I really enjoyed this title. I liked the twists and turns and the writing style is nice and smooth. The story flows well and kept my attention. Thank you for the opportunity to read this title. I will be recommending this one to friends.

This true story starts with a cookout. Danny Day’s buddy said that he was having a little get-together for pro-gun Christians, and that sounded right up Dan’s alley. However, when he got there, he was introduced to men who were pro-gun but definitely not pro-gun-safety, and who were “Trump Christians”, not “Jesus Christians”.

While Dan is with this group of men, talk starts to turn towards people of the Muslim faith, specifically a large Somali population in Garden City, Kansas. It is not loving talk. The Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando had just happened, and the anti-Islamic rhetoric is in full swing. (I don’t think they cared about the gay community, they just cared that a Muslim was the shooter.)

I don’t think most people know that many small Midwestern towns have relatively large refugee populations. Garden City was once a predominantly white town, but the low cost of living and availability of jobs at meatpacking plants brought refugees and immigrants from all over. By the time Trump is starting his run for president, the town’s people of color are now the majority.

Most people are fine with this, but there is this group who have a major problem with the Somali population, and Muslims in general. They see themselves as Crusaders, on a mission for Jesus. They hype each other up, harass people of color in town, stalk the store where people shop for African merchandise and even talk freely about the desire to kill Muslim children.

As Dan sits through this cookout-turned-white-supremacy-meeting, he starts to realize that these people are serious about their hatred, and very serious about causing harm. Long story short(er), he becomes an informant for the FBI, and begins recording his conversations with these men.

For over a year, Dan attended meetings, joined militia groups and gathered all the information he could. As long as he pretended to have the same fervent hate as everyone else, and he didn’t entrap anyone, he was golden - these are his friends. Well, they WERE his friends, until he got a good look at their hearts.

Once Trump came on the political scene, it really put this group into action … they wanted to do something big. Something to inspire others across the country. Something Trump would approve of. These men revered men like Alex Jones. They wanted a religious war, and they were going to start with bombing the two mosques and if possible, any apartment buildings in town that rent to Somalis.

They were waiting until Trump was elected so they wouldn’t hurt his chances, but they spent their time gathering munitions and learning about explosives. Soon, another FBI informant named “Brian” is brought in as the Muslim-hating explosives expert willing to trade explosives for meth. Along with Dan, they gather enough evidence to thwart this plot. They were successful, as you know if you remember this happening, and they saved hundreds of lives with their bravery and integrity.

This book goes through that first informal cookout, then through all the meetings and things that were said in them. It goes through the FBI’s entire investigation, and everything that leads up to the arrests. Then it goes through their trials and how each member of the group ended up (one was also found with child porn - the cherry on top of the pile of shit.)

It’s horrifyingly fascinating to read actual things these men talk about. I think they really did believe that they were making their country better and making God proud. You see these types at Trump rallies, you see them in YouTube videos taken by people of color being harassed, and all you can see in their eyes is anger. HATE. Rage. This book even talks about the insurrection on January 6; these were just three men taken down. How many more are there? (Turns out the Q-Anon Shaman wasn’t the first to blame his actions on Trump’s speeches - these guys tried that too. And also failed.)

This book is great. There is no commentary outside of the author’s opening note. This is all the actual recordings, texts, etc., that were gathered by Dan and used as evidence in court. There are also pictures of all involved, along with pictures of important locations and events.

My only complaint is that it’s very long (kind of like my review? 😬) … I don’t mind a long book, but this was wordy and some things could have been left out without changing the impact of the story. I’m giving this 4.5 stars, rounded down for that and a bit of dryness, but make no mistake - I highly recommend this true crime story as a frank and up-close look at racism in America.

(Thank you to Mariner Books, Dick Lehr and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

We always think of terrorists as being those nasty people from somewhere foreign; not our own home-grown kind. Notwithstanding, the USA seems to have a growing number of violent militia groups with members of the white supremacist breed; "hate, violence and exterminate," their tag lines. You no doubt witnessed such behavior before, during and in the aftermath of the failed Donald J. Trump re-election campaign of November 2020. In this story, White Hot Hate by Dick Lehr, you will bump into such in monstrous, literal reality. This is NOT fiction, folks.

Lehr delineates such a horrrific story that will take you aback in traumatic shock. Dan Day, the great man of courage hero, becomes an unwitting informant among the Kansas Security Force (KSP), Crusaders on behalf of the FBI. The build from "only talk" to action over the months was captured on multiple lengthy recordings of Zello phone conversations and in-person confabs on a specialized recording device. These were firsthand inner sanctum talks to which Day was privy.

As the four-man insider group of KSP, (Dan Day being one of the four) laid their wicked plans to decimate the Somalis Refugee community in Garden City, the talk often became volitale and full of foul language. Day's heart was often in his throat not to give himself away, but also for wisdom to know how to cool the heat. The inclusion of such language comes from all those hours of taped evidence of raw conversations, not only of their plans but of the non-fiction epitaphs of hatred which constantly spewed forth from the men's souls and pores.

The old adage, "Truth is often stranger than fiction" rings really clearly in this report.

It was an exceedingly stressful operation for a non-professional undercover man who also had to overcome fallout such as sleepless nights and if he did get to sleep, nightmares. The stress, the secrecy and so on, on his family, who thankfully, did support him, and see him through, took its toll as well. Dan Day is one of those people who were born and placed into a position for "just such a time as this." He was equal to the task as he plunged, neck-deep or more, into militia extremism.

Thank God for such people! It's great to know there are still such counter-balances yet. However, we do well to be aware of such undercurrents and maybe even pray against such evilness on our own homefronts.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

September 2021

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy sent by the publisher.

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White Hot Hate by Dick Lehr follows the plot by the Crusaders to blow up two apartment buildings that house a large percentage of Somali immigrants. The story follows Dan as he infiltrated the group while also working with the FBI. Luckily, Dan and FBI undercover agent Brian were able to stop the leaders by trapping them with much smaller illegal acts. The book looks at how a group of small town white men were radicalized by right-wing propaganda to the point where they planned to slaughter hundreds of people. Although the book was extremely descriptive, it often dragged as more characters were introduced and the group repeated the same issues over and over.

Reading White Hot Hate made me angry--how did I not know about this case? How are there people filled with this much hatred?

I think this book took a not well-known case, and broke it down so the reader can see why this was such an important case and a big deal. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The writing was good and kept my interest more than some other true crime books I've read. The book started off really well and was more action-packed, but at about the halfway mark, it seemed a little too detailed and dragged a bit. I think there was information that could have been excluded or slimmed down. This book only has 8 chapters but is over 400 pages, which can also make some sections of the book seem longer and slower. However...I think the author did a great job telling the story of this case and explaining why Dan Day is a hero!

Thank you NetGalley for the gifted eARC!

Rating: 4 stars

Summary: A group of four men gather through various other militias to form a group with the idea to bomb and kill Somali immigrants in Garden City Kansas. One member is a FBI informant and feeds the FBI all the plans of the group. The book details the account of there planning, disgusting thoughts, and eventual arrests. The informant Dangerous Dan is a man who really risked his own safety and his family’s to great lengths.

Comments: I can’t say this was a breakthrough real crime novel but it plainly spelled out the stupidity of some of our fellow countrymen. There is definitely some bias written into the novel whether you agree or not.

Wow - the title says it all. This is a book about hate and domestic terrorism. Dick Lehr does an excellent job of leading readers through the dead.y plot to terrorize and harm a Somali community in Kansas. A hate-filled militant group called the Crusaders was behind the plot but an informant began working with the FBI and ultimately the plot failed. But this book is about more than one failed domestic terrorism plot. It’s about the growing number of hate-filled groups who are hell bent on destroying anyone and anything they view as different or “other” than the way they see themselves or the vision they have for this country. It’s sad and scary and real, but it’s also empowering to think about the roles we each play in preventing this growing hate to change our way of life and the freedoms we hold dear.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a non-fiction book that some of your patrons will be wanting to read, I'm sure. It's topic is the plot to blow up an apartment building full of Somali immigrants in Garden City, KS but it really has links to many places in KS, including here in the NE corner. The story is told through the perspective, mostly, of the FBI informant who joined the group and sat in on much of the planning and plotting for this event. It's well written and is pretty near the definition of "unputdownable" (at least it was for me). I'd followed the story in the news as it broke, of course, but getting all the details and hearing (reading transcripts of, actually) all the planning as recorded by this informant was both eye-opening and hair-raising. This will be a book that will likely be of interest to a number of your patrons!

I am not a squeamish reader. I adore true crime and am rarely bothered by gore. This book, however, I found hard to stomach. The unwarranted and utter hatred exhibited by these monsters was really difficult for me to get through. All that aside, I found the book to be just okay. 3 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this ARC! This is a fantastic true crime book. Lehr does an amazing job telling the chain of events, providing enough backstory, and keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. This is probably going to be a top 5 non-fiction book this year. The topic is highly important in today’s world and Lehr made it extremely engrossing.

The story of an ordinary guy who becomes a key informant for the FBI in an effort to stop anti-Muslim domestic terrorists from killing innocent people in small town Kansas. I didn't remember this story which is a sad testament to the news cycle in recent years. I think the book might have benefitted from some engagement with the scholarly literature on what makes people help/upstandership but it is a compelling and accessible read. #NetGalley #ARC

A tough read for me as an ethnic minority. Some of this was a bit hard to read and a bit hard to believe but it was good to get an insight into how people get radicalised into believing the dangerous rhetoric that some politicians pump out.

Would recommend.

Incredible new nonfiction by Dick Lehr that spells out the heinous plots of the hate-fueled militant group known as the Crusaders. They are based out of Kansas and planned on inflicting terror and carnage on a Somali community in 2016. These militant groups seem to have been grown exponentially upon the election of Donald Trump- and his constant presence seemed to just inspire once closeted racists to be more vocal in their hate and vitriol. Thanks to an informant-and subsequent investigation- thank goodness their plot was upended. The author writes in a compelling way- almost like a true crime author. This is an important read that takes a look at just one of the dangerous militant groups in the United States that could have taken the lives of many.

I first want to thank Netgalley and Mariner Books for a chance to read an advance release copy of "White Hot Hate". This will be the only location for a review until the release date of 11/9/21.

This is the recounting of a small group of men ..radical right wing group ...who decided that they would no longer tolerate immigrants in their area...specifically Somali immigrants. This had nothing to do with taking jobs.....or being horrible to get along with ...it had solely to do with the hatred of another race because they arent like us...they didnt like the traditional dress...they didnt like their store that set up to sell the food they were used to....they didnt like the language...they didnt like the kids....their excuse was that they would all end up being terrorists and destroy America...and they used other Islamic radical attacks to further their thought process. They were seriously planning to kill adult and children...with no proof of any sort of terrorism...just because they were of the Islam religion. The story revolves around several men ...but mainly Dan Day...a Christian man who also wasnt thrilled with the immigrants but when he found out how radical some of these people he met were...realized this was not the way it should be handled. He was reached out to by the FBI and agreed to become in informant...no pay...just because he felt there was going to be real death if it wasnt stopped.

I really liked the book...and I want to give it five stars but gave it four...for two main reasons...one....I understand that the meetings...the many times the group of men got together to discuss the plans...the fine line Dan Day had to ride to try to get info ...later on tape...without leading and entrapping these others...was very integral ...but it did seem to get drug down and got to be very repetitive ....and honestly got semi-tedious. I read it all...I moved through the entire book but just was like...yep..I know....same as last time....can we move it along...

Second...the end just was slammed shut....BANG...men arrested! They were tried...found guilty...sent to prison...and everyone lived happily ever after....wait...we didnt get the happily ever after either......it just seemed after so much detail...I wanted more about the trial...more about the society...the city...how did this affect them...how did it grow or hinder the community....what did the perps have to say for themselves....i can look a lot of this online...but to me this is what was needed to tie it together...and it just seemed like...we have a deadline...tie it up....or ...we have a max number of pages....so end it...not what I wanted...honestly a full book could be made about the trial and aftermath....and with the United States in such a mess with so many "God" following people who seem to feel like the Bible is more a guideline with their own personal thoughts able to overrule God's ....I really think this community could be a leader in making a way to join all together...and to me...this is where it falls well short.

Overall...a good read...definitely worth it....very eye opening with the way the FBI works and the dangers that are out there everywhere ....but just would have been a little better to show the final results in detail...
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Thank you, NetGalley and Dick Lehr for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

White Hot Hate captured my attention because my husband is a Kansas native. He often talks about his life in western Kansas and his experience with Garden City. He was deeply shaken by the events involved in this book and I wanted to learn more about it.

Through this book, we follow the true story of Dan Day, an everyday-kind-of-guy who is just trying to get by. Dan is fatefully enlisted by his neighbors into a local militia through a BBQ, The group is known as The Three Percenters. Dan believes in the second amendment, and he doesn't trust his government. He isn't so sure about the derogatory language and their vocal desire to harm Muslims. But, he is the kind of guy who keeps to himself and doesn't have much to say. That is until he's enlisted by the FBI as an informant.

It's a thrilling book that dissects the would-be domestic terrorism in an important way. It brings attention to the issues surrounding racism and white supremacy and highlights how the actions of one person can change the outcome of events.

I'll definitely be looking for Dick Lehr's name in the future.

I have an alternative title for this book. "Morons in Motion". It's the story of three guys (the morons), who are infected with an incredible hatred of people who are not like them. In this case, the Somali residents of a small Kansas town. They band together and join a local "militia" group. Together the three wind themselves up, reinforcing each others prejudices and hatreds, until they decide that, in the name of "patriotism" something has to be done. They decide what better way to become famous (infamous?) than to use a bomb to blow up Somali men, women, and children.
The book is told through the use of an undercover citizen who infiltrates the Morons and keeps the FBI abreast of their plans. Thank goodness for this citizen, or else who knows what may have happened.
The planning of the Morons would be comical, if it was not so dangerous. Talk about leaving a trail of bread crumbs to be followed, these guys couldn't hide their intentions at all.
The book leads one to ponder on the "militias" currently operating in the United States. To me, it seems to be a bunch of unhappy white guys, disappointed that they have not "made it big". Rather than try to improve themselves through education, work, etc., they decide it is much easier to blame "others" for their plight. The "others" being blacks, latinos, any foreigners, bankers, educated people, or basically anyone not like them. I guess these people have always been amongst us, take Archie Bunker for one. The difference today is that they have social media to connect with each other, and to ramp up and reinforce their prejudices. It's frightening, the collective power they develop amongst themselves. All under the guise of patriotism and freedom.
We have been fortunate that most of these groups are incompetent, and can't seem to get out of their own way. We're very fortunate that there are brave citizens, like the main character of this book, to help our law enforcement take these losers down before they act.
I really enjoyed this book. I know these militias are out there, but it was refreshing to read how utterly stupid they can be. Let's hope that continues to be the case.

White Hot Hate is the story of Dan Day, an average Joe turned FBI informant and eventual hero after accidentally infiltrating a dangerous militia known as the Kansas Security Force.

This is also the story of how many people set out to embrace the Muslim people in their midst, and how a community was formed between two different cultures in a small southern town, thanks to Adan Keynan, Benjamin Anderson, John Birky, Ifrah Hamed, and Halima Farah.

Immediately after the Pulse Nightclub massacre, a group of three men- Patrick Stein, Curtis Allen, Gavin Wright- began planning a deadly retaliation on all Muslims and any associates, with Dan Day taping conversations and participating in order to help convict the three men that wanted to “eradicate” all Muslim people.

Dick Lehr’s writing is smooth, beautiful, and despite how difficult it would be to chronicle the many moving parts of this story, he does a remarkable job making it an extremely interesting and easy to follow non-fiction read. This is not for the faint of heart; while there are several chapters that will give your heart hope, there’s also a lot of ugliness and so much hatred. It was gut-wrenching to read some of the passages about Stein, Allen, and Green’s plans for the Muslim community.

I highly recommend White Hot Hate as it seems to be a fair and very well-written account of three men with far too much hatred and bigotry in their hearts- but also the heroes that community needed. Despite the heaviness of the content, it’s a page-turner in its own right, which I find to be rare among non-fiction books.

Thanks to NetGalley and HMH Books for this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An interesting book: it didn't quite seem to be sure what it was doing in terms of pacing, and it stayed very much in the perspective of the citizen-undercover. The ending wrapped up a little too quickly, the trials a little too pushed into the endnotes. The focus on the Somali community and the examination of the way they were invited to move to the city and then treated/mistreated was interesting: I would perhaps have liked to hear more about that, and perhaps a slightly more zoomed-out look at the white militia movements across America in this historical moment. The details and attention to the ones that relate to this incident are very good, but things like their radio-app made me immediately think of the Jan 6th insurrection - the linking is very clear.

This book is extremely important and a good read! Thank you for giving me an ARC review of this book. I feel as though in a age where white supremacy has the gall to rear its ugly head, White Hot Hate is a beacon of light that exposes the dangers of this way of thinking. This book is recommended if you love I'll Be Gone in the Dark and that's super accurate because as a lover of this book and I'll Be Gone in the Dark it fits. This book is truly thrilling and tackles would-be domestic terrorism on a farming community's immigrant population in a really excellent way. White Hot Hate keeps you on your toes but also highlights the dangers of white supremacy and domestic terrorism. This book is a a must for lovers of true crime! I wish I could read it for the first time again.

This book was incredibly well-written and detailed. As a former prosecutor, this book had everything you need for a good crime-related book. Because there were so many players involved, both on the side of the terrorists and of the law enforcement agencies, there was a slow build as the author took the time to explain everyone and their role. The writing was engaging and spoke to the reader as a participant rather than just relaying the facts of the incident. The hatred and desire for violence on the part of the terrorists was conveyed in a way that brought those feelings to the reader in a tangible way (meaning, you could feel the hatred coming off of the characters). I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in how our former President had an impact on civilians and their thoughts-turned-actions in violence against others.