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Lunch » Tags » Books » Reviews » Stalling For Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator

Stalling For Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator

1 rating: 5.0

Book by Gary Noesner

From Publishers Weekly Noesner, a former FBI hostage negotiator for 23 years, was the first person to run the bureau's Crisis Negotiation Unit. Looking back, he recalls some major standoffs along with his efforts to understand and interpret … see full wiki

Tags: Books, True Crime Books, Fbi, Hostage Negotiations

Author: Gary Noesner

Publisher: Random House

1 review about Stalling For Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage...

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Great Account of a Hostage Negotiator's Life

Sep 26, 2010

by AlainB
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

I just finished reading an advanced review copy of "Stalling For Time: My Life As An FBI Hostage Negotiator" by Gary Noesner, and I found it to be an engaging, interesting, and enlightening read. I didn't want to put it down. Noesner, who spent 30 years in the FBI and retired as the chief of the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Unit shares some of his fascinating stories along with his beliefs regarding hostage negotiations. It is very well written, in a comfortable engaging manner, and through the stories and his beliefs the reader gains a better understanding of what hostage negotiation is all about - saving lives. One might also pick up a thing or two that may help with other negotiations and relationships. As someone who teaches negotiation, I enjoyed analyzing the differences between the business and legal negotiations I conduct and the hostage negotiations of Noesner.

The book starts out with a bang, almost literally, and it continues to engage throughout. One really gets a sense that Noesner is genuine, and it is a trait that served him well throughout his career. He cared about those he tried to save, and you can feel the pain he felt when negotiations failed and people died.

Reading the book about Noesner's career was like looking back at major incidents most of us read about in newspapers or watched on evening news. But rather than see what the media portrayed, with this book we get to see behind the scenes. Some of the familiar headlines that Noesner sheds light on include: Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians at Waco, and the Freemen near Jordan, Montana. Noesner does not sensationalize these stories, but does tell his and his team's part in the incidents, and he shares what he believes went right and where things failed. They dynamics between the negotiating teams and the tactical teams were interesting, and like many groups, they sometimes worked well together, and at other times were at odds with each other. Noesner shares the triumphs they shared as well as his frustrations when the different units seemed to oppose each other rather than cooperate for the success of the mission.

As the title states, this book is about Noesner's life as a hostage negotiator, and not a negotiation "how to" text. However, one can't help but learn a few things about negotiation and conflict resolution while reading. The importance of remaining calm and managing your emotions, learning from your mistakes, and remembering what your mission is, are some of the common themes among various negotiations. But most of all, it is an enjoyable read about the life of a hostage negotiator. I recommend it highly.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks and the dvds: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer. Alain Also wrote a series of articles called Lessons From The Apprentice.

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