THE UNABOMBER

A female FBI agent is at the center
of the search for the bomber who evaded capture for almost two decades.

Beginning in 1978, a series of
serious bombings around the United States thwarted the FBI’s ability to apprehend
the persons responsible. By the time special agent Kathleen M. Puckett was
recruited, the FBI had been working for years to achieve that goal. Puckett had
a positive reputation, and her background in the Air Force and her work in
counterintelligence made her a sought-after prospect—but that didn’t save her
from sexist microaggressions. “Puckett didn’t want to be respected as a female
agent. She wanted respect as an agent. Her day would come.” In fast-paced
prose, Denson recounts how Puckett, a white woman, was determined to learn all
she could about the case, diligently studying the old files and visiting the
scenes of the attacks before the publication of the Unabomber’s manifesto in
the New York Times and the Washington Post helped break the case.
This page-turning true-crime narrative takes readers behind the scenes of the
detailed work, decision-making, and sometimes luck that go into solving
difficult cases. The writing is lively, and the principal players are fully
dimensional. The author’s note gives insight into his own intriguing process.

This is the first in a series that
will look at the important cases of the FBI, and it’s a highly auspicious
opener. (timeline, additional facts, sources) (Nonfiction. 8-12)