Stalling for Time, Gary Noesner
Stalling for Time, Gary Noesner
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Stalling for Time
My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator

Author: Gary Noesner

Narrator: Gary Noesner

Unabridged: 8 hr 24 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/02/2018

Synopsis

The FBI’s chief hostage negotiator recounts harrowing standoffs, including the Waco siege with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, in a memoir that inspired the miniseries Waco, now on Netflix.

“Riveting . . . the most in-depth and absorbing section is devoted to the 1993 siege near Waco, Texas.”—The Washington Post

In Stalling for Time, the FBI’s chief hostage negotiator takes readers on a harrowing tour through many of the most famous hostage crises in the history of the modern FBI, including the siege at Waco, the Montana Freemen standoff, and the D.C. sniper attacks. Having helped develop the FBI’s nonviolent communication techniques for achieving peaceful outcomes in tense situations, Gary Noesner offers a candid, fascinating look back at his years as an innovator in the ranks of the Bureau and a pioneer on the front lines. Whether vividly recounting showdowns with the radical Republic of Texas militia or clashes with colleagues and superiors that expose the internal politics of America’s premier law enforcement agency, Stalling for Time crackles with insight and breathtaking suspense. Case by case, minute by minute, it’s a behind-the-scenes view of a visionary crime fighter in action.

About The Author

Gary Noesner retired from the FBI in 2003 following a thirty-year career as an investigator, instructor, and negotiator. An FBI hostage negotiator for twenty-three years of his career, he spent ten years as the bureau's Chief Negotiator. Following his retirement from the FBI he became a Senior Vice President with Control Risks, an international consultancy. Noesner has appeared on numerous television documentaries produced by A&E, the History Channel, Discovery, TLC, and National Geographic. He is the founder of the National Council of Negotiation Associations, which represents about eighteen organizations and thousands of law enforcement negotiators nationwide. He speaks at law enforcement and corporate events and continues to consult part-time.

Reviews

Goodreads review by jv on March 25, 2022

What an extraordinary book! Mr. Noesner was involved in some very high-profile incidents, such as Ruby Ridge, Waco, as well as the Washington DC sniper crisis that those of us on the East Coast remember well. In addition, he was instrumental in the creation of the negotiation team in the FBI, traini......more

Goodreads review by Dave on September 27, 2010

This was only the second book I've ever blurbed. I was very impressed. My review: This was such a rewarding book. I've always been fascinated by that very basic question: when someone is disturbed and irrational enough to actually pick up a gun and take hostages, how on earth do you talk him down? Wha......more

Goodreads review by Katie on September 01, 2020

Interesting topic but boring execution. I understand why this is written like a case report, but the amount of procedural details included somehow managed to remove all the suspense from a topic as riveting as hostage negotiation. I think I just expected something different and didn’t have the patie......more

Goodreads review by Claire on July 11, 2021

Just an absolutely very interesting account of the development of hostage negotiation techniques over the course of Noesner’s career with the FBI. I learned more about the development of this field of work than I expected to, and found that particularly interesting. Noesner doesn’t scrimp on the ins......more

Goodreads review by Carole on July 24, 2020

4.5 stars! Stalling for time was a fascinating account of many standoffs throughout Noesner's career as an FBI Negotiator. Some of the problems in his role were conflicts among different factions dealing with these standoffs that resulted in tragedy, such as Ruby Ridge and Waco. Noesner shared many......more

Quotes

“Captivating . . . an electrifying read . . . No Hollywood movie can top this story for thrills, suspense, or action.”—New York Journal of Books
 
“Certain to fascinate true crime readers . . . The compelling centerpiece of the book is Noesner’s analysis of ‘what went wrong at Waco’ with the Branch Davidians.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Engrossing . . . The book is also an intimate history of contemporary American militia movements.”—New Republic

"Gary Noesner is a gripping storyteller, and man, does the guy have stories. It's like watching an emotional bomb squad defuse explosive personalities. The big surprise is how recently the FBI learned the basic tenets of what makes a man put the gun down, a discovery story as captivating as the hostage standoffs that illuminate it." —Dave Cullen, Author of Columbine 

“Gary Noesner has done something remarkable with this book, turning the murky process of hostage negotiations into a set of predictable and clear routes to bargaining success."—Robert B. Cialdini, bestselling author of Influence: Science and Practice

“Tortured people, desperate moments, dangerous solutions.  Stalling For Time takes us deep into the lethal world of hostages, sieges, and terrorsism. Gary Noesner, a thirty year veteran of the Bureau, has written a landmark work that’s both a nail-biting thriller and an expose of timely importance. This is a must-read not only for true crime fans but for every cop and G-Man in the country.”—John Huddy, bestselling author of Storming Las Vegas
 
"Stalling for Time reads with the page-turning intensity of a first-rate thriller, only everything here is, remarkably, true. In finally opening up about his craft -- about his 30 years spent reasoning with unreasonable people in situations that were literally life and death -- Gary Noesner has written an essential book about the fine art of communication. For anyone who wants to know how to stay cool under fire, this book is indispensable."—Douglas Stone, best-selling author of Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most

"Gary Noesner has written an account of his decades-long career as a hostage negotiator that is so gripping it grabs the reader by the throat. It's a spectacular read and every word of it is true."—Peter Bergen, author of Holy War, Inc. and The Osama bin Laden I Know

“An intense, immersive narrative, making [Noesner’s] real-life experiences read like episodes of a good cop drama . . . vicariously entertaining.”—Kirkus Reviews

“The world doesn’t need me to tell them that Gary Noesner has been there, and done that.  There are hundreds of living victims across the globe that are living testament to Gary’s abilities to successfully negotiate, or teach others effective crisis negotiation.”—Lt.  Tom Monahan, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept., Director, Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center

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