Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service (Penguin Random House, 2021)

This is the first definitive account of the Secret Service, from the Kennedy assassination in 1963 to the alarming scandals, secrets, and mismanagement during the Obama and Trump years, right up to the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The book reveals a toxic and politicized work culture, outdated equipment and training, a deep resentment of the agency’s leadership, and a dedicated band of patriots who battle it all to try to keep the president safe. To expose these shortcomings, the author interviewed numerous current and former agents and whistleblowers who risked their careers to speak to her.

About the author
Carol Leonnig is a national investigative reporter at The Washington Post, where she has covered the Secret Service for much of the past decade. She is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and co-author with Philip Rucker of the bestsellers A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America and I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year.