Case Files of the Tracker: True Stories from America's Greatest Outdoorsman

This was my first read of Tom Browns'. I'll admit that I am not much of a book reader...but a buddy of mine told me I had to read it and loaned me his copy. I found myself captured in the many stories almost like I was side by side with the characters. Since reading this book, I have purchased several of his other books and plan to find them all at some point.

The lessons in this book are not in how to apply camo or details in how to track; these lessons are to teach ways to live and, in some cases, the psychological aspects of tracking. Reading this book will give the reader a great insight to Toms himself, but don't pick it up to learn skills. He has other books for that. Or better yet, he runs a very good school to teach those skills.

There are 2 types of people who will read this book. Those who are obsessed with Tom Brown Jr. and those who are skeptical. Other reviews of this book reflect that skepticism.I too was skeptical of Tom's claims about his super-human abilities of stalking and tracking at first. After all, his stories read like a hollywood-script. In reality, movies like the Hunted (which is based on the first tracking case detailed in this book) had to rewrite the story to make it more believable than reality. Tom's story, the true story of what really occurred, is unbelievable to anyone who hasn't become an obsessed follower of and believer in Tom Brown Jr.Either category of reader should be thrilled with this book. Tom gives more details and insight into several tracking cases he participated in. Including a search for an escaped Tiger in New Jersey, Tom tracking down one of his own trained CIA assassins gone bad (the basis of the movie "the Hunted") and other searches for lost children with both tragic and heroic endings.Most of all, Tom Brown is a gifted story teller. Each chapter carries you along an emotional roller coaster experienced through the eyes of the master tracker, the best in the world at what he does. Those who are skeptical and who read this book, will want to read more. Eventually after reading and learning the skills that Tom teaches, perhaps even taking one of his classes, they will become obsessed with Tom like I have become.Those who are believers and admirers of Tom (often to a fault), who have become obsessed with his abilities and wisdom, will find in this book details of stories we have been waiting for years to hear from him. In the dedication of the book, Tom mentions that this is the first of a trilogy. Wonderful news, I waited for over 1 year of delays for this book to be publised. No delay is too long to wait for the next 2!

In rebuttal to the surprisingly negative reviews I have read so far: The lack of some details in the "first story" is due to continued classification of those details... take it up with the U.S. government, don't blame Tom for telling what he can... and as far as there being no instruction for touch-tracking, camouflage, etc., there's no way to fit that volume of information in a book; and if you could, it would lack the reality that hands-on experience brings. If you want to read specifics about inner vision, read Awakening Spirits. Otherwise, Tom's school is in New Jersey, all of this information is available there. This book is called casefiles for a reason; it is NOT an instructional manual. If you have a genuine interest in tracking,this book relates some amazing stories, told by the best in the field. Those who haven't taken the time to make their interest a reality, shouldn't knock it. Of course, any of you guys out in the pine barrens are welcome to correct me if my viewpoint is askew...

Tom Brown's new book was long awaited, finally it is here. His fans might have hoped to see it published already when the movie 'the hunted' (whose technical advisor Tom Brown was and which is even based on a story in this book) hit the cinemas, but due to reasons only the publisher know it arrived half a year later. For the reading audience this does not make any difference at all. The 'case files' which Brown presents in this book do not need a film as a support, they will come alive on their own and - compared to the rather dull movie - the material conveyed in the book is 100% true Tom Brown stuff. People who know Tom Brown will be surprised how deep he goes this time: He is not only sharing his great abilities as a tracker, but also all the intense personal and intimate emotions he experiences being on a tracking case. And a big tracking adventure - in Brown`s perspective - is the whole life, because as a tracker tracking never stops. And it's not a mystic knowledge limited to few chosen ones but an art and science open to anybody who is willing to show passion and invest long hours of 'dirt time' - just as Master Tracker Tom Brown did over decades.All of his stories are exciting to read (some like 'My Frankenstein' are a little bit too macho-style in my opinion), most have a sad ending in common but at the same time they are very rich when it comes to universal messages beyond the physical evidence. Tracking as the art of seeing, feeling and knowing.So it is a great book to read which talks to us at the same time on different and very subtle levels.