Review: Special Agent by Candice DeLong w/ Elisa Petrini

This book truly felt like it was catered to me. I love learning about the BAU, true crime, watching Criminal Minds, Mindhunter, etc., but I'd always wondered how agents can be so level-headed and confident in catching these criminals. I'd also especially been curious about how women did this, with that added layer of doubt from their peers. This book provided incredible insight from a heroic woman (one of many over the years), who was able to overcome all of this and pursue a highly successful career in the FBI. Not only does it detail exhilarating cases, it provides solid commentary on sexism in all aspects of life, not just within law enforcement. Despite having been published in 2002, Candice DeLong's observations and experiences reign true to this day (unfortunately...). I admired her outlook throughout all this though, recognizing that she was being discriminated against, but being rational enough to deal with it in beneficial ways rather than just complaining. Another aspect of this book that I truly appreciated was the safety advice it provides. It details statistics and reasoning on how to best handle certain situations, but still communicates the most effective solution: prevention. It reminds women to live cautiously, for one "insignificant" mistake could cost you your life. Overall, I loved hearing from DeLong's perspective, about her time in law-enforcement, but also about her life and outlook on it.