Whoa! That's the first thing I thought after I finished reading Bullet Riddled: The First S.W.A.T. Officer Inside Columbine...and Beyond by authors Grant Whitus and Thom Vines. Taking readers back to a very difficult and turbulent time in our history, the time of the first large-scale school shooting, that in Columbine, Colorado, this real life story shows the experience from a viewpoint most likely unheard before now, that of the first S.W.A.T. team members that responded to the scene. Author Grant Whitus was one of these team members, and his first hand knowledge of this highly traumatic scene is both enlightening and horrifying to read. For any reader who lived through this time period, or any reader interested in the history of school shootings in this country, this book is a highly readable and educational retelling of the events as they actually occurred.

I was incredibly intrigued by Bullet Riddled: The First S.W.A.T. Officer Inside Columbine...and Beyond. This book pulled me in from the very first page and kept me reading straight through until the very end. Authors Grant Whitus and Thom Vines have done an excellent job of telling what really happened at Columbine from the police/S.W.A.T. perspective, as well as many more stories of Mr. Whitus' S.W.A.T. team experiences. Any reader interested in the Columbine massacre, books about police science or the activities of S.W.A.T. teams from an insider's perspective, or those just looking for a very interesting, true life read should absolutely read this book. I am highly recommend this book, and hope that the authors will team up to write more in the future!

What does it feel like to be a cop? In his heartbreaking memoir, Bullet Riddled: The First S.W.A.T. Officer Inside Columbine...and Beyond, Grant Whitus writes, “You wouldn’t know it now, but in my younger days, I must have run from the cops nearly a hundred times (no joke) and never gotten caught. That is until a rude awakening at seventeen…sitting in the back of a police cruiser.” What might have started as an admiration for the way cops speak among themselves and the atmosphere they create with their walkie-talkies soon turned into a powerful call to mission, one in which every step exposed the protagonist to unimaginable dangers. In this heart-pounding memoir, the author lifts the veil and shows readers what being a cop really means. Listen to him narrate the major operations of S.W.A.T, including the well-known Columbine Massacre, the Albert Petrosky shooting, The Platte County Tragedy, and many more dangerous ones.

It is a riveting story of courage and limitless generosity, told with bluntness, humility, and simplicity. As one reads Bullet Riddled: The First S.W.A.T. Officer inside Columbine...and Beyond, one is suddenly immersed in that consciousness of the uncertain, the frighteningly scary world of a dedicated cop, who never knows when he would be called to put his life on the line. It is a heroic tale of the joys and woes of putting one’s life on the line to protect the weak, but it is not an altogether joyous ride for the protagonist. In this little book, readers will discover his falls, his fears, and ultimate triumph, but above all, they will discover the secret that made him stay for so long. This is a book that will change the way you look at cops, an engrossing read laced with verifiable facts, and a whole new definition of vocation. A story that will inspire many hearts. Well-written!

Grant Whitus was on the front lines of one of the most shocking school shootings in the country. His non-fiction story, Bullet Riddled: The First S.W.A.T. Officer Inside Columbine...and Beyond is a memoir of sorts and takes readers behind the scenes to see what it is really like in a dangerous situation. With the help of Thom Vines, Whitus tells about what it means to be a S.W.A.T. officer and uses the Columbine incident as a vehicle to show exactly what a S.W.A.T. officer can deal with at any time. Whitus takes us through the politics of a S.W.A.T. office and shows us what happens in the aftermath of a tragedy like Columbine. He explains what changes are made and the logic behind those changes. But then he also shows us what truly happens next, and how it isn’t always necessarily as pretty as everyone hoped for.

I really enjoyed Bullet Riddled and the behind the scenes look at exactly what S.W.A.T. does. People like cop shows and true crime novels, but there’s not a lot out there about S.W.A.T. agents, so I found this story very interesting. I liked how Grant Whitus talked about Columbine. I found that story in particular fascinating because I remember when it happened. But I also liked how Whitus and Thom Vines used Columbine to frame the bigger story. Whitus talked about his career and some of the other things that he saw too, which I thought gave this book a much wider appeal.

Bullet Riddled: The First S.W.A.T. Officer Inside Columbine...and Beyond by Grant Whitus with Thom Vines is a true crime story that takes us behind the scenes and into the Columbine shooting. Grant Whitus joined the Colorado S.W.A.T team in 1992 and was on the front lines of the Columbine massacre in 1999. This memoir type non-fiction story is about Whitus’ time as a S.W.A.T. officer. He shares stories about how difficult it is to be an officer and try to keep the public safe. He uses Columbine as an example to show just how difficult that job is. After Columbine, major changes swept through the S.W.A.T. infrastructure, causing resignations and deepening fractures among friends and rivals within the agency. Whitus was there to pick up the pieces, and hand selected his new dream team of elite recruits. But even his dream team couldn’t do the job that everyone wanted without its own set of issues.

Bullet Riddled is a very interesting story. Like most readers, I remember Columbine and have my own personal set of reactions to the story. So it was very informative to hear it from someone who was on the front lines and one of the first to respond. This story is definitely unfiltered. Whitus tells us how it was and doesn’t try to sugarcoat any part of the story. I was surprised to see pictures of dead people within these pages, but that is Whitus’ 'in your face' style. And I appreciated his honesty in this book. Whitus tells the story how it was, and he doesn’t apologize for it.