Murder at Camp Delta is a haunting and courageous exposé by Staff Sergeant Joseph Hickman, offering a deeply unsettling look behind the razor-wire fences of Guantánamo Bay. This memoir blends personal narrative with investigative reporting as Hickman recounts his time at Camp Delta and his growing realization that something was terribly wrong beneath the surface. What begins as a patriotic assignment turns into a relentless pursuit of truth, sparked by the mysterious deaths of three detainees under his watch.

Hickman provides a gripping and detailed account of daily life inside the camp, where chaos, secrecy, and human rights abuses became part of the routine. The most damning revelations surround “Camp No,” a covert CIA facility allegedly used for extreme interrogation practices. His assertion that the official story of the 2006 detainee deaths was fabricated adds weight to the ongoing debate about U.S. conduct in the War on Terror.

While the book is rich in detail and undeniably important in its message, it sometimes struggles with pacing and structure. The heavy emphasis on military procedures and documentation may bog down some readers, especially those looking for a faster-moving narrative. Nonetheless, Hickman’s dedication to uncovering the truth and his unwavering moral compass give the book its heart and purpose.

Murder at Camp Delta is not an easy read, but it’s a necessary one for those concerned with justice, human rights, and government accountability. Though not perfect in its execution, Hickman’s bravery in speaking out is commendable and deserving of attention.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

The revelatory eyewitness account about Guantánamo Bay—detainees murdered, a secret CIA facility for torture, and the US government cover up—by the Staff Sergeant who felt honor-bound to uncover it.
Staff Sergeant Joe Hickman was a loyal member of the armed forces and a proud American patriot. For twenty years, he worked as a prison guard, a private investigator, and in the military, earning more than twenty commendations and awards. When he re-enlisted after 9/11, he served as a team leader and Sergeant of the Guard in Guantánamo Naval Base. From the moment he arrived at Camp Delta, something was amiss. The prisons were chaotic, detainees were abused, and Hickman uncovered by accident a secret facility he labeled “Camp No.” On June 9, 2006, the night Hickman was on duty, three prisoners died, supposed suicides, and Hickman knew something was seriously wrong. So began his epic search for the truth, an odyssey that would lead him to conclude that the US government was using Guantánamo not just as a prison, but as a training ground for interrogators to test advanced torture techniques.
For the first time, Hickman details the inner workings of Camp Delta: the events surrounding the death of three prisoners, the orchestrated the cover-up, and the secret facility at the heart of it all. From his own eyewitness account, and a careful review of thousands of documents, he deconstructs the government’s account of what happened and proves that the military not only tortured prisoners, but lied about their deaths. By revealing Guantánamo’s true nature, Sergeant Hickman shows us why the prison has been so difficult to close. This book opens an important window onto government overreach, secrecy, and one man’s principled search for the truth.

This book was hard to read at times - depending on what you believe about GITMO, reading this book certainly opens the readers eyes to what truly happens inside the walls of what would be the most notorious prison camp since Auschwitz.

The abuse and murder of the inmates - as revealed in this book - are horrific and against everything I would think a reasonable person would accept, but it seemed that everyone was aware and nobody cared. Nobody who had the power to do something about it anyway.

The only part of this book that stopped it from being the full 5 stars was the constant legal explanations. I found it hard to read the processes involved from a legal perspective...but I guess that ties in intricately with the theme of the book so I understand why he wrote it in such a way.


Paul
ARH