set a goal of becoming a U.S. Secret Service agent-one of a special group of people willing to trade their lives for that of the president, if necessary. Within Arm's Length is a revealing and compelling inside look at the Secret Service and the elite Presidential Protective Division (PPD). Using stories from some of the author's more high-profile assignments in his twenty-one years of service, Emmett describes the professional, physical, and emotional challenges faced by Secret Service agents. Included are never-before-discussed topics such as the complicated relationship between presidents, first ladies, and their agents; the inner workings of Secret Service protective operations; and the seldom-mentioned challenges of the complex Secret Service cultural issues faced by an agent's family.

©2014 Dan Emmett (P)2014 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"Controversial." ( Inside Edition)

Not What I Was Expecting

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

People with a specific interest in the Secret Service.

Would you ever listen to anything by Dan Emmett again?

I would not rule it out, but doubtful.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The slight whistle when making "S" sounds was very distracting and pronunciation of "addition", annoyed me.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Some of the stories were interesting, but this book is 95% about Dan Emmett. The description of the book made it seem like there would be more anecdotes about US Presidents.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Excellent choice

This is an excellent choice for anyone wanting to know some history of the U.S. Secret Service and it has a great story line to accompany it.
Mr. Emmett has a very interesting history and I am glad I made the choice to purchase.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Very cool behind the scenes look

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

Yes, learned a lot about the secret service that I didn't know before.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The mindset that secret service men and women have to adopt/have.

Which scene was your favorite?

One where Dan was in the oval office or Russia with some other eastern european delagate visiting and almost led to a shoot out.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Book title is good.

Any additional comments?

would recommend to friends

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Obviously a dedicated patriot

Any additional comments?

Right off the bat, the author warns that this is not a book about gossip. He's correct. I don't need gossip but it would have been nice if the stories he told included interesting antidotes, or things I may not have already known. This book describes the incredible career of a true patriot but included a lot of chest-thumping and surface info. It's as if he gave the manuscript to the feds and they edited out anything juicy, or at least a little juicy. You don't need to divulge state secrets or break your oath to make it a bit more interesting.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

The honest story of a man with questionable morals

This honest story of a military man who built his career based on his desire to fight and endure hardship of what his jobs required of him teaches us that even a person with a very questionable morals (he believes in law and rules when they are applied to others but not to him as breaking the rules he considered to have balls, he believes in no difference between Russian and American Secret Service and their ideas Etc.) is necessary for our protections and well-being and we should be grateful to them for their sacrifice and dedication.

good

everything about the book was really good. the narrator did an excellent job telling the story.

Liked it

Story overall was pretty good, and the narrator has the voice I sort of imagine a secret service member to have. My biggest complaint albeit minor is the story is not in chronological order which can make some parts difficult to follow

Disappointing

I'm not sure exactly what is expected from this book. I found it rather dull and too much about the author and not about secret service. I think I expected more about the secret service and Presidents. It's more of a autobiography of Emmett.

Suggested by a 10 year old

I got this recommendation from a youngster in 6th grade who read the abridged/adapted version and thought I might like it. What a great read and great insight into a very elite environment.
It's well paced and read and the anecdotes will keep you listening. It also made me want to do more pull ups. LOL

Good Book

enjoyed story and great narration. very interesting and important subject matter .informative and easy listerning