Secrets of the Secret Service

By: Gary J. Byrne, Grant M. Schmidt

Narrated by: Pete Larkin

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

From the author of the number-one New York Times best seller Crisis of Character comes an explosive new exposé of the Secret Service.

The United States Secret Service is tasked with protecting our presidents, their families, and the complex in which they live and work. Given this important mission, world stability rests upon the shoulders of its agents.

In his new book, former Secret Service officer Gary Byrne takes listeners behind the scenes to understand the agency's history and today's security failings that he believes put Americans at risk.

The American public knows the stories of Secret Service heroism, but they don't know about the hidden legacy of problems that have plagued the agency ever since its creation.

Gary Byrne says that decades of catastrophic public failures, near misses, and bureaucratic and cultural rot threaten to erode this critical organization from the inside out.

Today, as it works to protect President Trump, the Secret Service stands at a crossroads, and the time needed to choose the right course is running out. Agents and officers are leaving the Secret Service in droves, or they're being overworked to the point where they lose focus on the job. Management makes decisions based on politics, not the welfare of their employees.

Byrne believes that this means danger for the men and women of the Secret Service, danger for the president they protect, and danger for the nation. In this book, he shares what he has witnessed and learned about the Secret Service with the hope that the problems of this most important agency can be fixed before it's too late.

©2018 Gary J. Byrne (P)2018 Hachette Audio

THE ONLY TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE SECRET SERVICE

I have listened to at least 12 books related to the White House and the secret service within the United States of America. SECRETS OF THE SECRET SERVICE is one of the best of the best. It gave me a true account of what really happens behind the walls of the secret service. I felt like a fly on that invisible wall only seen by people from the inside. This listen is more than exciting. It’s simply a fantastic listen and worth your time and only one credit for pure enjoyment. I hope you agree with me after you listen to the book. The secret service is supposed protect our president and fight crime. HOWEVER, THIS ORGANIZATION HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN SUCCESSFUL! If you want to find out why...well you know what to do.

I loved every single bit of information I was exposed to through the author’s words and the narration. Thanks for reading my audible review. Steve

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

VERY SAD

I love and respect our country so much. It really hurts to read that the Clintons had such little respect. Yes, others were also disrespectful. However, the Clintons should both be jailed. The USSS, like all of Washington dc , lacks leadership, patriotism and loyalty.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Good book , narrator was very good.

Insightful history and issues within the secret service. Does not surprise me at all on the details of the Clintons, the first time hearing of their abuses with the service.
the Secret Service needs to wake up, they are protecting the leaders of the free world.

Disgruntled Employee

This book is nothing more than the thoughts of a disgruntled employee who hasn’t worked in the White House since Clinton. You can taste his bitterness.

THIS BOOK SUCKS

ITS BORING AND I DIDNT LEARN ANYTHING EXCEPT THE SECRET SERVICE IS A JOKE. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY WERE AN AWESOME GROUP OF PROTECTORS... I WAS WRONG

Save your time

informative and educational, with a side of dry and boring at times.... save your time

Interesting story, well narrated.

I enjoyed this insider story of the secret service and found many of the details to be very troubling. It seems that some of the folks securing our important people and places are not completely committed to the job. It must take great focus and attention to duty for our secret service agents to agree to protect the president or others with their own lives, but that is what the job demands. My thanks to all who serve for the support of the government and the Constitution. The narrator, Pete Larkin, who is new to me did a fine job and made listening a pleasure.

Biased, unsubstantiated, dull

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Was hoping for two things: an objective story ( This didn't seem so. ) and a book full of interesting anecdotes about the exciting, complex activities of the Secret Service. ( It was not that). It might be interesting to some who are interested in systemic and political influence on the Secret Service ( internal agency politics as well as White House politics). That was what this was about. But the former agent author, didn't substantiate his claims and concerns as much as I would have liked. He clearly is politically biased ( that said. He was talking about the Clintons to a great extent, and they did have a very unorthodox administration with, juxtapositions that must have made the SS job challenging. If that fascinates you, you might like the book more that I did.

What three words best describe Pete Larkin’s performance?

A bit course

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Secrets of the Secret Service?

Those that were clearly his opinions

Any additional comments?

I returned the title, it wasn't worth completing the book ( hope it got better).

A manifesto for reform

Thought this would be interesting stories and how it operates but all about its failings and a manifesto of how to fix. A worthy book but not if general interest nor amusement.