Under Fire

The Untold Story of the Attack in Benghazi

By: Fred Burton, Samuel M. Katz

Narrated by: Jeff Gurner

The New York Times bestselling inside account of the attack against the U.S. diplomatic and intelligence outposts in Benghazi, Libya.

On the night of September 11, 2012, the American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, Libya, came under ferocious attack by a heavily armed group of Islamic terrorists. The prolonged firefight, and the attack hours later on a nearby CIA outpost, resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including the American ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, the Information Officer, Sean Smith, and two former Navy SEALs, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, working for the Central Intelligence Agency.

After the fall of Qaddafi, Benghazi was transformed into a hotbed of fundamentalist fervor and a den of spies for the northern half of the African continent. Moreover, it became the center of gravity for terrorist groups strategically situated in the violent whirlwinds of the Arab Spring. On the eleventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks against the United States, a group of heavily armed Islamic terrorists had their sights set on the U.S. diplomatic and intelligence presence in the city.

Based on the exclusive cooperation of eyewitnesses and confidential sources within the intelligence, diplomatic, and military communities, Fred Burton and Samuel M. Katz reveal for the first time the terrifying twelve-hour ordeal confronted by Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, his Diplomatic Security (DS) contingent, and the CIA security specialists who raced to rescue them.

More than just the minute-by-minute narrative of a desperate last stand in the midst of an anarchic rebellion, Under Fire is an inspiring testament to the bravery and selflessness of the men and women who put their country first while serving in one of the most dangerous regions in the world.

©2013 Fred Burton and Samuel M. Katz (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Jeff Gurner narrates this book as if it were a thriller whose ending is still a mystery. His insistent, clear voice and sometimes breathless pacing accentuates the action and keep the listener interested throughout. Well worth a listen.” —AudioFile Magazine

“This is a gripping, authoritative account of a tragedy that's not going away. What happened in Benghazi on that fateful night counts, because it's the moment when the Arab Spring took a wrong turn and drove into the abyss. It tells the story of a Washington too blinded by politics to see the facts. A wonderful book.” —Robert Baer, former CIA operative and New York Times bestselling author of See No Evil

“A stunning reconstruction of events surrounding the terrorist attacks in Benghazi. It will be particularly instructive to those who have a limited knowledge of the processes for providing security for our diplomats serving abroad.” —B. R. Inman, Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Fantastic well worth the time to listen

Nothing bad to say about this book I have always been a piazza fan but now I know the whole story a great book well written well read a must for any baseball fan

lacking

lots of details missing! The whole story is incomplete. Did not do this horrific incident justice.

Another look.

you MUST read "Thirteen Hours" for another perspective. The epilogue shows a different view of the events.

Incredible story, slightly lacking in the telling of it

Inspiring and humbling story. It was great to get more in depth details of the event.
However, I feel like there were efforts made to make the writing more immersive and dramatic that resulted in contradicting points. Not in facts, only in depictions. On a number of occasions, while listening, I found myself thinking back to a sentence read a few minutes prior that seemed to be out of accord with what was currently being said. A single example that comes to mind is the description of the attackers gunfire. It seemed like the authors would portray the terrorists gunfire as inaccurate one sentence to then describe the tight grouping of rounds that were coming from the same attackers. Among various other examples of this.
I still really enjoyed the book, just a pattern I noticed that was distracting to me at times.
Very humbling story, great to get insight into the diplomatic aspects of the scenario.
I appreciate the sacrifice and dedication of the personnel involved.

Interesting

A superbly written account of the attack on the Diplomatic & CIA Annex in Benghazi. Interesting & sad. Well worth listening to.

The Attack in Benghazi: Under Fire

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes because this book offers a completely different narrative than that ANY of the news outlets or government soundbites have remotely offered.

What did you like best about this story?

The bravery of the Diplomatic Security Agents...

What does Jeff Gurner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His Arabic pronunciation of names, places, etc. The riveting nature of the incident and his delivering of the narrative of the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long to do that... but yes, it is that good...

Factually Inaccurate

Burton is full of nonsense. Had to suspend disbelief too many times to finish it.

Not too good

The authors provide too much information such as giving readers the exact technical specifications of firearms each and every time guns are mentioned. However, the authors screwed up the battle details, especially the actions of the GRS operators. Did they not do their homework?

True?

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The truth

Has Under Fire turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

What about Jeff Gurner’s performance did you like?

Good reading

What character would you cut from Under Fire?

None

Any additional comments?

There is a thing that i learned a long time ago. It is called lying by ommission and I believe that it is true in this book. Why always the political slant and not just the facts.