When Every Word Counts: An Insider’s View of Crisis Negotiations

“If you want to know what the life of a typical police hostage negotiator is all about, reading this book is well worth your time.” —Gary W. Noesner, Chief, FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit (ret.), Author: Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator

In his first book, Fight or Flight, Dr. Andrew Young gave readers an up-close-and-personal look into the lives and work of police crisis/hostage negotiators through riveting accounts from his own experiences of tense and potentially tragic encounters with desperate, disturbed, and/or suicidal individuals. His new book, When Every Word Counts, continues in the same vein with an additional set of “you are there” personal stories from the frontlines of crisis/hostage negotiation.

Passion and compassion lie at the heart of these stories; Dr. Young vividly illustrates not only the passion that law enforcement personnel, and especially crisis/hostage negotiators, have for their work, but also their genuine and deep compassion for everyone caught up in a crisis situation, including the “subject” at the epicenter of the crisis. It is this compassion that is the distinctive strength and power of When Every Word Counts because it unveils a side of law enforcement and crisis/hostage negotiation that people outside the profession generally know little of and rarely see. When Every Word Counts is an essential work for those interested in learning more about the fascinating world of life and death encounters that unfold on just the other side of the yellow tape.

“This book is an essential read for all negotiators, the wider law enforcement family, and those with an interest in mental health and protecting the vulnerable within our communities.” —Colin Harper, Inspector, Ret., Police Scotland, Lead of the Police Scotland Hostage and Crisis Negotiation Unit