From Publishers Weekly
A surprising admixture of run-and-gun thriller and spiritual meditation, this is the true story of America's most unorthodox (and successful) bail enforcement team. Unlike other bounty hunters, Armstrong's group isn't composed of trigger-happy tough guys. Instead, guided by a patchwork quilt of spiritual convictionsAand the notion that "if you treat a man like a man, he will respond in a manly way"Athe Seekers track down felons in a respectful and usually bloodless way. The method works: the group, based in New Jersey, has an 85% capture rateAhigher than that of any other law enforcement agency in the country. In this measured and thoughtful memoir, ArmstrongAwith the help of Bruno (The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer, etc.)Arecounts his personal and professional odysseys. Born to a working-class black family in 1957, in Elizabeth, N.J., Armstrong worked as an Alaska fisherman before apprenticing with an old-school bounty hunter (who repeatedly fumbled textbook captures) and, eventually, founding the Seekers. Like many in cutting-edge law enforcement, the Seekers are techno-fetishists, utilizing the most up-to-date equipment (including arcane nonlethal weapons) for surveillance and paramilitary tactics in "takedowns"; they also use the more old-fashioned tactic of infiltrating and bribing street people for information. Throughout, Armstrong writes of appealing to fugitives' "better nature" in order to reduce violent confrontations, and he describes dramatic scenes of capture. Incongruous or not, Armstrong's spiritual perspective comes across as nuanced and legitimate. But the spiritual side of this memoir does not detract from its excitement of the chase and ultimate capture,or from its evocation of the scars and dark places of post-industrial, drug-war America. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
From Library Journal
The general perception of bounty hunters is that of out-of-control, renegade "cowboys" who are heavily armed and work on the fringes of the law to retrieve fugitives by any means necessary. Armstrong (founder and leader of the Seekers, America's number-one team of bounty hunters) and Bruno (The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer) tell the story of the Seekers, whose methods of apprehension are unique and amazingly successful. In 1984, Armstrong created his team, which has captured over 2000 fugitives, an 85 percent capture rateDfar higher than that of any other police agency. Armstrong's methods include treating fugitives with respect, using armed force only when necessary, and maintaining the top physical and spiritual condition of his fellow Seekers. This excellent book is as much an account of personal evolution and growth as it is a wonderfully written account of the dangerous profession of hunting down fugitives. Highly recommended.DTim Delaney, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--Ce texte provient d'une édition qui n'est plus publiée ou qui est non diponible.
