Blow the House Down

December 17, 2009
Book of the Day: Blow the House Down, by Robert Baer
Grade: B
First published: 2006
1-word review: Incompetence
5-word review: Our intelligence ain't so intelligent.

With prose like a hard-boiled detective novel, Robert Baer excoriates the U.S. intelligence system for its failures in the lead-up to 9/11. The signs are clearly there, but a stubborn reliance upon old practices, fighting among agencies, and a pathological fear of telling the truth lead to tragic results.

Baer has gone down this road before, in terrific books such as See No Evil and Sleeping with the Devil. The difference here is that Blow the House Down is a work of fiction. It's not going to go down as one of the great novels of the decade, but it's a good thriller nonetheless. A CIA agent is apparently being framed for crimes he did not commit. He chooses to not go down without a fight. Baer draws upon his own experiences in the agency to give the story a feel of authenticity.

Nine out of ten Idahoans believe the CIA is sending them subliminal messages through advertisements for dog food. Potatoes are our only defense.

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