Praise for M.E. Harrigan’s 9800 Savage Road
“[In this] taut, timely thriller, Harrigan has done what multiple Directors of NSA have been unable to do: put a human face on one of America’s most secretive and most valuable intelligence organizations. M. E. Harrigan dishes up suspense, espionage and patriotism all in one serving.”
— Gen. Michael V. Hayden, U.S. Air Force (ret.), Director of the NSA (1999-2005)
"Harrigan gives readers an authentic peek behind the curtains of the secretive NSA..."
— Publishers' Weekly Review
If you want to know what it feels like to work at NSA, read this book! M.E. Harrigan exposes the gritty, sometimes ugly reality of work inside. Although fictional, the characters and events portrayed were eerily familiar to me. At the same time, she reveals the soul of NSAers, not mere spies, but analysts — dogged, determined, steadfastly doing whatever it takes to defend the nation, and our constitution armed only with blips on a screen, garbled transmissions and insights gleaned from years of silently tracking the bad guys. Her story is so riveting I raced through it, unable to put it down. I was so reluctant to finish it that I forced myself to save the last few pages until a day later.
— Chary Izquierdo, retired Director of NSA Knowledge Transfer
“A book that no one else has dared to write in the National Security Agency's fifty-seven-year history. Harrigan has taken her knowledge and insights acquired during her career inside NSA and woven a tale of mystery, intrigue, and courage. •••••••••••• • ••••••• •••••••• — ••••••••••• •••••••• •••••••• •••••••••••.* This gripping story will keep you reading far into the night. 9800 Savage Road provides readers everywhere with the opportunity to experience first hand the thrills and challenges of life inside NSA.”
*Sentence redacted by the NSA
— Col. Rosanne M. Greco, U. S. Air Force (ret.), former Political-Military
Planner and Arms Control Negotiator for the Joint Chiefs of Staff
“A very rare, eye-opening peek into the ultrasecret world of the National
Security Agency. A powerful novel of suspense that could only have been
written by an insider. Some of the fun of this novel is trying to guess what
words the NSA blacklined before publication. A truly intriguing and thought-provoking look behind the scenes in the war on terror.”
— Nelson DeMille, New York Times bestselling author of The Gate House
“Captures the commitment and dedication of agency analysts beautifully and makes the reader wonder — could this really happen?”
— Barbara McNamara, former Deputy Director of the NSA
“Fast-paced and utterly absorbing in its schemes and counterschemes.”
—R. Stephen Smith, NSA Senior Executive, former Director
of the
Defense Special Missile and Astronautics Center
“A gripping thriller by a former NSA insider who knows the technology and knows how to spin a terrific story. It is difficult to believe this is a first novel — Harrigan writes like a smooth old pro. Bravo, bravo!”
—Stephen Coonts, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Black
“A never-before-seen look at the inner workings of the nation’s premier — and most secretive — intelligence-gathering agency. Harrigan’s
fascinating novel puts you in the middle of the
cloistered world of electronic spying few people
ever experience. A must read.”
— Bill Gertz, national security reporter for The Washington Times
and author of The Failure Factory
“ I was gripped from start to finish by this amazing story. Harrigan has achieved a perfect balance between a truly exciting piece of fiction and the authentic background of the mighty U.S. SIGINT System.”
— Dick Williams, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, and
former Senior
Intelligence Officer at the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters