American Anthrax: Fear, Crime, and the Investigation of the Nation's Deadliest Bioterror Attack

Guillemin, a senior fellow in the Security Studies Program at MIT and the author of two earlier studies on bioterror (Anthrax; Biological Weapons), examines the post%E2%80%93September 11 domestic "anthrax attacks" in this intriguing and insightful real-life medical mystery. In October 2001, with the nation still reeling from the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, five anonymous letters containing anthrax were sent to major media outlets and the Senate. What began as a public health inquiry morphed into a criminal investigation as those exposed to the anthrax began to die. Six frustrating years later the FBI identified a prime suspect in the case: Bruce Ivins, a microbiologist at the Army's Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Ft. Detrick, Md., and "one of the world's anthrax experts". An alcoholic and suffering from bipolar disorder and depression%E2%80%94red flags initially missed by the FBI%E2%80%94Ivins died of an apparent suicide in July 2008 before he could be tried. The author carefully recounts the FBI's meandering investigation and is especially critical of the Army's "lack of vigilance" regarding security. Extensively documented and sprightly written, Guillemin's medical detective story is a valuable addition to understanding the apocalyptic world of biological weapons. (Sept.)