American anthrax : fear, crime, and the investigation of the nation's deadliest bioterror attack

 by Jeanne Guillemin. In July 2008, Bruce Ivins took his own life. He had been a highly respected bioweapons researcher, working for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). He was also the prime suspect in the post-9/11 anthrax attacks that took several lives and caused a nationwide panic. In this gripping account, Guillemin, author of two previous books about biological weapons, chronicles the FBI investigation into the attacks, showing how the authorities came to focus on Ivins and also how the investigation was hampered by procedural confusion and outside influences, such as erroneous reports that escalated the public's sense of panic. Although marketed as a science book, this work, in tone and structure, more closely resembles true crime. There's science in the book, naturally, but the primary interest here arises from how investigators solved the mystery of who was behind the attacks. Highly recommended to readers of science, true crime, and even thrillers. --Booklist (Check Catalog)