"Gripping. . . . [Guinn] tells stories we thought we knew and makes us realize we really didn’t. He takes devils of the popular imagination and carefully explains that they’re actually human — a fact that makes them even more terrifying."

Chris Vognar, Houston Chronicle

«“Impressively researched and written with storytelling verve.”»

Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal

"Thoroughly researched, the many lingering debates explored with the most rigor. [Guinn] He begins with what may be the best account of the ATF raid on Mount Carmel yet written, stocked with new details from interviews with veteran agents and written with clarity and drama."

Eric Benson, <I>Texas Monthly</I>

"Guinn, whose reporting draws heavily on interviews with ATF agents present at Waco, is sympathetic to the agency’s rank-and-file. . . . But overall, [Waco] sketch[es] a portrait of an operation mishandled at almost every level of government."

Quinta Jurecic, Washington Post

«“Riveting. . . . As the author did in previous reports on Charles Manson and Jonestown, Guinn dives deeply into his subject to present a vivid combination of well-researched facts, personal testimonials, and controversial perspectives. A convincing and chilling coda to this investigation is the correlations Guinn draws among the Davidian compound raid, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.”»

Kirkus Reviews

"[A] comprehensive and judicious account. . . . Scrupulous and frequently enthralling, this is a sobering account of a tragedy woven into the fabric of modern America."

Publishers Weekly

«“Guinn focuses on the standoff and the myriad bad decisions by the ATF and the FBI, capably tracing a throughline to the increase in anti-government hate groups. . . . Extremely well done and thought-provoking.”»

Booklist