“The most comprehensive, even-handed and best-written account of Ruby Ridge…. Mr. Walter writes with fluency and grace, and he manages to make even minor characters spring to life…. While in no way absolving the government of its errors, Mr. Walter reveals that Mr. Weaver’s paranoia and stubbornness … helped to escalate the situation to its fatal end.”
—Washington Times
“A meticulously researched account of the Ruby Ridge incident.”
—Bill Hewitt, People
“Deeply critical of the government’s actions and the seemingly mindless series of bureaucratic decisions that led to the deadly siege … the power of Walter’s book [is in bringing] the Weavers to life.”
—Bill Wallace, San Francisco Chronicle
“Journalist Jess Walter has written the definitive book on the [Ruby Ridge] siege.”
—New York Post
“Tightly reported … an even-handed narrative that gathers speed as the Weavers’ fate becomes more tangled and tragic…. An excellent, minute-by-minute account.”
—Jeff Baker, Portland Oregonian
“Just to take a case as complicated and controversial as U.S. v. Weaver and explain it would have been enough. But Walter does more. [His] opening is so strong and his writing is so good…. Leaves us to draw our own conclusion about who was right and wrong on Ruby Ridge.”
—Ft Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
“A riveting, you-are-there story…. In this book [the author] lets descriptive, solid reporting carry the day…. Colorful and meticulous…. Perhaps the most gripping part of Walter’s work is the description of the siege itself.”
—Grand Rapids Press
“An excellent, well-written and important book that should be required reading in every civics class in the country. It is as close to the truth as we’re likely to get, and it’s frightening.”
—Des Moines Register
“Jess Walter achieves the near-impossible—a balanced account of a tragic event, told with grace, intelligence, and a profound understanding of human fallibility. A must-read story of our time.”
—Peter Deutermann, Naval Commander, author of Official Privilege and Scorpion in the Sea
“Makes abundantly clear that the ramifications of Ruby Ridge are immense. This book should interest everyone concerned about human fallibility and government excess.”
—The River Journal
“Jess Walter’s careful chronicle of what happened in and around that cabin in northern Idaho, and (more important) in the hearts and minds of white separatists and government agents that led to the confrontation, is remarkably complete. Walter reconstructs the past with a novelist’s attention to detail.”
—Salt Lake City Tribune
“Working from hundreds of pages of official documents and having culled the personal recollections of many of those actually involved, Walter has constructed a book that rivals any work of its kind…. As balanced a retelling of a headline-causing event as you’re apt to find anywhere.”
—Spokane Spokesman-Review
“Flowing, gripping, logically organized and rich in detail … straight-down-the-middle reporting … a story so tragic it’s redolent of Shakespeare … reads like a well-written mystery novel. You can rip right through it, hindered only by dismay at the realization federal agents in this bizarre case acted in a totalitarian manner that would make Mussolini look good.”
—John Hanchette, Gannett Wire Service