Book Review: Joan Dempsey

By Joan Dempsey, former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence for Community Management

In The Protected, Mike Trott provides a fascinating look into the rarefied world of personal protection.  His stories are as riveting as any work of fiction but the fact that they are true makes them all the more compelling.   

I worked with Mike and his colleagues in the late 1990s into the post 9/11 era when the personal protection demand began to expand exponentially both within the government but also into the world of high net worth individuals.  I found the protective service staff I worked with to be unfailingly professional, courteous, discrete, empathetic and, unceasingly, focused on their mission to keep their charges safe and enable them to accomplish their jobs.  With a complete lack of hubris, they accomplished the near impossible every single day.  I was delighted during that era when they welcomed the first female protective agent to the staff and to see her excel in the role. 

Mike and his colleagues were the best of the best.

Most of us will never need or engage with personal protection professionals but Mike’s book isn’t just for those individuals requiring protection or people who aspire to enter the profession. It is of interest to anyone who is concerned about our national or economic security and the important role continuity of leadership plays in both realms. And, beyond that, it’s just a darn good read!