Henry M. Holden is the author of numerous
adult and children books as well as more than 600 magazine articles on Aviation History. In 1994, he rece3ived the New
Jersey Institute of Technology’s Author’s Award. Henry Holden was a deputy sheriff for the Orange County
Sheriff’s Department (Florida) from 1979 to 1981.
Henry
M. Holden is the author of: To Be a U.S. Air Force Pilot; FBI 100 Years: An Unofficial History; Rescue Helicopters
and Aircraft; Hovering: The History of the Whirly-Girls: International Women Helicopter Pilots; To Be a Crime Scene Investigator;
American Women of Flight: Pilots and Pioneers; Crime-Fighting Aircraft; Black Hawk Helicopter; Air Force Aircraft; Fire-Fighting
Aircraft and Smoke Jumpers; Her Mentor Was an Albatross: The Autobiography of Pioneer Pilot Harriet Quimby; Ladybirds: The
Untold Story of Women Pilots in America; Navy Combat Aircraft and Pilots; The Fabulous Ford Tri-Motors; The Tragedy of the
Space Shuttle Challenger; Woodrow Wilson; Wisconsin; The Persian Gulf War; Living and Working Aboard the International Space
Station; The Boeing 247: The First Modern Commercial Airplane; The American Alligator; Coast Guard Rescue and Patrol Aircraft;
New Jersey; Ladybirds II The Continuing Story of American Women in Aviation; Aerial drug wars: The Story of U.S. Customs Aviation;
The Legacy of the DC-3; Trailblazing Astronaut John Glenn; Triumph over Disaster Aboard Apollo 13 Pioneering Astronaut Sally Ride; To Be a U.S. Secret Service Agent; To Be an FBI
Special Agent; and, The Supersonic X-15 and High-Tech NASA Aircraft.
According to the book description
of To Be a U.S. Secret Service Agent, “The Secret Service was established after the Civil
War by the Treasury Department, originally to protect American currency against counterfeiters. After the assassination of
President William McKinley in 1901, Congress directed the Secret Service to protect the President of the United States. Protection
remains the primary mission of the United States Secret Service.
It takes a special type of individual
to be a U.S. Secret Service agent, one willing to “take a bullet” to preserve the ideals on which the United States
was founded. To Be a U.S. Secret Service Agent lifts the curtain for a look inside this secretive law enforcement agency,
including the highly selective recruiting, the intense training, and the specialized weapons and equipment used to protect
current and past Presidents, Vice Presidents, their families, and visiting heads of state.”
According to one reader of To
Be a U.S. Secret Service Agent, “As a U.S. Secret Service UD applicant, I would highly recommend this
book. As a former teacher and peace officer, I would recommend this book be in every middle school, high school and university.
Mr. Holden has explained, through words and photographs, the application process, the training, and duties of the Secret Service
agent, uniform division officer, and other members that comprise the most professional and honorable division of American
law enforcement. As an applicant, it helped me learn about the position that I was applying for and helped me articulate my
understanding to the agents I interviewed with. The information that I obtained in this book helped me score 97% on the tests
and make it to panel. Thank you Mr. Holden for writing this book.”
According
to the book description of FBI 100 Years: An Unofficial History, “On the eve of the FBI's
centenary, this book offers the first comprehensive illustrated account of the Bureaus 100-year history. Granted unprecedented
access to the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., and academy at Quantico, Virginia, author Henry M. Holden presents a rare
inside view of the agency’s workings, as well as a compelling, closely observed picture of its ever-changing role, powers,
notable cases, and controversies through the years. FBI 100 Years chronicles the Bureaus successes and failures from its early
days as Teddy Roosevelt’s trust-busting detective force to the increased emphasis on counterterrorism the post 9/11
world. Along the way, Holden revisits the gangster era and the days of McCarthyism, the unmaking of the Mob, and the disastrous
standoffs at Ruby Ridge and Waco. The famous and the infamous make their appearances in the story, colorful characters such
as John Dillinger and "Machine Gun" Kelly, J. Edgar Hoover and turncoat spy Robert Hansen. With added features including
an exploration of the 200 categories of federal crimes that fall within the Bureaus purview, all the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
lists since the first in 1949, and an entertaining look at the FBI in popular culture, this is the most thorough and authoritative
book ever written about the principal law enforcement arm of the United States Department of Justice. It is truly the first
book to do justice to the worlds most famous, but actually little-known law enforcement agencies in the world.”
According to the book description of
To Be an FBI Special Agent, “FBI Special Agents are a rare and special breed. From a large
pool of applicants, the FBI determines the best candidates and puts them through intensive training in numerous disciplines
and fields of study. Their training makes them specialists in areas such as counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and cybercrime.
To Be An FBI Special Agent provides thorough coverage of the agent training process and shows what it takes to become an agent.
Candid photos of the FBI's training center in Quantico, Virginia, give the reader an unprecedented look behind the scenes.”
According to one reader of To
Be an FBI Special Agent, “This is the fourth book I have read which is intended to prepare the reader
for, and generally teach about, the FBI special agent hiring and training processes. Of those that I have read, this is the
only one that doesn't feel like it copied 99% of its contents straight out of an FBI manual.”
According to the book description
of To Be a Crime Scene Investigator, “If the devil’s in the details, then the crime
scene investigator’s got him: conducting searches, collecting evidence, photographing, scrutinizing, analyzing—pursuing
the culprit right down to the last scrap of proof. Whether you’d like to become a crime scene investigator or simply
want to see what it takes, look no further than this book.
Like a top-notch forensics expert,
author Henry M. Holden traces the path that crime scene investigators follow as they learn and ply their trade. His behind-the-scenes
look takes us from application to training, crime scene to lab, revealing the fine points of securing, examining, and processing
evidence; identifying victims, and reenacting the crime; conducting police lineups and interviews, and administering polygraphs;
and forensics and evidence analysis.”
According to one reader of
To Be a Crime Scene Investigator, “This book caught my attention as I browsed around the bargain books
section, and the attractive price of six bucks won me over for the heck of it. I started reading To Be a Crime Scene Investigator,
and it is a very entertaining and also informative read. The book is broken down into five parts and is very well-organized
read. Part One deals with how somebody can become a Crime Scene Investigator in several ways via stepping stones, and the
author suggests a few easiest routes to that although college education is strongly emphasized as long as the majors are the
right ones.
There is also an outline how one can
become a police(wo)man. There is a detailed, although not in depth, array of information applying to several areas such as
physical regimen, battery tests, and firearms experience that serve as a warning to be prepared for if one is interested in
becoming a Crime Scene Investigator. Mind you, I am pretty much a novice when it comes to knowing information like this, so
I am only placing myself in the shoes of a high school kid who is exploring future careers in law enforcement.
The second part gets into the main
point of the book: Becoming a Crime Scene Investigator. This part covers the basic ideas of training and education that makes
one a Crime Scene Investigator although the book is more geared toward to interested readers from New Jersey, but that shouldn't
deter anyone else at all. At the same time, the author lays out many of the basic principles and techniques of forensic science
which make up the bulk of the book along with many colorful pictures including some macabre and gruesome ones.
As for anyone else who is very interested
in becoming a photographer for a law enforcement agency, To Be a Crime Scene Investigator is an excellent start because the
author really gets into that area in an extensive detail. The third part deals with the crime scene and how the procedures
are applied in a very matter of factly way. I thought at this point I really learned the system in a step-by-step method;
of course, this is only a beginner's book which at any time of the reading would give you an idea of a good start to further
explore the subject the author brings up. Yet in To Be a Crime Scene Investigator, the author is very good in laying out the
points that don't feel over-explained or too short of information.
In a way, I can't help but feel
that a criminal could be benefitting too much from reading this sort of a book as way of how to avoid detection. I am sure
that kind of thinking applies well to serial killers. Also, in this chapter and elsewhere, there is a definition of different
technicians and the description of the job. The author covers also the stages of body decomposition, the different ways of
detecting blood, fibers, materials, and DNA to name a few; the science of them, the technology used, the ideas of how they
can be found, and how to procure the samples without contamination or being declared inadmissible in the court of law.
As I mentioned about the photography,
the author goes ahead and explains how one ought to take pictures, how go to do the job, and how to do it the right way in
many ways possible including the technical details of the camera and the rolls. Part Four deals with the transition from crime
scene to lab; obviously, in short, what to do with the evidence and how to transport it are covered. As 9/11 happened in NYC,
the author makes a special mention about it as 21st century has come which has changed the thinking of law enforcement when
it comes to dealing with terrorism, so the author feels compelled in incorporating ways of battling the new problem in terms
of crime solving skills. In this part, the author makes a mention of the bomb department which plays an important role in
a crime solving team.
Two more things I forget to mention
is that the author explains the interrogative tactics used by the police for both criminals and victims and the job of the
forensic pathologist and what officially happens during the autopsy. Last part of the book deals with serial crimes which
has usually gotten the most attention over the years and have served as a fascination by the audience but has really lost
its flair. When you think about this fifth part, you think of Noah Cross played by Morgan Freeman. That's what the author
explains about especially in terms of behavioral analysis and profiling. Speaking of movie characters, the author from time
to time dispels myths spurned out by the Hollywood films just to clear things up. I think I've covered a lot of areas
as possible, but whatever else not mentioned, the book will already have covered it. All in all, To Be a Crime Scene Investigator
is an excellent book that shouldn't fail to satisfy anyone's curiosity and/or desire to become a Crime Scene Investigator,
and for me, I feel like I got a bang out of my money.
The Library Journal said of Living
and Working Aboard the International Space Station, “Designed for both research and leisure reading, each
book packs quite a bit of to-the-point information into a few pages. These volumes are laid out as though readers were viewing
the pages on a computer screen, which may or may not appeal to students. However, this goes along with the proposed idea of
these books as doorways to additional up-to-date resources accessed through the publisher's Web site. Living and Working
follows the history of the space station from its inception to its future uses. These discussions cover the spacecraft's
construction, its habitability for astronauts, and its dangers. Challenger follows the story of the ill-fated mission, complete
with the final results of the cause of the accident and any associated culpability of NASA and others. While the presentation
is succinct, it is not always interesting. Good-quality, full-color photos serve to illuminate both texts. These attractive,
attention-getting books and the associated Web sites should satisfy students and entice them to seek out additional sources.”
According to the book description of
To Be A U.S. Air Force Pilot, it “details every step of training for those with the skill
and daring to "cross into the blue" as an elite U.S. Air Force pilot. The book traces the growth of aspiring young
recruits, starting with grueling physical and mental tests, early flight training on high-tech flight simulators, moving onward
and upward until they are finally ready to push the outer envelope to Mach II in state-of-the-art fighter aircraft. Thanks
to the highly motivated, highly skilled, and dedicated men and women of the United States Air Force, America enters the uncertain
landscape of the 21st century with the most powerful, swift, and flexible military force the world has ever seen.”
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