Have ever wondered what it’s really like to be an FBI agent? Do read a lot of crime fiction or watch shows like FBI obsessively and wonder how real it is?
Well in FBI Myths and Misconceptions: A Manual For Armchair Detectives retired FBI agent Jerri Williams breaks down the facts and fiction about the FBI.
Overview
In each chapter Williams breaks down one myth or misconception and explains how things really work within the FBI.
These inaccuracies range from FBI profilers hunting serial killers to the kinds of people the FBI hires, to when agents are allowed to wiretap and record conversations.
She speaks not only from her own experiences, but she also uses excerpts from her podcast FBI Retired Case File Review and from the FBI website to help further dive into each topic.
At the end of each chapter, she also does a short review of a book, movie, or TV show about or featuring the the FBI. These include popular TV shows such as White Collar and Quantico, and movies such as Catch Me If You Can and Miss Congeniality.
My Thoughts
I bought this book after watching a video featuring Williams where she discussed how real FBI scenes in TV and movies were. When she mentioned that she was an author and that she wrote a book about how the really works, I immediately decided to read it.
I started reading Myth and Misconceptions the day it came in the mail and I was not disappointed. Williams writes with such an honest and confident style that still feels conversational and warm.
She broke down each topic in such a way that even if you have no knowledge of law enforcement, it was still understandable.
Williams devised her own unique rating method for her TV and movie ratings that she uses in each chapter involving her shoes. For example, if the story is accurate, she will say her shoes stayed on her feet with laces tightened. This was a clever and unique way to convey her thoughts that gave the book an extra dose of spunk.
Final Thoughts And Rating
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The insights in Myths and Misconceptions are so helpful to me as writer whose current WIP is a crime thriller. Already, I’ve been able to adjust my plot to make it more accurate.
I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about what the FBI does or wants to write about them.
My Rating: 4 out 5 Stars
(Note: This is not a paid review. All the above opinions are my own.)
