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

Please join us on Thursday, October 7, at 5 p.m. Eastern, for a 2021 History Book Festival virtual event with Carol Leonnig, author of Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service (Penguin Random House, 2021). Ed Ruggero will be in conversation with Siegel during the event. This event is free but registration is required.

About the book
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 The book reveals a toxic and politicized work culture, outdated equipment and training, a deep resentment of the agency’s leadership, and a dedicated band of patriots who battle it all to try to keep the president safe.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.

Ed Ruggero will be in conversation with Leonnig during the event. He is a West Point graduate and former Army officer who has written fiction, military history, and titles on leadership. His World War II novel Blame the Dead was featured at the 2020 History Book Festival; a sequel, Comes the War, was released in February 2021.

How to attend the online event
All registered attendees will receive a follow-up email from “LibCal” with Zoom log-in information. If you don’t receive this email after registering, please check your SPAM folder. If you still can’t locate the email, please contact info@historybookfestival.org.

Purchase the book
Please help support local independent bookstores by purchasing this book at Browseabout Books, official bookseller of the History Book Festival. Online sources and digital versions are tempting; however, supporting local brick and mortar shops helps to preserve our vibrant main streets. Drop by Browseabout, order books online, or call the store at 302-226-2665. You also may purchase a copy at biblion in Lewes. Each copy purchased comes with a signed archival bookplate.

About the Festival
With the help of our presenting sponsors—Delaware Humanities and The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices I Gallo Realty—as well as our community partners and volunteers, the 2021 History Book Festival will, once again, be full of great discussions online with authors of newly published narrative nonfiction and historical fiction.

Our 2021 Festival will follow last year’s format: allowing you to bring history home—and stay safe! We are extremely grateful for the virtual venue and assistance in event promotion provided by the Lewes Public Library, in conjunction with the Delaware Division of Libraries and Sussex County Libraries.