Mike Earp

The US Marshals service is the most storied Law Enforcement Agency in America. It was originally formed by the order of President George Washington back in 1789. When the Western United States was lawless the Marshals had fugitives to find and posses to form, but eventually, they lost their place behind the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other Law Enforcement Agencies such as the DEA. By the 1970s, the Marshals was a derelict institution with little to do, reveling in its former glories. Most of the people that had even heard of the Marshals related them to Old Hollywood movies. However, all of that changed following some events in 1979.

Suddenly, an infusion of young blood was sent to the Marshals Service, and they were hungry for action. These people were fresh from the Vietnam War, they wanted more than offering summonses for court and guarding Court Houses with their Judges. The book says straight up that Mike Earp had a great role to play in this development. Through action by Congress, the Marshals were given more responsibilities. The first steps were rather tentative, the Marshals gained a central office where all the information was shared, they received standardized training and equipment, and they had jurisdiction over the entire country so a criminal couldn’t just run to another county or state.

The book is at turns entertaining and grim, with both laughter and thrills between the pages. Former Marshals recount the arrests that they made and the things that went awry. The book is separated into eight chapters, with each chapter being the main theme for the stories told within them. I figured it would be interesting when I saw it at the Library and I was not disappointed.… (mais)