KBL: A Novel Based on True Events - Hardcover

John Weisman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062119516 ISBN 13: 9780062119513

Publisher: HarperCollins (USA), 2012

Synopsis

Some truths are better and perhaps more accurately portrayed in fiction. In this riveting thriller based on real events, John Weisman takes readers into the heads and inside the boots of the heroes who hunted and killed Usama Bin Laden, the men and women who sent them, and the anonymous intelligence operatives who made it all possible. Moving from the political battlefields of Washington, D.C. and CIA Headquarters to the dusty streets of Peshawar, Lahore, and Abbottabad Pakistan, and the rough Afghan interior, the Middle East and Western Europe, KBL:Kill Bin Laden is a fly-on-the-wall account of the drama and decisions that ultimately led elements of SEAL team 6 to the anonymous Abbottabad compound when UBL met his fate.

About this title

Review:

"A stunner and a riveting read. KBL is rife with realism and a true-to-life portrayal of hard-core warriors, their ethos and their world."--Dan Rather

"This is a must-read book for anyone who wants to understand the meticulous planning and preparation that must go into carrying out a raid to kill the most wanted terrorist in the world, Usama Bin Laden, and the unselfish dedication that drives our 'special warriors.'"--ADM James "Ace" Lyons, Jr., Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet

"With keen insight into both the tactical and political measures at stake in this momentous strike, Weisman has penned an account that, though technically a work of fiction, resonates with credibility."--Iron Mountain Daily News

"Mr. Weisman's research is thorough, and there is no shortage of CIA and military lore woven into KBL's pages . . . he brings them all together in a narrative so real that readers will quickly forget that it is fiction."--New York Journal of Books

""KBL" is an amazing tour de force. This is as close as you will get to the pulse-pounding, incredibly daring mission to find and Kill Bin Laden."--Joseph Wambaugh

"A good and informative read."--Washington Times

"A down and dirty thriller."--Kirkus Reviews

"A great tale about a great mission."--BlackFive.com

"An extraordinary look inside Special Operations Forces at the team level. Based on three decades of dogged, accurate and mature reporting, Weisman has developed credibility inside the secret community of special ops. This book ties together the strands of detective work, spy craft and commando skills."--Bing West, author of The Village, The Strongest Tribe and The Wrong War

"Weisman's research is excellent, and he clearly has expert sources. He's adept at explaining the complex structure of the special operations units . . . As a former MI6 agent who's used to reading inaccuracies in thrillers, I was delighted to note that every chapter here feels right."--Washington Post

From the Back Cover:

The acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling military thriller writer and coauthor of the bestselling Rogue Warrior series goes beyond the headlines and worldwide speculation in this pulse-pounding fictional account of the breathtaking hunt for the world’s most wanted terrorist, Usama Bin Laden

KBL

Some truths are better told in fiction. In this riveting novel drawn from actual events and based on real-life heroes whose identities remain classified—including soldiers, sailors, intelligence operatives, technocrats, analysts, and policymakers—John Weisman fills in the blanks of what may have happened during the hunt and capture of Usama Bin Laden.

Moving from the political battlefields of Washington, D.C., and the secure, seventh-floor suite of the CIA director in Langley, Virginia, to the dusty streets of Peshawar, Lahore, and Abbottabad, Pakistan, to the rough Afghan interior, to the Middle East and western Europe, this fictional narrative brings to life the drama behind SEAL Team 6’s breathtaking raid in which Bin Laden—a.k.a. Crankshaft, a.k.a. al Mas (the Diamond), the ghost, the wraith, the grail for counterterrorists for more than a decade—met his fate.

In the Oval Office, the Pentagon, the CIA, and the State Department, Washington’s power brokers, the president, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Secretary of Defense conduct secret meetings, battle for political supremacy, and make life-and-death choices. Meanwhile, at an anonymous naval installation just south of Virginia Beach, Virginia, the Naval Special Warfare Development Group trains in secret for the mission of a lifetime. And at Vallhalla Base, the CIA’s safe house in Abbottabad, dedicated intelligence officers gather intel critical to locating and capturing the elusive Bin Laden.

KBL: Kill Bin Laden probes the hearts and minds of America’s secret warriors, revealing what the job means to them and the toll it takes. Here are the Navy SEALs who can never admit what unit they work for; the CIA paramilitary operators who risk their lives among the enemy, putting themselves in harm’s way knowing their existence will be denied if they are killed or captured; and the elite cadre of gritty leaders who bravely put country and security above politics.

Filled with pulse-pounding excitement and the tactics, intelligence tradecraft, and operational sources and methods used in real-world CIA and special-operations missions, KBL: Kill Bin Laden is a thrill-a-minute dramatization that sets the standard for adventure novels as it brilliantly imagines the action, intrigue, and suspense of this real-life event and offers a glimpse of the new face of warfare.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins (USA)
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0062119516
• ISBN 13: 9780062119513
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288