Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

First full disclosure...this was the first book I've read by Tom Brown, after the title caught my eye in the bookstore. Also, after initially starting it, I did the standard Internet search to find out who he was and what he was about.
The book is a quick easy read and the subject is fascinating. I give it only 4 instead of 5 stars, because the writing is somewhat stilted. I don't fault him some of the redundancy, because I think he is intentionally trying to hammer some key points in his philosophy.

I think Tom Brown is approaching twilight time in his life, and no doubt he recognizes that. I think he is trying to make peace with some events in his past life. Not to ruin the book, but every story does not end with him carrying out a lost child on his shoulders to the adulation of the town or with him leading out an escaped fugitive in chains.

This book does not smack of "smug arrogance and bravado" that some of the other reviewers would lead you to believe...just the opposite, Tom Brown gives full disclosure concerning some of his mistakes and regrets from the various cases described in the book, he always gives full credit to his tracker students, and he approaches everything in the book: the wilderness, the unfortunate circumstances of other people, with respect and reverence.

I also find it ridiculous that some of the other reviewers criticized the fact that this book "wouldn't teach them how to track." Read the other books he's written, or attend his tracking school up north. If he took time in the book to describe "how he does it" it would probably take several pages and destroy the continuity of the story.
I can't see how anyone with a pulse would not enjoy this book. Enjoyable read. I see myself reading more of his books.

First off, I am a huge fan of Tom Brown and have the utmost respect for him. I have been reading and re-reading all his books for the past 17 years. And I will continue to do so.

But I found myself asking "Did Tom really write this?". The stories themselves are very interesting. But I felt like I was reading each story 3 times do to the redundancy. But what got to me most was the arrogance that this book seems to be wrapped in. I fully appreciate Toms skills and the emotional pains he has had to go through. But there are doctors, firemen, social workers and countless others that have to endure the emotional trauma of watching people suffer through life and die right before them day after day at their jobs. Yet they are not out pounding that fact home in books in this 'oh woe is me' fashion.

If you have not read a Tom Brown book before don't start with this one. Toms books, skills and teachings are a tremendous value. But starting with this book will turn you away from all he has to offer.

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.

I used to be a very enthusiastic Tom Brown fan, having read most of his earlier auto-bios and over half the field guides. I'm a backpacker and half-fast tracker also. Tom knows his stuff. HOWEVER, Case Files reads like something from "Gung-ho" magazine written by someone from The National Enquirer. After the first two chapters, I was so disgusted I threw his book at the wall and vowed to quit recommending him to friends. Go with the early books: The Tracker etc. But avoid Case Files unless you're a wannabe mercenary who's emotionally retarded.

I had been looking forward to this book for several months. I've been aware of Tom Brown and interested in tracking for about 20 years. I've read many of his books but have never been to any of his tracking classes. In addition, I am a fulltime freelance writer, so I know how hard it is to put words on paper.

Nevertheless, this book disappointed because it lacked critical detail. The first case --"My Frankenstein" -- sounds like it was taken from the plot of the movie The Hunted for which Brown was a consultant (or perhaps the movie plot was taken from Brown's experience), but it lacks the detail that would make it come alive. In happens in "a foreign country." We're not told much about Nails, the guy Brown is pursuing, except he's bad.

In another instance, Brown talks of using camouflage to hide from 34 men who were hunting him: "... so precise and so unlike the military camouflage the men are used to seeing that it renders the wearer virtually invisible." Boy, I sure would like to hear more about that! But do we? No.

In "The Eye of the Tracker," Brown says: "The Tracker Point of View and this Inner Vision can be easily taught to anyone and just as quickly learned." Great! How about sharing the secret with the reader in some concrete way?

In time and eternity, we're told Brown is forced to "track by hand" as night falls. How, for Pete's sake?

This book would be much better if it crackled with the details that engage us and pull us into the scene.

While Tom Brown in an interesting man, and his skills and experiences are interesting subjects, i found this book to be terribly written, and quite uninformative. Its not all bad, as some of the stories are entertaining in themselves, but Mr Brown has an awful tendacy to repeat himslef over, and over, AND OVER! "the hunted always has the advantage" appears about 12 times in the first chapter, and many phrases like it repeat themselves endlessly throught...quite honestly, it got to the point where i would just scan through it....

I have Mr Browns feild manuals of various types and find them useful, and well written. Mr Brown is after all, a teacher. I think he would be better served to stick with it.

Ill also admit that i find the idea of Tom Brown taking out 34 special forces soldiers with "a tap of a stick" in a training excercise, and never being seen by anyone in 7 acres of land to be highlt unbeleivable....But, like any good tracker/scout, ...i tend not to doubt anyone. especially this crafy soul .

This is another great book by Tom that take the reader on a roller coaster of emotions. I started reading it the minute I got it out of my mail box and couldn't stop until I finished it later that night. It left me wanting more. I hope to see another book with more fascinating stories soon.

This was a gift & after hearing the response from the receiver concerning how they liked the book, I decided to review it. I thought it would be a good choice for this person as they had the 1st two books by Tom Brown, Jr. & enjoyed them. The book did not talk just about how he did his tracking, but his thoughts were about how he felt about the track or what he sensed from the track (whether they were frightened or if they would be alive or dead when he found them). He made everything spiritual & ethereal which turned the reader off completely. I have been told never to get anymore of Mr. Brown's books for this person & so I will not do so. I was thinking about giving it to our local library, but ... maybe not.

There is a reason Tom Brown, Jr. has a reputation as The Tracker. In this book, the reader gets a first hand account of what it feels like to walk in his tracks. Also the candid accounts of other members of his Tracking Teams are revealing. Any one who does Search and Rescue knows that any case can end up unsolved or as body recovery.
Imagine what it like to have the skills and experiences of this man~ imagine what he has lived through and lives with~ in his life time. As a young boy he learned these skills and was a fanatical student. Today he is a gifted, passionate teacher.
I really enjoyed reading this book- a different flavor from his early books or any of his guide books. I could almost hear his booming voice repeat some of the key phrases of this book. He writes to teach. He is a coyote teacher. I often reread his books to glean more from his carefully chosen words.
I recommend this book as an introduction to what Tom Brown Jr is know for- Tracking - missing people and animals.
If the stories intrigue you, then find some more of his books to read. There are plenty of his books out there that will enlighten you if you choose to read them.

I found this book vary fascinating, even if at times repetitive. The stories don't go into deep detail about the surroundings but seems to me more like a look into the mind of a Tracker as he goes about his search. A thrilling book if not thick with details.