Out of the Wreckage

Written by Kirk Yeager and Selene Yeager

Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini

In this fascinating essay, Kirk Yeager, the FBI’s current chief explosives scientist, details the grueling process of examining the aftermath of a terrorist bombing. Drawing on his 30-year career working with improvised explosive devices, Yeager breaks down prominent cases like the horrific 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, when Timothy McVeigh, motivated by white supremacist ideology, detonated approximately 2 tons of explosives outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people. Looking back on crime scenes like the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a multipronged attack by deranged farmer Andrew Kehoe against a schoolhouse and its administrators in Bath Township, Michigan, in 1927, Yeager shares his extensive knowledge of post-blast forensics, from the nuts and bolts of bomb components to scientific analysis of how explosives function and predictions of their destructive power.

Yeager also describes the daunting step-by-step task of attempting to solve the brutal assassination of Lebanese anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir in Beirut, in June 2005, just months after Rafic Hariri, the former prime minister of Lebanon, had been assassinated by a massive roadside truck bomb that killed 22 people and injured hundreds of others. After navigating the bureaucratic maze of foreign airport-security checkpoints, upon arrival in Lebanon, Yeager and his small team worked with local police and well-meaning but forensics- challenged ambassadors and officials and wrangled crowds of chanting protesters as he scoured the mangled wreckage for clues. While Yeager tried to keep the volatile crime scene secured from contamination, a photograph of two Pepsi cans, offered as a refreshing beverage by local law enforcement and then innocently placed next to his crime-scene kit ̶surfaced on the Internet. Shortly thereafter, Yeager had some explaining to do to his FBI bosses.

In Out of the Wreckage, Yeager dives deep into the forensics of an FBI crime-scene investigation, providing seasoned analysis of terrorist bombing cases on both domestic and international grounds as he methodically works to uncover the darkest recesses of a criminal mind.

Yeager’s sister, Selene Yeager, a National Magazine Award nominee and author of, or contributor to, nearly thirty books, is his coauthor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Originals
• Release date: Jul 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094448756

Kirk Yeager

Dr. Kirk Yeager received his B.S. in Chemistry from Lafayette College and PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from Cornell University. He worked as a research scientist and became Associate Director of R and D at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC) in Socorro, New Mexico. While in the Land of Enchantment he also held the position of Adjunct Professor in the New Mexico Tech chemistry department. For 10 years he served as a Physical Scientist/Forensic Examiner for the FBI Laboratory’s Explosives Unit, where he deployed as a bombing crime scene investigator to dozens of countries. Currently, Dr. Yeager is the FBI’s Chief Explosives Scientist. Dr. Yeager has nearly 30 years of experience with improvised explosives and IEDs. Over the course of his colorful career he has served as a subject matter expert for the National Academies of Sciences, worked as a technical adviser for Mythbusters, and been the subject of a feature article in Popular Mechanics. He is an avid geocacher and holds the rank of Black Belt in Dan Zan Ryu Ju-Jitsu. His academic prowess is surpassed only by his charm and humility.

Reviews for Out of the Wreckage

[Wilma Branstetter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kirk Yeager has told an excellent story of consulting for the FBI on an international case of an assassination by a "car bomb." The story includes the travel and the security checks just to get there to collect samples from a compromised scene and more. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will have to see what other items both of the authors have written. Thanks Scribd for making this available.

[r3864294 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not bad book but not good either ???remove it from list

[Peter G · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

How smart that guy was very intelligent fbi thank you

[libby · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting looking forward to the book in 2024
Very

[Andrew French · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Relatively short (no bad thing) but super interesting introduction to the world of (post) bomb/explosives analysis, written by the FBI’s lead expert, centred around one real world case.

[Robert Mann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's an interesting book, documentary so to speak, one man's description of being in a country overseas. Bombing seems to be an everyday occurrence. The topic was about one particular incident where mistakes were made I have a feeling part of the reasoning behind the authors choosing this forensic account was to explain the mistakes which were not his fault so to speak. Also the difficulty in dealing with a foreign government their policies, the social structure, the fear of saying or doing something offensive not knowing the outcome or punishment. It was a bit more entailed and worth listening to. I get the feeling it was mostly written to explain the mistakes and why nobody was convicted or suspected as the bomber. I've only written a few reviews, I wrote this one because it was such a different genre compared to what I usually listen to which is a wide variety, not as technical. I know myself, that said, I could never do this man's job bombings of human beings are a horrendous act...

[Elise Butterworth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting topic, but too short, this book was just getting started.

[John Chernich · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting, learned a bit about the science of crime scene investigation. The audio book was a good length as it spanned two days of commuting.

[Anders Nielsen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Short and greatly enlightening view into the world of bomb investigations.

[Roger · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting look into bomb forensics, but very short, magazine article length, unsatisfying conclusion.

[Uhrig · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I quite liked it. Nice short little book about bombs.

[l ekelund · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a read like I never seen before. Kept me waiting for the answer until the last page.

[lindsay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a fantastic, well balanced mix of information and entertainment. The author conveys the personality and exploits of Dr. Yeager in such a sophisticated way that you’re both wowed by his expertise and amused by his wry sense of humor. I’ve also listened to other works by this audiobook reader and he is great and seemingly a perfect fit to deliver this narrative. Definitely recommend!

[Bill · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While short, this was a very enjoyable and insightful read.

[Linda James · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a scribd e original. I liked it. Very interesting. I love Audio books.

[Mel Hanley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well written and interesting, but ends very abruptly, feels like the authors just downed pens in the middle of a chapter.

[Manuel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Engaging and interesting a bit of history in there

[Ken Brown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well written story that is inspiring. Highly recommended to all who love God and his Kingdom.

[Marti Peterson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very Interesting, but surprisingly short. I felt I was just getting into the story, when it ended.