Anonymous Male: A Life Among Spies

A no-holds-barred memoir about identity, from a former Hostage Rescue Team sniper who left the FBI on 9/11 only to lose himself, moving deeper into a world of spies.

"I can think of no recent book that so deeply penetrates the layers civilization has sifted atop the world, the one that's always seething away at the bottom of all things."--Jeffrey Lent, author of Before We Sleep

"Mr. Whitcomb writes he had a 'backstage pass to the world.' He tells us about it here with candor and with the stunning courage to admit he admires Emily Dickinson."--David Mamet

In September 2001, Christopher Whitcomb was the most visible FBI agent in the world. His bestselling memoir, Cold Zero, had led to novels, articles in GQ, and op-eds in The New York Times. He appeared on Imus in the Morning, Larry King, and Meet the Press; he was nominated for a Peabody reporting for CNBC. He played poker with Brad Pitt while contracting for the CIA.

Then one day in 2006, without warning, Whitcomb packed a bag, flew into Somalia, and dropped off the face of the earth. For fifteen years, he waged a mercenary war on himself, traveling the world with aliases, cash, and guns. He built a private army in the jungles of Timor-Leste, working contracts for intelligence agencies, where he survived a coup d'état only to lose his friends, abandon his family, and give up on God.

And though many stories might have ended there, Anonymous Male is a tale of redemption. While surfing the wilds of Indonesia, Whitcomb found himself trapped beneath a giant wave, where, at the edge of drowning, he came to terms with the chaos of his own clandestine life. He survived the wave to find his way home and rebuild the world that he had abandoned.

Anonymous Male is a riveting memoir about loss and recovery, a deeply intimate story that spans continents, war, politics and the media. It is a confession, and a cautionary tale of what happens to people whom the government trains to lie, even to themselves.

Author: Christopher Whitcomb
Publisher: Random House
Published: 08/19/2025
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.08lbs
Size: 9.43h x 6.40w x 1.13d
ISBN: 9780593597002


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/01/2025 pg. 11
Publishers Weekly 05/26/2025
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2025
Shelf Awareness 08/23/2025

About the Author
Christopher Whitcomb is a writer, entrepreneur, and former FBI Hostage Rescue Team sniper with operational experience in more than thirty countries. He is the bestselling author of Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and the novels Black and White. He has written for numerous publications and studios including The New York Times, GQ, Netflix, CBS Films, and HBO. He has a BA from Hamilton College and a MA from the University of Virginia.