From the Publisher
“Into the Kill Zone is a startling and important book—a stark, no- holds-barred journey into the minds of the people who have made the ultimate decision. Klinger’s prose captures the adrenaline, emotion, and split-second decisions his subjects faced in the field. This is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered about what it takes to face a life-and-death struggle and win.” —Christopher Whitcomb, author, Cold Zero: Inside the F.B.I. Hostage Rescue Team
“David Klinger goes where no one has gone before, telling what really happens in the minds and bodies of men and women in combat. With compelling narrative and powerful detail, he shines a spotlight on the reality of violent conflict with a clarity and reality that makes most books on combat—fiction and nonfiction alike—seem like mindless pornography by comparison. Anyone who wants to know what it is really like to go into the kill zone should read this book. Police, military, and those who love them; military and police history readers; and readers of popular fiction should all read this book. Future depictions of combat should and will be held against the standard set by Into the Kill Zone.” —Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, author, On Killing
“This book is a must-read for every police officer, police executive, and member of the general public who wants to know what it’s really like to shoot someone. From the gritty, piercingly painful opening to the haunting, solemn ending, Into the Kill Zone reads like a novel and is almost impossible to put down.” —Daryl F. Gates, chief of Los Angeles Police Department, retired
“Into the Kill Zone is unlike anything else in print. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the oft-times violent world of law enforcement.” —Robert D. Keppel, Ph.D., author, The Riverman and Signature Killers
“Written by a former police officer turned criminologist—himself once involved in a fatal shooting—Into the Kill Zone offers unique insights into the experiences of officers who have had to make split-second decisions about whether or not to use deadly force in the line of duty. Drawing on scores of firsthand accounts told by police officers, some of them still struggling to deal with the aftermath of shootings in which they have been involved, this gripping book will be of interest to a wide range of readers—from criminologists, social psychologists, and law-enforcement officers to sociolinguists, story analysts, and other humanists concerned with narrative as a basic sense-making strategy.” —David Herman, professor of english, North Carolina State University
“Into the Kill Zone is one compelling book. It takes the reader inside the hearts and minds of America’s police officers as they face danger and grapple with the awesome power they possess to take human life.” —Gil Kerlikowske, chief of police, Seattle Police Department
“This is a very special book. No one should presume to discuss police violence until they have read it and thought deeply about what it has to teach those of us who have been fortunate enough not to have faced the decision to use deadly force.” —Rodney Stark, professor of sociology, University of Washington
“Nobody has ever before done what Klinger has accomplished in Into the Kill Zone. By presenting the most detailed and private thoughts of officers who have shot citizens, he has made a unique and major contribution to the literature on policing.” —James J. Fyfe, Ph.D., deputy Commissioner of training, New York Police Department
