I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

If you are thinking about skipping this review because the book has Jake Tapper's name on it, then please humor me for a minute. I generally try to keep my reviews focused on the book I am reviewing, but I would be remiss not to bring up the fact that yes, this is Tapper's second release of 2025, and yes, the other one gave people big feelings. Generally, people were enraged but for many different reasons which I guess is progress. For the record, I enjoyed Original Sin, which was about the Biden administration, but I also understand the criticisms. However, what does get lost in the controversy is that Tapper is a hell of a writer. This book is yet another example.

Divorced (mostly) from today's fraught political environment is his newest release Race Against Terror. The story follows an Al Qaeda terrorist who traveled to Afghanistan and killed American service members. After various other murderous misadventures, he ends up in Italian court. Our story takes off from there as the U.S. attempts to bring him to justice in a criminal court. I won't spoil any plot points and leave it there.

Two aspects of the story came off exceptionally well and made this a must read for me. First, the back and forth on how to deal with terrorists legally is a huge part of this story. Is what happens on a battlefield even something a court should be litigating? What type of court procedures should be used if you do? Tapper dives into all of this without putting the reader to sleep. There is discussion of post 9/11 activities including Gitmo and torture. Tapper clearly makes his abhorrence for torture clear, but every other aspect of the conversation is handled with nuance and clear eyed discussion. Tapper recognizes that doing the right thing is not always a black and white conversation.

The second aspect which Tapper excels at is his dealing with the stories of the American service members and their families. I am an Iraq War vet, and I am highly sensitive to the way authors approach these situations. I am equally turned off by blatant pandering as much as unfair characterizations. What I can say from my perspective is that Tapper really listened to people when they talked. There are terms and words which I know came directly from people who fought in theater. I can't even count how many times I read a book which tries to use military lingo and thinking but it comes off fake because the author is trying too hard to sound real. Tapper's translation of the military aspects and his focus on the right things (as defined by me, it's my review, and I say what I want) is truly singular.

In summary, if you skip this one because of Original Sin, you will be missing out on a great book.

(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by NetGalley and Atria Books.)

My first Jake Tapper, and interesting and well done book that to me reads more as fiction than non-fiction. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but the lack of direct "this was pulled from this source" context made this feel a bit sensationalized and I am not sure how much I truly believe or trust the actual storyline? That may be a bit of a "me" thing, and with Tapper's reputation, I am not worried about the content of this book, and I enjoyed reading this and learned a lot, this was just a thought that I had while reading. 4.25/5

This book tells the story of how the US prosecuted Spin Ghul, an Al-Qaeda terrorist, in the US. I don’t typically rate non-fiction but this book was an example of a really well done narrative non-fiction. There were a lot of facts and a lot of characters in this story but I never had a hard time keeping people or the timeline straight. In the end, Tapper told a compelling story that had me flying through the book. Seriously, I read it in two sittings.

If you enjoy narrative non-fiction and want to read a compelling story about the US’s legal tactics in fighting terrorism, I’d recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for my eARC!

Having read a few Jake Tapper books before, I knew to expect a mix of narrative storytelling and facts all together. In this book, he weaves a legal case with a war narrative and the history of US policy in the last 25 years. Overall, this book is what I would have expected from Tapper. It is a good book to read and very enjoyable.

I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.