“A riveting story with a master's sublime command. There are moments when this work of non-fiction seems more like a novel. It is taut, suspenseful, and true. I couldn't put it down.” —Ken Burns

“It’s no exaggeration to say that Race Against Terror has everything: brilliant detective work, combat scenes, the stunning trial of terrorist Spin Ghul in a Brooklyn courtroom of all unlikely places.” —James Patterson

“Part legal thriller, part war reportage, Race Against Terror is an extraordinary book—one that is not only riveting to read, but also shines an essential light on the quest for justice in the modern age of terrorism.” —David Grann, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wager

“A masterclass in true-crime storytelling. Jake Tapper delivers a riveting, behind-the-scenes account of the only terrorist ever tried and convicted for killing U.S. soldiers overseas...Fascinating, fast-paced, and deeply human, this book reads like an edge-of-your-seat spy novel.” —Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Edge of Honor

“Jake Tapper brings his investigative and narrative talents to bear in weaving the military, legal, political and deeply personal threads of the high-stakes pursuit of the terrorist Spin Ghul. This enthralling history delivers important context for understanding the war on terror in the present day.”—Douglas Brunt, New York Times bestselling author of The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel

“Tapper’s meticulous reporting and narrative flair will keep you engrossed until the thrilling end.” —Craig Whitlock, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Afghanistan Papers 

The Qaeda operative Ibrahim Harun, known by the nom de guerre Spin Ghul (Pashto for White Rose), in 2017.Credit...Photo illustration by The New York Times; Photograph from U.S. Attorney’s office, via Reuters

 About the book: 
Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War
by Jake Tapper
Atria Books – 336 pages 20.99 (Kindle)
Publication Date: October 7, 2025 

About the Author: Jake Tapper
Jake Tapper is an award-winning American journalist who currently serves as Chief Washington Correspondent for CNN and the anchor of the network’s weekday television news show The Lead with Jake Tapper and Sunday morning affairs program State of the Union. 

Tapper has been awarded two National Headliner Awards: Best Newscast and Best Coverage of a Major News Event—for his team’s non-stop coverage of the devastating 2015 Paris Terror Attacks. Before working with CNN, Tapper worked for ABC News for nine years, where he served as Senior White House Correspondent and was awarded the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage. 

Tapper has contributed to Good Morning America, Nightline, World News with Diane Sawyer, NPR’s All Things Considered, and, for six months, served as interim anchor for ABC’s This Week. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, The New Yorker, The Los Angeles Times, and more, and his comic strip “Capitol Hell” was published for almost 10 years in Roll Call. He is the author of the 2021 historical fiction thriller The Devil May Dance and the 2018 fiction thriller The Hellfire Club, and The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor (2012).

Prior to joining ABC News, Tapper was the national correspondent for Salon.com, writing on a range of topics from political profiles to the accounting scandal at Enron.  Tapper graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College and got his start in journalism at the Washington City Paper, where he won a Society of Professional Journalists award for his work. 

Biography Credit:  Leading Authorities Inc.

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