**** * Bombers, Hijackers, Body Scanners, and Jihadists. By Billie H. Vincent. Xlibris Corporation; Web: bookstore.xlibris.com; 581 pages; $34.99; also available as an e-book.

Remember when air travel was less hassle? When there were no lines for security checks and you could run for the plane at the last minute? Some may not recall airports before 9-11, and even those who do may not be familiar with how we got from there to where we are now. Billie Vincent explains how in Bombers, Hijackers, Body Scanners, and Jihadists and makes some informed projections regarding where we might be headed in the future. He also provides some useful recommendations for improvements.

Vincent, whose many years of aviation security experience include heading the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Civil Aviation Security, has put together an excellent historical review based in part on his experience as a key player in the field.

Reviewing not only the FAA’s efforts, along with its research and development, he documents the checkered history of airline security efforts and the industry’s frequent lack of cooperation with the government. He observes that even Israel, with its effective civil aviation security measures, doesn’t have all the answers and has had lapses of its own.

Bombers, Hijackers, Body Scanners, and Jihadists is an important contribution to the aviation security field and should be read by security professionals working in it. At a time when ill-considered and unnecessarily intrusive security has become commonplace and continues to increase, understanding the pretext for it may help us redress the balance. Reviewer: Mayer Nudell, CSC (Certified Security and Safety Consultant), is an independent consultant on crisis management, contingency planning, and related issues. He is also an adjunct professor at Webster University and the co-author of The Handbook for Effective Emergency and Crisis Management and No One a Neutral: Political Hostage-Taking in the Modern World.